1958 Chrysler New Yorker

The 1958 Chrysler salesman brochure told dealerships to describe the redesigned Chrysler New Yorker as the 'glamour girl of the Forward Look.' This was the second year of the redesigned 'Forward Look' style penned by Virgil Exner, costing the company over $300 million for the redesign. In 1958, the Chrysler line received minor changes that mostly involved placement, removal, or addition of trim elements. The 1957 New Yorkers wore New Yorker nameplates located just ahead of the trim piece that ran from the rear of the car to the front of the door. In the middle was an emblem, placed just rearward of the front door, that was unique to the New Yorker.

Chryslers' model lineup for 1958 included the entry-level Windsor, the mid-priced Saratoga, and the top-of-the-line New Yorker. The 300D was a halo car and less than 1,000 examples were built, the lowest of the 'Letter Series' since its introduction in 1955. The Windsor models rested on a Dodge chassis that had a wheelbase of 122 inches. The rest of the Chrysler lineup shared a 126-inch wheelbase platform. The Saratoga was available as a sedan, and 2- or 4-door hardtop. Both the New Yorker and Windsor had the same list of body styles consisting of a sedan, 2- and 4-door hardtop, convertible coupe, and a 6- and 9-passenger station wagon. The New Yorker accounted for 17,411 sales and the Windsor had nearly 27,000 sales. Prices on the Windsor ranged from $3,130 to $3,800 while the New Yorker ranged from $4,300 to $5,100.

The most popular New Yorker body style was the sedan with 7,100 sales. The 2-door hardtop had 3,205 sales and the 4-door version had 5,227. The convertible found 666 buyers and had a base price of $4,760. The 6-passenger wagon had 775 sales and the 9-passenger version had 428. The third-row seating on the 9-passenger wagon faced the rear of the car.

The domed windshield introduced on the 1957 convertibles was now standard on all hardtops.

The Windsor and Saratoga were powered by a 354 cubic-inch OHV V8 engine, with the Windsor's developing 290 horsepower and the Saratoga rated at 310 hp. The New Yorker and the 300D used a 392 CID V8 with hemispherical combustion chambers. The 300D had adjustable valve lifters, dual Carter four-barrel carburetors, a 10.0:1 compression ratio, and developed 380 horsepower. The New Yorker had hydraulic valve lifters, a Carter four-barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, and a 10.0:1 compression developing 345 horsepower at 4,600 RPM.

Safety rim wheels were standard on all models, as were the Torsion-Aire front suspension and Oriflow shock absorbers. The Constant control power steering was optional on the Windsor and standard on all other Chryslers. Power steering, power brakes, power windows, and TorqueFlite were standard in the New Yorker.

This design scheme, introduced in 1957, would continue through 1959. In 1960, the New Yorker would move to unibody construction and its wheelbase would remain the same at 126 inches. Yearly styling revisions continued through 1964, most notably to the grille, and the loss of fender fins in 1962. In 1965, all Chrysler vehicles, including Dodge and Plymouth, were built on an all-new C-body unibody platform that featured a bolt-on, rubber-isolated front subframe. The New Yorker wore new styling by Elwood Engel inspired by his 1961 Lincoln Continental.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2020