1968 Chrysler New Yorker

The Chrysler New Yorker was the company's flagship model, produced from 1940 to 1996. By the mid-1960s, it was built on an all-new C-body unibody platform with a bolt-on, rubber-isolated front subframe. The Elwood Engel styling was inspired by the 1961 Lincoln Continental and the Imperial. Power was from a 340 horsepower Firepower 413 cubic-inch V8 with a single four-barrel carburetor. Body styles included a two- and four-door hardtop, sedan, and Town & Country 20 or 3-seat station wagon. The four-door sedan had six windows and was called a Town Sedan.

Designer Elwood Engel gave the 1965 Chrysler New Yorker a bold grille with vertical and horizontal dividers, glass-covered headlamps similar to the ones used on the 300 models, chrome trim along the top edges of the fenders, a squared side shape, and fender skirts.

The 1968 Chrysler New Yorker
The 1968 model year was the final year for this generation of styling, as all full-size Chrysler cars would receive major restyling for 1969, featuring a higher beltline and curved sides. 1968 New Yorkers wore a new grille, front sheet metal, bumpers, rear fenders, and rear deck. The V-shaped grille had a grid-type pattern separated by a wider chrome divided and flanked on either side by square bezels. Trim pieces adorned the rocker sill and traversed to the fender skirts and lower rear quarter panels.

The two-door hardtop coupe with seating for five had a factory base price of $4,200. The four-door hardtop sedan listed for $4,280 and the convertible sold for $4,540. The hardtop coupe was the most popular with 16,953 examples built, followed by 15,507 of the sedan, and 2,161 of the convertible. Standard equipment included an electric clock, power steering, power brakes, a Deluxe steering wheel with horn bars, undercoating, hood insulation pad, remote control left-hand outside rearview mirror, body accent stripes, fender top turn indicator lamps, and three-speed wipers. The interiors were finished in pleated cloth and vinyl bench seats with center armrests. The four-door hardtops had textured vinyl roof pillar appliques and the four-door sedans had upper door moldings. The long list of optional equipment included air conditioning, power steering, automatic speed control, power radio antenna, remote control trunk release, and much more.

Sales of the 1968 New Yorker were stronger than the previous year, partly attributed to an economic slump of 1967. Nearly 40,000 examples had been produced in 1967, increasing to 48,143 a year later.

Both the Chrysler 300 and the New Yorker shared a 440 cubic-inch, overhead-valve V8 engine with a cast-iron block, five main bearings, a four-barrel carburetor, and delivering 350 horsepower at 4,400 RPM.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2020