I suddenly regularly started seeing this big caramel-colored Chrysler burbling around town, but it always kept its distance. Then one rainy afternoon, as I was about to cross the street to the Y, I saw it roll by, but at some distance. But someone had activated the crosswalk signal, so I was able to get closer.
I crossed the street behind it, quickly peeling off a couple of shots while trying to avoid getting run over.
And then it took off, with a lovely little low rumble. I saw it a few more times, then no more. A temporary visitor from New York?
Old Chryslers never die; they just burble away.
At least after someone has done something about the Lean Burn . . .
Easily accomplished today.
Had a dozen ’76-’78 NYB’s and ’74-’75 Imperials from 1980-1995, one 1977 NYB was the best,had it 15 years with no serious problems, finally at 280,000 the lean burn gave out, smog regs wouldn’t let me modify it then, loved that car all over the USA and Canada, still thinking of another.
the 77 NYB at home
Sumptuous interior, this ’77 had the chrome rear wheel well trim without skirts.
Love it!! This was, to my way of thinking, the last of the real, traditional Chryslers. It was maybe the best designed and executed car from the nameplate after 1968, a rare (for Chrysler, anyhow) combination of beauty outside, sumptuous inside and generally well assembled.
I would peg this as a 76 or 77 based on the color and on those “Premiere” wheel covers. Chrysler went with a new design for the optional wheel covers in 1978. These 76-77 versions were made of multiple pieces and included a thick casting for the center. They were really nasty to get back onto a wheel, requiring a rubber mallet and two feet to keep one spot from popping back off when hammering on another spot to get it on, at least in my own case.
Ahhhhhhh, those SEATS!
As attractive, substantial and comfortable as those in a pre-war Packard.
Ricky?
Those cars are now forever associated with trailer parks in Nova Scotia.
Ricky says “Itodaso”………
I have long had affection for those end-of-the-line whales. Would love to road trip in one with the 440 and some minor mechanical mods (like a TBI retrofit.)
It appears that it had full wheel covers? Chrysler’s “road wheels” of the day were among my favorite designs.
“Chrysler’s “road wheels” of the day were among my favorite designs.”
Agreed! Those “Premiere” wheel covers were not bad, but it irritated me that they were identical to those optional on the Royal Monaco and Gran Fury. I would have thought that the Chrysler would warrant a unique wheel cover design or at least a unique center cap.
My ’77 NYB was originally owned by police captain in a small town, ordered with every option except sunroof, had police interceptor 440, heavy duty suspension, was used dual purpose as cop car and personal car, would nudge 130 mph. Drag raced a friend in his ’68 Roadrunner, the NYB ate it alive. Had Premiere wheel covers originally, I put on 1959 Imperial LeBaron 15″ caps with the air slots and gold center ‘gear’, they looked good. also stayed on as it cornered flat at 100 mph.
I pass by a house in my travels that has one of these old Chrysler’s in the driveway during the warm months. It’s a light gray with a red vinyl top and interior with the road wheels. It’s kind of a shocking color combination but after seeing it I realized that the colors work well together in a 70’s sort of way.
Love hearing a V8 burble from a sedan. Just this morning waiting for a light, I caught a big vehicle making a turn in my peripheral vision and heard a nice grumble as it accelerated away. I look in the mirror expecting a big pickup, but nope…Northstar Cadillac. Someone had tastefully modified the exhaust.
It was only recently I heard a Cadillac DTS with a modified exhaust (they’re cheap used cars) and the sound was music to an enthusiasts ears.
I was reminded thought of my favorite car salesman who said of a Northstar equipped Lucerne: “You don’t want that, at least when they start to break down. But the sound that engine makes, ohhhhhhhhhhhh the sound.”
Yep, absolutely.
The sound – that low, muscular growl – is one of my favorite things about my Northstar…even with its non-modified exhaust.
I agree. Every time I hear that sound, it takes me back to starting up my old Eldorado, and for a brief second, it lures me back in.
Then I remember the problems it had, and I’m content never getting another one.
CC effect in action, there is another New Yorker roaming Corvallis that belongs to my son’s friend who resurrected it after 30 years of inactivity. Sadly it is currently running rough and suffering cosmetic damage after a year with an unsympathetic owner
This is likely even more rare since it’s without a vinyl roof. Maybe one of those end of year, Sales Bank, odd option cars which, ironically, might also help explain its longevity. The taxi cab color probably didn’t help much, either.
Look closer, the vinyl roof is there, it is just very close in color to the paint. I don’t think too many of these sat in sales banks, they were popular and 1976-77 were strong sales years.
Funny, I thought the same thing when I only saw the first shot. In through, all big Mopars from ’72 on as well as the ’71 and on B and later R bodies really look impoverished without a vinyl cap, something my father unfortunately refused to agree with for his ’73 Fury III and his ’76 Fury Salon.
