This! A 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe “Newport” that is absolutely, as good as it gets – it’s a stunningly beautiful automobile. And while it’s not original in every aspect, it does accurately project its 1953 origins. I know I have said this before but I still can’t believe how far the vaunted Chrysler brand has fallen over the years – and I don’t see any remote chance of a respectable revival under Stellantis. But let’s not get sideways with all of that and revel in what the third leg of the luxury Troika had in store 70 years ago. Residing in LaPorte, Indiana, this Hemi-powered hardtop is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $10,100 with the reserve not yet met.
The seller states that this New Yorker Deluxe is one of only 3,715 produced and that matches my finding. But how one can say that it’s just one of six still in existence is beyond me. Anyway, it is claimed to still be in possession of all of its original sheet metal, is rust-free, and its body (not the roof) has been refinished in its “correct” hue which I guess means its born-with color. It is suggested that the bumpers could use rechroming but they certainly look suitable as is, if revealing just a bit of dullness. If the stance of this Chrysler looks a bit off, it is, it has been lowered two inches and that may be one of its more debatable alterations. Best of all, however, might be this Newport’s overall design with its slender C-pillar and three-piece rear window, Finally, holding up all four corners are wire wheels courtesy of Hobby Car Wheels (? never heard of them) which look similar to ’50s vintage pieces from Kelsey-Hayes.
The interior is about as nice as one would imagine on a car of this stature and condition. It has been reupholstered using the original style material and pattern and it makes for a stellar presentation! And this nine-year-old restoration was complete covering the dash pad, door panels, and carpet. Note the instrument panel, it may not be as elaborate as some found in GM cars of this era but I still consider it a work of art – imagine a modern manufacturer putting that much thought and consideration into the part of the car that you only have to look at every doggone time you drive it.
The big news is under the hood where a 331 CI Hemi V8 engine is holding court. It’s sportin’ reproduction heads, a 1954 vintage intake manifold, a Demon carburetor, a 3/4 grind cam, and a custom fabricated air cleaner assembly. The seller tells us, “This beauty runs and drives extremely well. Probably better than new due to rebuilt motor with more power and a better transmission“. And that better transmission is an A-727 three-speed automatic which has replaced a transmission that the seller derisively describes as “useless“, useless being a “Fluid-Matic Drive” – I am not familiar with that one.
No idea where the reserve has been set is on this magnificent New Yorker Deluxe, but I imagine that it will sell at some point and the new owner is going to be enjoying one of the finest ’50s Chryslers that I have ever encountered. Buy, drive, and enjoy, it needs nothing more, right?
I like everything about this big bird. Good looks, proper upgrades, and good condition. The transmission change was a good one as the original was similar to Buick’s Dynaflow unit. Hitting the pedal hard was like putting your foot in a box of foam rubber.
Wow! Absolutely stunning. I love the whole thing! DON’T change anything. A 331Chrysler hemi is THE BEST/Perfect engine for this car if you’re upgrading to a more modern drivetrain. The colors are perfect – my favorite. Wire wheels for the finishing touch. I’ll take it. Price? That’s tough. If it checks out, runs as great as it looks – I would say at least 25-30k or more? It’s definitely turnkey cruiser material – just wish I was turning the key! Fantastic article too.
P.S. – try restoring one like this for 25k. Can’t even get a new econobox for that. Love the car. Hope it goes to a good home.
If I’m not mistaken the “fluid drive” was actually a 3 on the tree with a clutch, no flywheel just a coupling, you could leave it in gear at a stop . You only used the clutch to change gears. good info on Wikipedia
I remember seeing a neighbor’s Plymouth with that as a boy and it mystified me, shoot I might be able to drive this thing !!
Rich I had one, you did not need to use the clutch at all if you did not want to shift. Put it in drive and when it came time to shift you needed to let off the gas let it shift with an electric solenoid. The 331 was a rock but the transmissions were junk–at seventeen I went thru 5 of them until I could not find any more. The clutch was great for putting down 15 ft. of rubber –both tires–and now you know why so many trannies.
The Fluid drive was a dual range semi-automatic transmission. Drop it in ‘D’ and go. To up-shift into the high gear, you would lift off the accelerator pedal and the trans would shift into high. The “L” selection would do the same thing, just in a lower range. A true automatic transmission would be available in the 1954 line-up. A 2 speed similar to the Chevy Powerglide called the Powerflite.
