We have often debated what the fate of some pre- and post-war cars will be as time marches on. As the cars age, so do prospective buyers, those of a certain generation that might be inclined to show an interest. Take this 1949 Chrysler Royal, for example. It’s in fine condition, and not to date myself, but when I was a wee one, these vintage Chryslers were still regularly seen out and about. That’s not so much the case today, and one of the reasons may be whether they are now, or ever were, considered collectible – what will this car’s fate be? Let’s look it over and see if we can decide. Burbank, California, is where it calls home, and it’s available here on craigslist for $8,000.
The seller opens with an interesting declaration, “I got this car in a trade, so before I get attached to it, I figured I’d list it online.” Hmmm…, an accidental trade? Got caught up in the moment? Whatever the case, this claimed 77 K-mile Royal is in fine shape. It’s one of only 13K four-door sedans assembled in ’49, though there were a few more that rode on a stretched wheelbase. Other Royals included a club coupe and a station wagon, while additional Chrysler models that year included the Windsor, Saratoga, New Yorker, and Imperial (which was not a separate brand at this point). At first blush, I thought this sedan was finished in black, but it’s not; it’s dark blue, which appears to be specifically “Ensign Blue.” The finish and body are in excellent condition, as are the chrome-plated components and stainless trim. All in all, it’s a very sound-looking sedan with perhaps one deviation from stock, and that’s the white-finished wheels; I’m not sure about that look.
This Royal Windsor’s engine room is outfitted with a 116 gross HP, 250 CI, in-line, flathead, six-cylinder engine which channels its power via a three-speed manual gearbox (three-on-the-tree). The engine compartment is amazingly clean and appears to be all original. The seller offers, “car runs and drives as it should.”
The interior’s condition mostly matches that of the exterior, except for the seat covers; they look like blue mats that have been snagged from someone’s bathroom – not a great look. It’s unfortunate, as the original seating material, spied on the back of the front seat’s backrest, is revealed as a fitting shade of dark blue vinyl. The entire environment would be splendid if that were still the case. Beyond that, the dash, instrument panel, and carpet are all fine.
So, what’s the likely market for this Chrysler Royal? While it’s probably limited, this is an excellent example, and the $8 large ask seems reasonable – at least for this day and age, so patience will likely produce a buyer. Tell me, what’s your thought on the collectibility of cars from this era?
It’s either a Royal, the base model, or a Windsor, the upgraded version. It appears to have the padded dash so I’ll consider it a Windsor (it should have a Windsor nameplate on the rear of the front fender above the trim strip). To me this is collectible, but there are those who call the styling of this generation “stodgy” and bemoan the fact that it doesn’t have a V8. The “FirePower” hemi won’t appear until 1951 but the Windsor model would continue to offer only the 6 cyl. engine until I believe 1955.
Thx for the clarification.
JO
With the exception of the seat covers this appears to be a nice car. These old Mopars though considered stodgy by some were some of the better engineered automobiles on the road at that time. The flat head 6 was slow but indestructible. I have never adhered to the “ too many doors “ philosophy. These were the cars our parents and grandparents drove and so hold many more fond memories than the flashier 2 doors.
Yeah, these were built like tanks, you see quite a few Mopars from this era still running and driving.
From my days as a lot boy at my uncle’s car dealership (1961-1968), I remember these cars well. Whereas we’d routinely encounter Chevys and Fords that needed serious engine work, I can’t recall a single flat-head MoPar with such problems. What I do remember is the relatively minor problem of their tendency to be hard to start in damp weather.
Your first sentence wraps up everything. This is a VERY nice car with its fantastically beautiful paint and gleaming chrome. If I were in the mood, I would be tempted to put out the 8K, restore the front seat, and then ask for at least 12K for a quick profit.
Thanks J O., but you are too kind and can point the finger squarely at me and I think some may want me to “give it a rest”, but denial is heavy with that subject, and not a clear answer, so let’s talk about the amazing cars that are popping up. All estate finds, but this is what is out in those garages hither and yon, just waiting for the owners to pass. Like the author, I too remember these cars, but not like this. Always $50 beaters in the back row. I always wondered who bought these cars new. My parents claim they had an “old Dodge” right after the war, and many cut their teeth on cars like this. Usually given to them, and valuable lessons were learned, to be used later on. These cars rarely survived that, and the next stop was usually the junkyard.
