Photos from the Cohort by Slant Six.
In recent years, I’ve developed a habit of checking on old rock bands to see what they’re up to, especially those I never cared much for and yet were awfully popular. This often occurs after listening to playlists with my wife.
Hey… what happened to those guys?
And more often than not, I’m always surprised when they’re still around. Not only touring but with a bunch of releases I never heard of. Not that I’m gonna check out their new tracks (or old ones), but I always find it nice to see how there’s a space in this world obsessed with newness for an old act playing to an established crowd.
And if there’s an equivalent in the automotive world to an old band playing the old hits, were the Broughamized Pentastar products of the late ’80s and ’90s. Aero and aerodynamics were the new languages of the era, and yet, Chrysler managed to be the provider of products that soothed those souls for which such tendencies were too much.
So, were those 1980s offerings looking too cold and rational for you? Here was Chrysler, providing safe cocoons of cushiony Broughamy resistance for you!
When these New Yorkers/Fifth Avenues (plus Imperials and LeBarons) came out in my late teens, I felt they were a holdover of resistance playing to a different crowd than mine. And if we’re to stick to musical references, in an age infused with bombastic pop-oriented rock tunes and dance tracks saturated with synth-based beats, these were perfect AOR antidotes.
Dodge Aries photo from the Cohort by William Oliver.
I’ll admit that Chrysler had started the decade looking more 1980s than other products of the Big 3, especially those from GM. Those early K-cars were the equivalent of cold rational computer work turned into automotive form. However, no dance beats on those. Instead, the cold modernist melodies of Kraftwerk –if that.
Chrysler LeBaron photo from the Cohort by Davo_
But change is so hard to take, isn’t it? How about adding some old-style fashions and comforting touches for those who can’t accept the new world? Et voilá, Iacocca’s mastery of the Brougham came to the rescue in the form of the E-body LeBaron! With more to come!
And since we’re talking ’80s music here, how about some remixes? It actually became a Chrysler specialty: splice, add-on, and mix to your liking. With the K-car platform turning into the master of the remix.
From danceable hits like the ’84 Daytona to endless Broughamy variations. The latter, like asking Kraftwerk to do a synth cover of Petula Clark’s Downtown. (An idea that now that I say, I would like to hear).
And the ‘luxury’ Chryslers of the late ’80s were the perfect example of cold-rational Broughams. Vehicles that to my teenage self looked awfully incongruous, but that spoke to a devoted fan base. And looking at sales figures, sang the right tune to them.
So here we have this surviving ’90-’91 New Yorker Fifth Avenue, perhaps the apex of cold ’80s aerodynamics masquerading as Brougham. However, that might also apply to the not too imperial ’90-’93 Imperial. Or just the plain New Yorker Salon… There was honestly, no end to these Broughamy remixes of K-derived origin.
The idea of remixes and reinterpretations also applies to the New Yorker nameplate. A moniker that had shifted through platforms and appearances at a pace that echoes those of a revolving band’s lineup.
What had ten years done to the New Yorker name? From its final days during Detroit’s dinosaur age riding the R-body platform, to a “don’t blink you’ll miss it” one year on the M-platform in ’82. Then, from ’83-’85 in diminished 1980s form on the FWD K-derived E-body. Finally, looking to regain some dignity from ’88-’93, adding some neo-classic gingerbread on a design that shared much with the Dodge Dynasty.
For former youth like me, it was like looking at Jefferson Airplane and trying to make sense of how it ended up as Starship.
And by the way, the Fifth Avenue moniker had also done some jumping around too. However, we’ll skip that and just say that mother Chrysler ended up joining the two after much relocating (the unintended parenting abuse of households in trouble). As such, the Fifth Avenue arrived in 1990, as a more upscale version of the New Yorker.
Now, technically speaking, today’s Fifth Avenue rides on the Y-body. The last stretch of the K-platform, providing a 109.6in. wheelbase and an additional 5″ rear legroom over the lower New Yorker Salon.