@JOD: Fluid-Matic Drive was just a different name for the hydraulically shifted semi-automatic transmission/Fluid Drive combo (Prestomatic, Tip Toe Shift, etc.) used by Chrysler starting in 1946. It was a revised version of the prewar Vacamatic semi-automatic (which used engine vacuum for the shifting).
Putting powerful engines in cars of this vintage was a poor idea. Poor suspensions, poor tires, and even poorer roads. There is a reason that traffic fatalities was on the rise during those years. Can you imagine? Some poor young man comes home from Korea, survived bullets and grenades, only to be brought down by a test drive of some “exciting” new car he felt he deserved after what he had been through. Add 15 years, and the same story repeats itself with Vietnam veterans. Many cases of this,
Google it. I recall one case that happened shortly after I arrived in this country. A young vet took out a high performance car in 1969 from a Dodge dealer in West St Paul, MN. He never made it back from the test drive. Cars were too powerful then as well. I will be happy when the government finally steps in and puts a stop to unneeded over the top performance in cars and trucks.
Don’t agree with your comment about big engines but do agree that some of the untalented bone heads of today are dangerous in the big engine cars. One thing about the early suspensions and tires, spent years rat racing back and forth the US with ’50s, ’60s and ’70s cars and never had any handling or tire problems. The suspensions were bullet proof units that just didn’t fail and in those days running 80mph all day long was the norm.
Yep. That’s what we need. More government nanny-ism. I must have clicked the wrong key. I thought I was going to see cool old cars for sale.. my bad.
Government “nanny-ism” keeps you safe in so many ways. Why should this be any different?
You will see that. It’s just some of the kids that think they are so smart that you have to ignore.
With a curb weight of 4200lbs and a motor putting out 180 hp. tops, I’m not sure this was the car killing young GI’s. The engine itself weighed 1000lbs!
Granted, the HP wars are alive and well with Demons and Hellcats making crazy numbers. Then again, most of these can be taken by your average EVs. Personal transportation is inherently dangerous as no one has to take an IQ test to get a license, nor does wealth equal good driver.
Plenty of YouTube videos of newly minted McLaren owners packing their cars in.
I did some very stupid sh*t with a 63 Falcon 6 cyl. 4 door automatic when I was 16.
EVs can be electronically controlled to provide reasonable performance and no more. Plus, the benefit of that is greater efficiency, good for us all. I see a day when ones driving habits are monitored and when they are subpar, the car will be programed to take over and do the driving for you. I see the insurance industry pushing for that, soon.
Same old story, and there just may be a grain of truth in it. My nephew came back from vietnam and had a Pontiac GTO which he street raced, and killed himself, so you can put that in the hopper with any other stories to justify your claims of dangerous cars. Just as many people die in cars now and they are not 400 horsepower monsters, but Kias and Huandas and people texting while driving.
Yeah, I suppose I should send my Hemi roadrunner to the crusher because YOU don’t like fast cars. And the same for my 2018 Hellcat Challenger. It’s just too fast for anyone.. you. If you had your way we all would be driving model A’s, wearing the same clothes, hair,music, etc… Why would post that nonsense on BF?
In 1953 this Hemi was not all that powerfull compared to the weight.
It was advertised as 130 horsepower. Perhaps that wasn’t true but the lighter 110 horsepower Studebaker v8 in the 3100 pound Commander with 3 speed overdrive
was the young persons choice over Grandpa’s New Yorker.
What a beautiful Chrysler New Yorker. I was born in Detroit in 1955, my mom’s side of the family all worked at Chrysler’s Highland Park headquarters. My grandfather was a Chrysler Corporation employee for 35 years. He had a blue with dark blue roof. So I’ve been around these beautiful Chrysler Corporation cars for a long time, and I too
often wonder what happened to the unique Chrysler Corporation. Chrysler was known for bringing so many engineering firsts to the automotive industry, things that have become industry standards to this day. In the late 50s and 60s Chrysler brought us front tourqution bar suspension, push button drive transmissions, and who could forget the famous Astrodome instrument cluster with it’s beautiful Panelesent lighting, I love that. I realize they are now owned by Stallntis, but it still builds Dodge and Chrysler’s. The world needs the Chrysler Corporation to keep the automotive world in balance..I’m glad the Chrysler Corporation is still with us.