What do you think was the story on this car? No scenario too far fetched. I doubt it was a ladys car, maybe, gals did shift gears in the 50s. The stuff in the back seat is man stuff. Even saved the seat cover wrapper? That’s compulsive disorder. Did women smoke Chesterfield then? Apparently marketing thought so. Remember, A for always milder, B for better tasting, C for cooler, A B Chesterfield, my grandparents and certain nationalities, it seemed, smoked Kent for some reason. Clark Kent maybe? In on a trade, so who knows? These were popular for sales folk, and put hundreds of thousands of miles on cars like this, just not this one. It’s a wonderful find, except for the stick, of course.
My mother smoked unfiltered Chesterfield King cigarettes. In the fifties, she’d often give me a quarter and send me to the corner store (there were no “convenience” stores then) to buy her a pack.
Check the brakes, change the fluids, drive and have fun!
Looks like it mat be gone already. This is a lot of car for 8 grand, it seems today everybody wants 4 or 5 grand for something that has been sitting in their backyard for 20 years. It has good chrome, good paint and hopefully it’s a good runner too. Compared to todays cars this is a tank to drive. Hard to believe upscale cars came with a six and three on the tree. Not even Fluid-Drive or power steering on this one? Automatic trans. and P/S made a lot of women into drivers back then. But many women did shift gears and turn big steering wheels with “Armstrong” steering. My mother learned to drive after the war on a ’41 Plymouth in Queens N.Y. She was barely 5ft. tall and weighed about a 100 pounds.
I believe the Windsor came with Fluid Drive as one of the upgrades over the Royal.
My mother was exactly the same size as yours, and she learned to drive on a ’34 Ford. Later, when I was very young, she drove a ’49 Buick Super. Though she didn’t have to shift gears (it had a Dynaflow), she must have struggled nonetheless. Steering the monster and seeing over the dashboard had to be a challenge for such a tiny woman.
My mother was about the same size and weight as yours. We had a Lincoln Capri when I was a kid. One day, my mom drove down the block a short distance before the power steering failed (broken belt?), and the car veered to the right into the curb at a steep angle. She couldn’t move the steering wheel, so we got out, walked home and called my dad for help. That was my first experience with a “self-driving” car- way back in the early 60s.
Hmmm…I own a ’41 Plymouth that was purchased new by a woman in Queens – no kidding!
Joan Crawford might clinch the sale!
Especially when she’s smoking a cigarette.
I really hope the exhaust system has the correct brackets and clamps and no wire hangers. ;)
My Mom drive one in the early ’60s. Hers was a ’50 Royal that looked a lot like this one save for the mild facelift that those cars got that year. Ours was that anniversary blue color with a blue grey mohair interior. And yes Howard, Mom said she paid $75
for it in ’61– quite a sum of cash for a young single mom to come up with. But she did and we were
amazed that the radio still worked great 💯 for a car that old
And so began my love affair with music 🎶. She’d play the breakfast jamboree for us as she drove my sister and me to daycare Monday through Friday.
It was a huuuge car so Mom would stop by and pick up some older folks we knew and give them a ride to church on Sunday morning. Well, we had just dropped the older folks off at their place and we were headed home 🏡 when we were T-boned by a guy in a ’58 Ford sedan. The Ford was totaled but the Chrysler
wasn’t hurt bad at all. Mom traded the Chrysler in for a really
nice ’54 Chevy 210 4-door with a
235 and a 3 on the tree 🌴 It was
shiny black with WSW tires and
a set of flipper 🐬 hubcaps. And
yeah, I kept up my music 🎵 education too as the radio worked in the Chevy too.
A kid in my neighborhood’s dad had one of these (it was black as well) up on blocks in his yard and we played in it often. When we were in Jr High we thought we’d get it running – got as far as buying a water pump cross over hose at the local parts store for less than a buck and failing at removing the old one…..
I would prefer this generation with a straight 8. Just to have one. Would dropping a straight 8 in this be a capital offense?
The “white painted wheels” are factory accessory “spats”. They have the look of wide whitewall tires that were in short supply after WW2.
We didn’t have a Chrysler (God forbid Pops buy something upscale) but we came home from Church one Sunday morning in the early 1960s in Mom’s mint green ’53 Mercury, V8, auto, p/s (it originally was her brothers) and pulled into the driveway and there, in front of the garage was my father under the hood of the car he just bought to replace the Mercury. A 1949 Plymouth in dark burgundy. Lord, I hated that car. Talk about stodgy? You didn’t any stodgier than Mopar in the late 40s through the mid 50s.