All details and history better covered at CC in a previous post. And in case you’re curious, the difficult to follow K-car family tree has also been covered.
By all accounts, while these cars didn’t speak to my generation (or those living on the West Coast), they played to their known crowd to their satisfaction. Though, being a Chrysler, if I go by the comments section, part of the resulting experience depended on whether you got a trusty one or a lemon. If luck was on your side, these New Yorkers played the part in offering reasonable fuel consumption, and a soft ride with decent handling.
Interiors offered the neo-classic Brougham touches followers of the segment loved. Their button-tuffed sofa-like seats and neo-classical touches providing a late ’80s interpretation of the 1970s. Or 1960s?
Still, the kind of interior that people who had grown up with Sinatra and Streisand would have felt at ease with.
Those hubcaps! Another piece of anachronism passed through the filter of 1980s aerodynamics.
Those secluded Landau back seats to shield you from the sun were “Crafted with pride” at Chrysler’s Belvidere Assembly Plant.
Now, one thing is for an aging rock act to keep playing to an –equally aging– fan base. A few folks playing around together can make a decent living running around the world thanks to a few sold-out gigs. A car company is an entirely different case, however, and playing to an aging crowd only brings demise. The next New Yorker/LHS act that arrived in ’94 finally embraced the modern times, looking quite sharp. One last shining moment for the nameplate before fading away for good in ’97.
But before all that, the ’90-’93 New Yorker Fifth Avenue played to a fading genre. One whose time was coming to an end just as grunge was taking over. Which is just as fine. I just can’t picture Brougham trying to adapt those discordant and angst-driven tunes.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1992 Chrysler Fifth Avenue – The End Of Mopar’s Broughamance
Automotive History: The Curbside Classic Comprehensive Chronology Of The Chrysler K-Car Family Tree
I’d say that Mr Brougham himself, Lido, got way more than his money’s worth from the K platform.
Oh how it must have made him grind his teeth watching those non brougham K cars at the beginning. What, he probably said, we can’t have cornering lights on the Reliant?
Well certainly this wouldn’t do, and thus the living room on wheels came back.
As for a musician that still tours and goes across the grain of any rock music, I’m deeply impressed with Herb Alpert. No more Tiajuna Brass, but he’s still out there!
To continue your analogy, you know what album came out shortly after the New Yorker Fifth Avenue faced its final curtain? Frank Sinatra’s Duets, with digitally composited duets with an assortment of somewhat younger pop stars like Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, and Bono. Even if you liked the basic idea, it felt over-processed, synthetic, and threadbare, with warmed-over arrangements and a complete lack of actual in-studio warmth or chemistry. I couldn’t see anyone who disliked SInatra going for it (it certainly wasn’t as audacious as the unauthorized Sinatra/Notorious B.I.G. mashup of 13 years later), and while it sold well as a novelty (it went triple platinum), even hardcore Sinatra fans rank it pretty far down the list of his albums, serving mostly as a reminder that the best was not yet to come (and milk a few more millions out of the Chairman while he was still moving around under his own power).
Duets wasn’t the first time Ol’ Blue Eyes sought to draw in a younger crowd. I just this week discovered this record from 1977. Disco! It’s either an utter embarrassment or totally awesome, and I can’t decide which…
Talk about aging rock stars and this car, I associate it more with Lawrence Welk.
Well, you young wippersnappers ,let me tell you a thing or two. The last REAL Chryslers were the 80s RWD Fifth Avenues. I had 83 and 85. Both easily held their own with other upscale vehicles I have owned. OTT excessive luxury LAND YACHTS. The subsequent LHS was an ugly POS. When IACOCA went loca with Kcars and axed the RWD Fifth Avenues, it was a HUGE disappointment. Transferring New Yorker, Fifth Avenue, and Imperial storied names to Those Kcars was a slap in the face . Then the switch to vans was another mistake. I know why he did Those things. But don’t try to confuse me with logic! That’s MY opinion and Everyone IS entitled to it! 😉
First, people complain “They don’t make ’em like they used to!”