Time to face the facts, Chrysler is dead. It started with Plymouth getting the axe, going downhill since then. Before long it will just be Jeep and Ram, and eventually, not even Ram. Jeep will live forever, it is the cockroach of the industry.
Grant, boy you are in a sour mood today. I just hope the rest of the folks here ignore your comments and don’t let them sour their mood too. I hope you never get your wish that the Govt. controls how we drive. That would be like the gun laws we have today where people who want to get around them find ways to do it. Cars have gotten much safer than they were in the last few decades but there is a limit to how much the Govt can protect us from each other.
Of course it would not be the idea from people who like to drive, but what about all of those who should not be driving? Some elderly people, chronic drunks, sleepy people, or know it all kids? Public safety on the roads should be the expectation, not a crap shoot. True, cars are much safer, but people have become less safe. Distracted driving, to working too many hours to get by that leaves you a tired and less attentive driver, to the general aging of the populous. Grumpy? Perhaps, but maybe it is just the engineer in me working out problems in my head. All of societal problems have a solution if we use common sense and sit down together to work out compromises that we all can agree upon. BTW, I love to drive.
I agree about this one being a stunner. I wouldn’t change a thing on this one…. beautiful old car….
I have a 53 Chrysler Crown Imperial. I came with a 3 speed automatic. And boy did it go with that Hemi. But it got totaled out in a hail storm. Beat that pretty car full of dents. My insurance said it couldn’t be fixed. I cried. Loved that car.
I had a 52 New Yorker with the same transmission. Some had a fluid coupling an some were labeled Fluid Torque, but performance was about the same. These were solid, well-built cars when compared to the competition.A real shame that Chrysler has about gone out of business. Not the car’s fault, but bad management for decades, and penny pinching beancounters in charge.
My Dad made the mistake of buying a 1953 DeSoto with that ballyhooed Hemi engine and slush-oh-matic hydraulic transmission with a CLUTCH. That “monster” engine could barely move that tank, and with the 6 volt system it was AWFUL to get the engine started. We kept 2 batteries, with short cables, that we could quickly wire in series to get 12 Volts into the starter. You could rev up that engine all you wanted, pop the clutch….. and slowly get moving. YUCK
Know what I like best about the ’49-’53 Chryslers? That big instrument cluster on the dashboard. So impressive – especially at night – photos don’t do it justice, you have to sit behind the wheel.
I almost bought a ’50 Windsor just because of that impressive dash. Deal fell through when seller couldn’t find the title.
@ Denny N. My Dad bought a new ’49 Chrysler Highlander and I remember that impressive instrument cluster very well , along with the window winder handles with the dangling part on the end. It had a Fluid Drive transmission in it and I can remember this particular hill that we went up from a dead stop at the bottom , it seemed like it took forever , my Mom sitting on the passenger side leaned over and mashed her foot on Dads foot on the gas pedal and the car went into a sort of passing gear that Dad never even knew it had, climbs up that hill went a lot quicker after that, the car only had a flathead 6 in it .
I would’ve poked & stroked a 392 hemi and done every performance trick that was available instead of messing with the 331. You can easily top the 450 horse mark without spending near the cost of a 426 and had the same power! That Tank needs Torque and plenty of it to move a car that size so if you’re going to be a Bear be a Grizzly! You can still tell everyone it’s the 331 and by looking at it you couldn’t tell the difference because the distributor is still in the back not in the front like the 426 Hemis dead give away for what Hemi it was.
The 331 hemi had the bell housing as part of the engine block. Although the rest of the engine looks like a 392/354 that bell housing can’t be hidden. Also to those speaking of low hp slugs of the 50s, the 354 hemi was the first one to achieve 1 hp per cubic inch. Nothing by today’s computer controlled engines but quite an achievement in its day.
Grant, try not to speak.
Every article that allows comments has to put up with a know-it-all. Generally an opinionated political blow hard that knows so much that isn’t true. And in this case has nothing to do with the article itself.