K.T. Keller had a philosophy that a car should be tall enough that a man can wear his hat while driving his car. Hence, the very upright stodgy look. Thank God for Virgil Exner and his forward look.
Nice car for we folks of a certain vintage who grew up with them. I think we all know that the market for these are shrinking. Times change. And yes women drove these row your own manual steering cars no problem. My Mom was one of them. She had to learn to drive my Dad’s ‘58 Chevy when he was unable due to having been in accident falling off a roof. Thrust into a pressure situation she persevered. Later on she had no problem driving my ‘67 Mustang 390 manual steering and transmission. Although when starting off from a standstill she often chirped the rear tires. Love you, Mom, RIP.
This must be the Chrysler the B52’s were referring too.
About 30 years ago, a young co-worker bought one of these and somehow towed it home a couple hundred miles behind his Omni. It needed brakes and a head gasket (which surprisingly, the local Dodge dealer had in stock). It had a dent in a fender and I wondered if it was hit by a train and what happened to the train.
The body style was changed in mid 49’from 48 to 50.I had an early 49(48)burnt oil like a drunk.
We had a ’49 New Yorker when I was little. We traveled to see my Grandma every weekend, so my dad built a platform in the back seat so I could sleep back there. I still remember that car and the brake light on the back. It was the first car of many that fascinated me. They still do.
@MIchael Gregory
Well weren’t you precious! So adorable.
And I love those horns your dad mounted on the fender. They look like they could blow a car out of your way!
I remember making him honk them as much as he would allow. LOL I would also yell GO! GO! GO! from the back seat every time we stopped at a red light once I started talking.
I remember my familys car in the early ’50s being a 1949 Chrysler ‘HIGHLANDER” , it was Thunder gray with a Maroon Leather & plaid wool seats , it had the Spitfire flathead 6 with a Fluid Drive transmission . When I was little I sat on the front armrest between my Mom & Dad while my older brother & sister sat in the back. As I grew up I would help my Dad when he washed that Chrysler , he would give me one Brillo Pad to clean all four wide white wall tires, God forbid if I asked for another Brillo Pad. I remember there was one hill on the way home that you started out from a dead stop and that old Chrysler would creep up so slowly until one time my Mom reached over with her foot and mashed down on Dads foot on the gas pedal and the car hit passing gear and my Dad was surprised .
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It seems all my aunts and uncles drove Mopars back then. My dad had ’36 and ’37 DeSotos and a ’39 Dodge. My first car was a ’37 Plymouth, although I had learned to drive on my dad’s non-Mopar ’51 Mercury. The Minnesota driver’s exam back then included parallel parking – at a time when few cars had power steering. Seems to me my first memories of power steering were the 1953 DeSoto ads on Groucho Marx’ “You Bet Your Life”. “As easy as dialing a telephone” they’d say. Can you imagine how young drivers would relate to that in 2025?
It seems that my “elegant” is somebody else’s “stodgy”. Granted, all ’49-52 Mopars looked a bit clunky in convertible or “hardtop convertible” forms (how many of us recall that term?), particularly in dark colors, proper four-door sedans looked elegant – stately. I see them that way more now than then. If they’re not very popular as collectibles, all the better for those who must collect on a budget. These strike me as GREAT entry-level collectibles! And those flat-heads were so simple and rugged.
“As easy as dialing a telephone” they’d say. Can you imagine how young drivers would relate to that in 2025″?
Hardly at all!
Today’s youth have trouble even telling time on conventional, analog clocks. I taught at a community college where all conventional clocks were replaced by ones with digital readouts. Apparently, some students couldn’t read the circular dial.
To work with younger generations as a teacher is to feel old. His or her sole consolation lies in the cycle of life. Every generation feels old and marginalized by its successors, as the norms and conventions they once assumed were inviolable are arbitrarily rejected.
What a great last paragraph.
I can’t imagine what it must be like to teach today, with phones and social media acting as not only a distraction, but a cause of destruction. A 14 year old girl in our town recently killed herself because of online bullying.
I am really glad that I am old, for a wide range of reasons.
I remember we had a Grern ’49 and a Gray ’50 Chrsysler. Dad was a Mopar man