For much of its 22-year life (1939 to 1960), the Windsor was subordinate to the high-end Chrysler New Yorker. While it had similar physical proportions, the Windsor used an inline-6 engine in the years following World War II. This 1949 4-door sedan was purchased from an elderly gentleman’s estate, yet the seller apparently wants to move on to something else. The car will run off an external fuel source, so getting it back on the road isn’t likely to be a herculean effort. Located in a garage in Creston, Ohio, this cool project is available here on craigslist for the low price of $2,600 (firm). Our thanks to Tony Primo for the tip!
The Windsor had a long and successful run and was replaced by the Newport in 1961. That automobile was mostly the same, with the nameplate coming to light after the demise of the DeSoto division. During the post-war redesign of 1949-52, the Windsor featured a 250 cubic inch inline paired with a 4-speed semi-automatic transmission billed as the “Prestomatic”.
When this Windsor was produced, Chrysler Corp. was celebrating its first quarter century in business. While the Windsor was a more economical purchase than the Imperial, the cars were hardly stark, having a high level of trim that even included padded dashboards (long before they were a required safety standard). The seller’s car may only have 65,000 miles, and its overall condition is in line with that assumption.
The seller thinks the car may have only been repainted once and refers to the color as brown though I see burgundy here, too. The body and trim are in good shape with perhaps one piece missing on the passenger side rear quarter panel. The interior is sharp, too, though the seat covers look to be purple, le so maybe the lighting is way off in the dark surroundings. It was stored for 15 years yet runs with a bottle of gas hooked up. That will need to be remedied, and the brakes will require a redo. The tires are new, making the seller’s price even more attractive.
I realize that a ’49 Windsor might not be the sexiest classic car you could buy, but damn this car is nice! At 2600 bucks, why not?
If the pics do that car any justice, I would consider the ask pretty much of a “no brainer”! Looks to have been fairly well cared for even in storage. Beautiful car. Those 5 new Coker tires are worth the ask. I hope that beauty finds a great new home and gets back on the road quickly. Fall is coming soon, I hope, and will be a wonderful time for a leisurely ride in a beautiful classic.