Exactly which comments do you not agree with? I am an educated man with decades of real world technical experience. I would think my opinions hold some weight as to reasonability. .
When I was a youngster and hanging out with my big brother who was shopping barnyards and back yards for old Chrysler products, at that time in the late sixties there were dozens of crippled Dodge, Chrysler Desotos hanging around. Literally every disabled car had the transmission as the reason it was out of commission. All hemi engines, he scored a 354 which went into his model A, two 1957 Desotos and a 392 from a wrecking yard. The matching Desotos, one 4 door and one 2 door he drove through high school. Of course all were converted to standard transmission.
TWO THUMBS UP! I love this car just the way it is. What a great idea to replace the Fluid Drive transmission with a Torqueflight. I don’t want to denigrate the old Fluid Drive as I owned DeSoto with one. Not conducive to stop light drag racing but it worked as designed. But the tranny change and tweaking the Hemi is pretty neat in my view. Love the color and the interior is a work of art. Far from the bland sea of black or gray offered today. I’ll be watching this one and maybe throw a bid at it if it stays under 15K. Doubt that it will however. GLWTS.
I used to have one just like this but in convertible form. Got lots of praise and sold it to a guy in Sweden.
She’s sure a beauty and I like what he’s done upgrading its drivetrain. I recently took on a 48 Chrysler New Yorker straight 8 with a fluid drive, and have been doing a crash course in how they work. Thankfully, after going over it, all the electrical on trans to relay are in place. I’m going to try and keep it as designed, but I can see how this guy decided to do the upgrades on its drivetrain.
My goodness I have never seen as many people voicing negative opinions like above. Are we not adults? Can we not act like adults? Some of you people should not be allowed on here because some of you don’t have a clue what you are talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now for my opinion about this car. I love the car I don’t think the owner should sell it. Now if I did not have 10 cars already I would buy it and drive the wheels off of it. All you NEGATIVE people are going to write and and tell me how crazy I am and yes I am car crazy but I am not stupid.
I feel the same. Cars have been my top passion since I was 5 years old back in 1959. At one point I owned 8 cars and a 33 foot Southwind motorhome. All Fords, even the motorhome was built on a F450 super duty frame with a fuel injectioned 460 engine. Some of the posted comments incorrect or very negative. I usually think they were not around for America’s Golden Age of cars. They were all works of art. But that all ended after the 73 oil crisis. The American Big Three have never really recovered from, I continue to wait for them, but when the foreign cars came in they polluted the market to the point that the Big Three could never recover from. I blame all of it on the 73 crisis, which I tend to doubt if it was real or staged. But not for me. My family and my friends drive Fords and Chryslers. It kills me that I’m the only one at an intersection driving an American car. However it did force the Big Three to build better cars, but frankly, gas mileage should not be the top priority, it’s important but so are a lot more of a good car. It makes me sick that today’s market drives imported cars. There’s no loyalty for American the American auto industry. At this point the American Big Three will never be the top manufacturers again, and that’s really sad. I am glad to know there are a lot of guys out there that feel the way I do. But we must realize we are a dying breed, in 30 to 40 years we’ll be gone, and the Big Three will be just another three car manufacturers competing in the global marketplace. It really disappoints me to think that way but that’s where things are headed. So I’m glad we have these sites for us to keep the American auto industry alive. Like I said, I’m a Ford and Chrysler man, but I now realize I must include GM cars. The GM brands never really impressed me but now I see them differently. I felt bad that we lost Oldsmobile and Pontiac, especially Pontiac, back in the late 50s and all through the 60s, Pontiac built some great looking cars, that were outstanding performance cars. I don’t want to live in the past but when it comes to cars that’s what l’m doing. For 70 years the Big Three ran the show. DARN the 73 crisis.
Some of us just hang on to the past, and there is nothing wrong with that so long as it isn’t taken to the extreme. New cars are reliable, and last many more miles with even minimal maintenance, and we sometimes forget that, and all the things we did back then to keep our cars running. My family was all Chrylser, all the time, as was I. Then, in 1985, I took the leap to a Japanese car, as the Chryslers had gone to K-cars, and I needed something reliable. My 85 Maxima got 30 miles to the gallon and I was commuting 75 miles one way every day. That forever changed me, and I drive Toyotas now.