Being a marketing and advertising guy in a former life, I know the importance of a great product name. Think of what the name, Riviera, conjures up in your mind versus, say, the name Edsel. That’s why I always liked Chrysler’s choice of New Yorker for their flagship model. In the 1940’s and ’50’s, New York City was the world’s undisputed center for finance, manufacturing, arts, culture, music, sophistication, and more. It was a golden era for the Big Apple and having that name in script on the front fender of your luxury automobile was a brilliant move on Chrysler’s part. Here’s a solid survivor from 1951 whose Hemi V8 isn’t running at the moment, but is highly original overall and looks to be a good project for somebody. It is currently in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is for sale here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,500. Thank you to super-spotter T.J. for sending this big blue New Yorker our way!
Chrysler’s New Yorker line for 1951 consisted of a Club Coupe, Convertible, the Newport 2-Door Hardtop, and the biggest seller of the line (16,166 units), the Six-Passenger Sedan. It is the typical Chrysler product look of the time: more practical than stylish with a tall roofline to allow for hat clearance and plenty of trunk space. A choice of 16 paint colors (with great names such as Ecuador Blue, Juniper Green, Arizona Beige, and Crown Maroon) were offered, and this car’s Haze Blue is probably original. It is dull and thin in a few spots, but isn’t terribly bad looking for a 75-year-old automobile. It appears all the trim is there, the chrome and glass look decent, and I’m not seeing any major tin worm effects.
There’s only one photo of the New Yorker’s original interior, so it’s hard to give it a grade, but it looks very well preserved for its age. The seller describes it as “pristine,” but I wish there were more photos. You gotta love the instrument panel design and craftsmanship in these old Chryslers. They’re a real piece of art in my book. The attention to detail is just amazing.
Chrysler’s big news for 1951 was the introduction of their new 331-cubic-inch FirePower V8. It generated 180 horsepower which seems modest by today’s standards, but it was 20 more horsepower than a ’51 Cadillac and was faster than the Olds 88 Rocket engine. Chrysler didn’t refer to it as a “Hemi” when introduced, opting to call it “The Sensation of the Century,” and “the most Powerful, the most Efficient Engine ever developed” in their sales literature. The 331 isn’t currently running but turns over. The seller says the car has been sitting and would need a new fuel tank (or have the original one professionally cleaned), brake work, new tires, fluids, and the other checklist of items that a car that’s been sitting and sleeping for a while would need. It has 75,000 original miles and is paired with a Fluid-Matic automatic transmission.
I’d love to see this big blue Chrysler roadworthy again. The seller describes it as an unmolested survivor that has been preserved remarkably well over the decades. He also says the next owner could enjoy it as a patina survivor, and that it also has the foundation for a hot rod build. What would you do with this classy Chrysler survivor?
Darn! This is about 90 miles from me. I don’t have garage space available for this right now and I wouldn’t want to park it outside, it’s too nice. Hopefully this goes to a good home.
It doesn’t run? So, how long has it been parked on the street? I wonder if the city is on them to move it on.
That dash pod. Wow.
do any of you know what the knob on the left side of the dash, under the turn indicator, is for? it says “PRNDL” so it apparently has something to do with the fluid-matic transmission, but what is it? the shift selector doesn’t have park,only R, Lo, Nu, and Dr. what is that knob used for? if for park why does it not simply say park? no, it says PRNDL, right?
There was no Park in Fluid Drive tyranny. Parking brake only.
It’s says panel…it controls bright or dim dash and radio light.
It’s says panel…it controls bright or dim dash and radio light.
The one word I think when I see this is “frumpy”.
The only time this was faster than a Oldsmobile 88 was if the Olds was in park.
https://share.google/aimode/Qrvtt0Ie4hhR4tBMU
Stats quoted in the link above were for the Saratoga, the featured car is a New Yorker which has a longer wheelbase and is a bit heavier than the Saratoga.
First Trophy I won Drag Racing was in 1958 with my 51 Olds 88. Final round came down to me and a Fellow in a 51 Chrysler Hemi. Don’t remember if it was a Saratoga or New Yorker or whatever but I took the win.
The New Yorker is slightly slower by a couple of seconds being 400lbs heavier. Still the New Yorker can do 0-60 in 12 seconds, the Olds is 12-13 seconds. You were comparing the light weight Olds 88 to the heavy New Yorker, so the fair comparison is the light weight Saratoga to the Olds 88
I used to get laughed at when going to the line with some kids that thought no way I could beat them. The old 51 Imperial gave them a good run, and even beat a few.
Ahh the memories of my first car that cost $50.00, it was a bit fancier than this one, since it was an Imperial, leather dash, leather trimmed seats, power windows, fluid torque drive, (an automatic with a clutch). Dark royal blue, and a couple of jump seats that folded down from the back of the front seat, and a huge space between the front and back seats, could get a bunch of kids in that car for carload at the drive-in movie. Should have kept it, but at 18, I needed a better car for college, and they gave me $250 for a trade in. It was a retired banker’s car, close to a limousine. Had the hemi, could really go after a slower start.
Does not run, BUT parked on the street???? Did the seller pull it out of a garage to take pictures??? This body looks Great.. Original or an older restoration?? For a buyer with some mechanical ability this will make a great entry into the classic car hobby!! With the narrow white walls those tires may not be TOO old? Good enough to get to local Cruise Ins and Cars and Coffee..
And! You could wear your pork pie hat, without worry!
The “automatic” transmission using a fluid clutch, was just a semi..and no PARK selection was a result of this absence of a mechanical connection between the engine and transmission. Chrysler products of that vintage used a parking brake that clamped on the drive shaft. Held well when parked but often tore off the u-joints on the drive shaft if engaged at speed.
The “automatic” transmission using a fluid clutch, was just a semi..and no PARK selection was a result of this absence of a mechanical connection between the engine and transmission. Chrysler products of that vintage used a parking brake that clamped on the drive shaft. Held well when parked but often tore off the u-joints on the drive shaft if engaged at speed.
I looked at the photo in the listing of the rear of the car and it appears per the license plate sticker that registration expires in August 1996! So the car may have been off the road – and maybe not running as well – for a long time.
I’d pull the engine and look for some kind of hot rod chassis to drop it in. Probably an early 60’s mopar compact if it would fit. Sacrilege maybe but we’re talking dreamland here any way.
I still have a 331 engine rebuild kit from my 1951 Chrysler Saratoga. I was going to rebuild it until an OG told me to pour some Mystery Oil into the intake while running to get the glued up rings free. The car smoked bad from sitting for 30 years. After I used the mystery oil and ran it hard driving it for an hour the rings freed up and stopped smoking. A quart of oil down the intake and the car ran great ever since.
Probably the same thing the rings are glued up tight and can’t build any compression to even start. Pull the plugs and pour some kerosine into the cylinders drain the oil leave off the drain plug and keep wheeling over the engine to free up the rings. Pull the valve covers to see if the valves are free.
These cars are really easy to get running again if you know what to look for and bring back to life. You see that is what us teenagers did to pass time back when the world was still using gasoline and real oil.