At the time the New Yorker was retired in 1996, it was the longest-running U.S. automobile nameplate. Its reign as the top Chrysler car (aside from the Imperial) began in 1940 and one of the rarest versions was the Business Coupe which had just one seat that could accommodate up to three people. Fewer than 700 of them are said to have been built between 1946 and 1948. This nice example has a new interior, though it still sports its original black paint. Located in Mount Brydges, Ontario, this Canadian find is available here on eBay where the bidding stands at $12,322. Once again, T.J. comes through with a tip on a rare find.
Chrysler cars produced during the three years following World War II were largely warmed-over versions of the pre-war automobiles. It would not be until 1949 that the “new stuff” would roll off the assembly lines. The New Yorker was nearly as lavish as an Imperial but rode on a shorter wheelbase (by 18 inches) like the rest of the Chryslers. Standard fare was the Fluid Drive transmission except that the New Yorker was offered with the Presto-Matic 4-speed semi-automatic transmission paired with the 323 cubic inch “straight eight” engine.
Designed for people on the road, the Business Coupe was popular with traveling sales types. Without a back seat, the cars could carry more products to sell. Most of these machines were entry-level jobs within Plymouth, Dodge, and some of the competition. Oddly, Chrysler decided to offer one within the top New Yorker ranks, and only a few hundred were built: just 699 of them between 1946 and 1948 plus 545 more 2-sedans with the traditional back seat. 2-door Chrysler luxury cars apparently were not what the public wanted.
So, this places the seller’s New Yorker in rare territory. How many of them could still be around and especially in this condition? We’re told it’s numbers-matching and had a new interior installed last year. It runs and drives correctly and may need nothing besides a hood-release cable. The Business Coupe is easily identifiable by its three-window layout and enormous trunk that resides behind the driver. It looks nearly as long as the front clip. If you are seeking out a rust-free Mopar that no one else is likely to have, how about this one?
Lordy, y’all have posted a few business coupes here recently but this clean Chrysler version with a straight flat 8 is the deal! Nothing needs changing, she’s perfect as she sits. Great find.
Never heard of the presto matic semi automatic trans. am very confident that someone on this site will be able to tell us more than we ever wanted to know about it.
Presto-matic, or tip-toe, was a four speed manual with electric shift for first-second and third-fourth. You could let up on the gas and hear a loud “clack” as a solenoid changed gears, or keep it floored until 70mph and it would shift smoothly and silently. Best done on highways. Selecting “D” would start in 3rd, and that’s all my mother used. No “P” for parking. Pull the hand brake and it put a death grip around the driveshaft. It had a clutch pedal for selecting low or high driving range, and the fluid action made it easy to use.
Wow, that seems super confusing. Give me a 3 on the tree anytime
Have driven a number of Mopar 4 speed – dual range cars. Manual transmission part was a 2 speed and reverse, plus a vacuum operated 2 speed underdrive. Top gear was direct drive. Fluid drive allowed clutchless
city driving in top range. To change range or use reverse required the clutch. Low gear in top range ratio was close to high gear in low range. This means you use low range only in sand, mud, or really steep grade starts.
I thought it was Fluid Drive.
This is a rare one for sure. Looks like it’s been lowered, bumper guards removed. Aftermarket wheels look out of place on a car of this vintage – but I’d love to see it in my driveway!
The wheel covers appear to be from a Cadillac, but definitely not aftermarket
wheels. GLWTA! :-)
For sure Cadillac caps
Fluid drives were pretty common until Chrysler started experimenting with cable type Tele touch or push button trans shifters that improved and changed into the 60s. This Presto matic was early designs of what came later. I know they filed for a patent on its push button trans shifters, just didn’t Google what year they did that. Packard had to develop its own version around this time, which was electrical and would have violated patent laws and copyrights that Chrysler owned.
What’s not to absolutely love about this BEAST of a car, biggest 2 door I have ever seen. You would get noticed in this no matter who you were. I would give a body part for this car, great find.
Why are all the cars I really like here on BF either located in Canada or California and such a long and expensive shipping distance away? This 48 Chrysler New Yorker is just the bomb as far as business coupes went in the day. And it is certainly is as nice as any Imperial. Can you imagine being a salesman in the late 40s early 50s and cruising around the country in luxury like this?
Presto-matic. That is pure gold. Gold, Jerry. Gold I tell ya!
Alas no pictures of the most unusual feature. Fie on the seller!
This has got to be one of the most beautiful business coupes designed. I kean Wow. Very nice lines. Id leave it pretty much as. Keep the driveline stock. Chryslers from this era has always been one of my favorites. Very nice job
I’d like to see the trunk on this thing. It looks almost long enough for a bed.
Probably was used for that by a few salesmen. Make a Helluva date car back in the day!
nash w/the frnt bench where the back rest folded dwn to a bed too. Or my fav, the traveler (Hudson, nash ’36, ’49 airflyte) head on rear seat, legs/feet in trunk.
I’d Restomod it.
You’d hate me, folks.
Nice looker, man.
Yep, I’d tub it.
Bob
Perish that thought! That would ruin it. Its one thing if it were a rotted out carcass with a shot engine, but this beauty, as nice as it is, deserves to stay in its original glory.
We do hate you–just a stupid comment.