Then when they do, “It’s anachronistic!”
Can’t win.
2nd fallacy: You can’t be young and cool driving this car. You have to dress, listen to music, and THINK like what is “appropriate” for your age group whether you personally like it or not.
I had a car like this–an ’89 New Yorker Landau. I thought it was a beautiful, nice-driving little carriage. So much more special than a boring Toyota. It looked “classical” without being “fake” like a kit car. Classic looks with modern technology. To me that was a great combination! The black finish (which was so shiny) set off the chrome really well. The seats were very comfy and made of glossy, durable tufted maroon leather. I got a lot of compliments on my New Yorker.
Wait ’til you see my next post–you’re going to love it!
I didn’t know the slick top Salon existed–it might be a little too angular without the padded vinyl monstrosity. Funny that no one tried the blank cubic front corner before–or since.
Having owned two of these cars (a 91 NYer 5th Ave and a 93)….I loved them with the only shortcoming being a lack of width compared to the GM C body cars.
Other than that? The tufted velour seats were a great place to spend some road time!
Most fascinating thing about these half vinyl roofs is the fiberglass cap they used , not only Mopar , to square the drop of the roof . ”Fiberglass Roof Extension Caps Hidden Underneath Vinyl – A Cheap Malaise Era Shortcut To A More Formal Roof Look” https://www.classiccarstodayonline.com/2023/08/01/false-roof-extension-caps-covered-under-vinyl-a-cheap-way-to-update-a-vehicle-without-changing-body-stamping/
The Lincoln Versailles did that in its 3rd year, trying to distinguish itself from the Granada/Monarch, but this particular Chrysler was available without the landau, so it’s sheet metal.
You are right I took the wrong …avenue
Whether all those older people who invested their hard-earned (or so I assume) $$ in an American car in unwavering loyalty to their homeland even the remotest idea that a plastic bomber would be foisted on them??
Funny thing about cars like these. They still get reactions from younger kids today.
I’ve owned a lot of cars (too many) and some very nice ones such as a 2020 Cadillac CT4, 2021 Volvo S60 Inscription T8, 2021 Chevy Malibu LT and many more in just the past 5 years. I now also proudly own a 1986 Cadillac Seville, 1988 Cadillac Cimarron and a 2023 Chevy Bolt EV.
Of the above cars: Only two of them get any comments while going through drive throughs or thumbs up while driving down the street. Care to guess which two?
Never warmed to the “94”-“97” , iteration. Thinking they , likely, rode nice though.A green one was someone’s ride here in the neighborhood.
Was around up until “2013-14ish”, best of memory.
These cars were long dead by the time I started paying attention, but there is something morbidly fascinating about them. Even next to an A-Body, these look very, very old. I can’t see myself ever owning one, but I would drive one around for a day just to see what Iacocca was so desperate to cling on to.
The irony of Iacocca (involuntarily) leaving Ford in the late 70s, a company that refused to see the future, then doing almost the exact same at Chrysler by the early 90s is hilarious. The man was a master salesman, but only for his generation it seems.
Petula Clarks’s Downtown by the B-52’s is brilliant.
I was a bit surprised to see this car came from Scheidemantle Motors in Hermitage, PA. I grew up in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys. I didn’t expect to see that license plate frame on the car as it’s about a 1.5 hour drive to the New York state line from Hermitage.
When these cars were new I was not a fan, but I was also not the demographic for the car, either. I guess as you get older, you prefer a quieter car (in both design and actual driving experience) and that has me considering this type of car. I daily a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which is a surprisingly quiet for a great big metal box, nearly 15 years old and 185,000+ miles. It’s really rather pleasant.
Maybe I’m looking at these with the rose colored glasses of nostalgia, but I don’t know that I would be happy driving one long-term. I think the intervening 30+ years have given us great advances in ride and handling without the seasickness inducing ride the older cars are dubiously famous for.
I’ll probably look for my quietness and comfort in something from the 21st Century. But this was still fun to see.