And, yes, this would be even sweeter with the road wheels, second only to Buick’s in my pantheon.
Damn, that vinyl roof sure is a close match to the color of the car. In my defense, there isn’t even a bright chrome trim strip but one that ‘matches’ the colors, too!
What a great catch Paul, and thank you for sharing these photos of a rare car. The trio of old Econolines parked outside the YMCA also caught my eye and not just due to their age. Looks like one has off-road lights on the roof and the middle of one has a different colored hood.
Great comment Teddy. The Econoline on the left is a 1992 to 1996 model while the middle and right ones are 1997 to 2002 models. I can tell by the grilles. The left and middle ones appear to have the higher trim packages while the right one looks more basic. The headlights are the key. Aerodynamic lights graced the more expensive package while sealed beams denoted the more basic ones.
That’s a beautiful colour, beautiful interior, and beautiful car in general. I think this is the last four door hardtop sold in America (I think a Datsun 200SX had roll down rear windows and no B pillar).
I really liked the styling of these much better than the bloated looking, tiny cabin on top of battleship styling of the fuselage cars. It’s clean, crisp, and light, and much better than the bloated and busy Ford cars. This has better lines than the fuselage cars and even without a lot of jewelry doesn’t look cheap. Too bad Chrysler quality was what it was or these might have been bigger hits. I think one of the reasons Chrysler midsize cars didn’t sell well is because they looked cheaper than the competition; the Satellite is noticeably cheaper looking inside and out than a comparable GM/Ford product and for a few dollars more, you could step up to this, a far more attractive car.
I think the interiors of the B body Monaco and Fury had pretty nice interiors by 1976-77, but they really looked dated outside because of the shape which couldn’t be hidden.
The plants the big Chryslers came out of did a better than average job of assembly, at least by Chrysler standards.
As memory serves of my dad’s ’76 Fury Salon, that’s true. And our ’72 Coronet Crestwood was actually pretty nice, too. But the later models definitely were plusher. I wonder if they put more money in the interior since they’d long amortized the main body dies, and needed to compete as well.
Someone in my town has a slightly older (I think ’74) New Yorker in the same color. It doesn’t seem to be a daily driver, but I have seen it on display at town festivals, and parked among a row of other classic cars in front of a Mexican resturant (where I assume a local car club was meeting). That Chrysler stands out, even among other classics, just from its sheer size.
If the 1974-78 Chryslers had arrived in 1969 instead of the Fuselage design, I wonder if things could had been different? The roofline of the 1974-78 4-door sedan Newport and 1974-78 New Yorker/Imperial 4-door hardtop seem to be an evolution of the 1965-68 Chrysler designs.
They did. They were called Buicks.
There were a gabillion of these ’74-’78 New Yorkers and Newports in Maine. Many of my and my parents’ friends and family had one.
I got me a car, it’s as big as a whale
And we’re headin’ on down to the love shack
I got me a Chrysler, it seats about twenty
So hurry up and bring your jukebox money
Come on, someone had to say it. 🙂
Excellent find and photos! I find the colour looks very early 70s. I remember these coming in mostly subtle colours like white, silver/grey, maroon, brown, and black. I don’t recall this colour being that common on this generation New Yorker after 1975 or so.
had a 1975 Imperial this color.
It’s been a long time since I saw one of those big, beautiful land yachts.
The style.
The color.
The seats.
The burble.
The burning of lean-ness.
It is most excellent.
My name is The and I approve this message.
What a nice, really outstanding survivor. And, what, with Chrysler being the smallest of the Big 3, a pretty rare one. In consideration of it’s age. If I had some extra storage space, would love to pick up one like that for a reasonable price. Those were some comfortable and smooth-riding cars back in the day.
Wow, I don’t know if I ever saw any of these growing up. Mopar vehicles weren’t very popular back where I was in the early 80s at least from what I remember. (And, yes, the plural of anecdote is not data.)
But that curve between the rear door window and the C-pillar is positively baroque, like what Cadillac had done on the other side, with the A-pillar on some of the Eldo concepts. It makes the whole design really interesting from my perspective today.
Of course I’m now obliged to post this pic. I don’t imagine many pairs of these taillight lenses were made!
So close to being the owner of one of these. Test drove (in 1991), dithered, and called back for the purchase, and…..sold. So, on to the more practical 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS.
Very close, the front wheel cover is a universal Chrysler wire design not usually associated with these cars, mine would have had one at each corner……
I may have had an affinity for this color scheme? An earlier purchase noted below. I was not wild about it, but the condition of the car was compelling enough to buy it. And, the same could be said for the CNYB. If I were to go back now, of course, I could not go with anything different.
Some clarification on the front wheel cover of the Chrysler…..