My dad that is 85 years young now , told me years ago you haul a 4×8 sheet of plywood in them .
At the lumberyard, I saw a man easily slide a 4X8 into the trunk of a ’73 Olds with the back seat removed.
Zippo lighters has a Chrysler business coupe they use as a promotional vehicle. They originally built one in the late 40s/ early 50s but that car was lost to time, in the late 90s they built another and had a hard time locating a car to use as a base for the build. I saw it when it was on tour in the early 2000s.
https://www.acontinuouslean.com/2011/04/11/the-zippomobile/
I had a 47 dodge 4 door with fluid drive. Interesting concept. Torque converter instead of a clutch. I could pull away froma dead stop in 3rd gear. A buddy had a Chrysler coupe (not a New Yorker) & put a full sized mattress in the trunk & used it for camping. Left the deck lid propped up. Pretty cozy in there.
Fluid Drive was a simple fluid coupling, not a torque converter — there was no torque multiplication involved. Chrysler later (1952) offered an optional torque converter with the familiar semi-auto gearbox (Fluid-Torque Drive) on Chryslers and DeSotos.
One thing I remember, cars with the fluid drive were great in the snow. With poor tires it was hard to spin them due to the soft torque converter.
46- early 49 qty. 701 New Yorker business coups produced
My 47 Windsor business coupe between same years 46- early 49 1980 were produced.
Business coupes in black always look great..
As far as I know the Chevrolet Suburban is the longest running automotive nameplate. Since 1935 to the present. Predating New Yorker.
If Drive-in movies still existed you could bring the whole block with you.
Be a bit cramped in that ridiculous sized cabin. Most out of proportion car ever.
When I was 6 yrs old a friend’s grandmother had a 3 window like this one.Lived on a farm and didn’t how to park next to the curb.She would pull the front end in and leave the huge rear end out in the road.People had to go around.People were nicer then and nobody complained.
I never liked the looks of these business coupes, but they did perform well.
You could list the truck on AirBnB.
Beautiful car
Just take off those Mattel wheels and put on the proper ones.
My very 1st car, 46 DeSoto business coupe. Could lay out 3 friends in the trunk to sneek into the drive in and pay for only the driver.
OK. Chrysler fans smarter than me.
Had a friend restore a ‘47 Plymouth from Canada. Turned out everything was different from a U.S. Plymouth. Looked the same but different engine etc etc
Would this New Yorker have the same issues?
As far as I know, Dodge and Plymouths were assembled in Canada, and used various “Canadian only” parts, mostly smaller trim pieces. However due to the small production numbers, the big Chryslers were not assembled in Canada.
I found out only 2 yrs ago that the 85 Chevy C10 I’ve spent the last 5 yrs bringing back was made or assembled in Canada.
The semi-automatics were fun to drive for those few short years they existed.
WHY doesn’t seller fix the hood release?
Too expensive?
Hiding some other problem?
I’d love too hear the history on this car, who bought it, how did they use the car, and all the adventures they had in it. Hearing about all that almost brings the cars to life.
A friend of mine in the Packard Club in Virginia owned an almost identical car. It’s the only 1946-48 8 cylinder Chrysler business coupe I have ever seen in person, and my girlfriend at the time said the tiny passenger compartment on such a long car looked like a [pimple] on an arm! When I first saw this I thought it was my friend’s car. However on close examination, his car was even better, with [if I remember right] only about 30,000 miles and always garaged!
My friend said his car was bought new by a fairly well-off farm owner who needed a large trunk for picking up small batches of seeds, tools, and other farm related things, but also a vehicle offering a much higher level of ride and comfort than his pickup truck. The car and the truck held the same amount of people, and the farmer also had a big Chrysler sedan for the family.
HC, that song is sung in Canada: same tune, different wording: “Why are all the cars I really like here on BF either located in Texas or California and such a long and expensive shipping distance away?”. It’s not that bad, really, a good car hauler in Ontario, charged me CAN$2150, in May 2021, to pick up a non-running car, in San Angelo, Texas, and hauled it to Toronto, Ontario. On top of that, when I got, mistakenly, all huffy about lost documents, they were complete gentlemen, and never got ruffled. I will never use anyone else.
As a kid in the 60’s 60’s parents had a 4 door 48 NewYorker.
Beast. We (us kids) wanted to enter it in the figure 8 Demolition Derby lol. It was a tank.
love the i8 only a lill better than the i6. “Knot ona log” is my description for these cars. Tiny dog house in the middle… may B chop top if not in so good condition. Extreme out that feature. But this one is in too good of shape 4 that (wonderful grill design, bumpers and chrome work too)..
Kinda thing I’d daily – take out 2 more passenger positions tho as I haul and am the only one init. May B (cant see in our or the flee bay pic) remove any obstructions into the trunk…
A guy here in Pueblo CO has one that’s been street rodded. Chopped the top, and removed most of the chrome except for that beautiful grille, and painted it red. The chop makes it even more out of proportion, but I like it.
my first car at 16, loved it
omg i might hafta forgo all newer blessed mother mopars.
sell all my current rides and projects and pass the hat here at barnfinds
cuz this is the sweetest ride i have ever seen.
i just gotta have her
A Chrysler with plaid upholstery was called “Highlander.”