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.