Hagerty: 1973 Chrysler New Yorker, was the final fuselage article

Pete Kaczmarski

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Nice car in black color....

The 1973 Chrysler New Yorker was the final fuselage

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The full-size Chrysler ‘Fuselage’ cars, so dubbed due to a body with convex sides reminiscent of the then freshly introduced Boeing 747, came to the end of their line with the 1973 model year. At the same time, the “Brougham” aesthetic, begun in approximately 1964–65 with the 1964 Pontiac Bonneville Brougham, 1965 Ford LTD, and 1965 Chevrolet Caprice, was in full swing. Even compact and subcompact domestic cars were getting into the act, with “Luxury Décor Group” packages on the Ford Maverick and Pinto.

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Tom Klockau
It seemed that each year more cars came with stand-up hood ornaments, ample chrome trim, toothier chrome grilles, velour or brocade upholstery choices, and opera lamps and windows. Over at Chrysler Corporation, the Fuselage full-sizers, despite their clean, smooth lines, were getting that level of bric-a-brac, and more. Case in point: The 1973 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, top of the line.

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Tom Klockau
All ’73 Chryslers wore a new face, thanks to the new federal 5-mph bumper standards. Instead of the loop bumper surrounding the grille and headlights sported on the ’72s, a large chromed unit now sat below a newly squared off fascia. It was reminiscent of the contemporary Lincoln Continental, but without the hidden headlights found on the Lincolns.

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FCA
It goes almost without saying that these were very large and very comfortable cars. The New Yorker Brougham had a 124-inch wheelbase and overall length of 230.1 inches. All New Yorkers and New Yorker Broughams had the biggest passenger-car engine offered by Chrysler Corporation, the 440 cubic-inch V-8. Breathing through a four barrel carburetor and with a bore and stroke of 4.326 x 3.75. It produced 215 horsepower, 30 better than the 400 cu-in V-8 standard in the less-fancy Newport and Newport Custom.

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FCA
As you’d expect, New Yorker Broughams came with quite a few standard features, befitting their $6004 base price. That was for the four-door hardtop; the pillared four-door sedan was $5876 and the two-door hardtop started at $5925.

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FCA
Said standard equipment included power windows, steering and brakes; the aforementioned 440 V-8, TorqueFlite automatic transmission, 50/50 divided front seat with dual folding armrests, fender skirts, bright wheel opening moldings, electric clock and reclining front passenger seat.

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Tom Klockau
But wait, there’s even more! As it was the ’70s and we’re talking domestic rolling stock, there was a long, long list of options to make your New Yorker even more Broughamtastic!

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Tom Klockau
How so? Well, here is just a small sampling of the extra comfort, convenience and appearance extras you could get: Power vent windows ($66.00), air conditioning ($420.85), automatic temperature control ($495.15), AM/FM with Stereo Tape cassette player ($402.80), AM/FM with Stereo 8-track player ($376.80), vinyl roof ($126.60), an alarm system ($101.20), and cornering lamps ($38.00).

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Tom Klockau
The New Yorker Brougham was the most popular New Yorker that year. Most people shopping luxury cars at the time went for the nicest model. Fittingly for this philosophy, the New Yorker Brougham four-door hardtop was best-selling variant with 26,635 built. Rounding out the NYB lineup was the pillared sedan (8,541) and two-door hardtop (9,190).

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While everyone remembers late ’73 as when the first gas crisis happened, it didn’t affect Chrysler sales. In fact, 1973 production was 15-percent better than 1972. By October, when the prices started spiking, 1973 production had wrapped and 1974 Chryslers, with their all-new, more formal, more baroque lines, were in showrooms. Of course, ’74 Chrysler sales went off a cliff, but that’s a story for another time. The Fuselages went out on a high note.

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Tom Klockau
I’ve always loved the Fuselage cars; a friend has an immaculate 1969 Plymouth VIP four-door hardtop, and a light blue ’71 Chrysler New Yorker two-door hardtop has been spotted locally by your author. But today’s featured beauty, resplendent in Formal black with matching top and white interior, was photographed by a friend of mine in Nova Scotia, Kevin A. Campbell.

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Tom Klockau
He goes to almost as many car shows as I do (which is to say, a lot) and this stately New Yorker Brougham is a regular at many car shows in the area. After telling him I wanted to write the car up, he said “No problem!” Then he went into his archives and found even more pictures of the car.

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Tom Klockau
I’ve always loved black with a white interior, as my grandmother had a 1977 Thunderbird in that combination when I was a kid. You don’t see that combo very often, but the contrast of the sleek black paint with bright white interior just does it for me!

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Tom Klockau
Fuselage Mopars are rare sights on the road nowadays, so I’m always thrilled to spot one lovingly cared for by its owner. This New Yorker Brougham clearly is living the good life… and the owner has a heck of a land yacht to drive and enjoy. In the words of a competitor’s advertisement: Suddenly, it’s 1973!
 
The '73 Imperial (Old Red) I sold to @DocMcNeedy was probably the smoothest and best driving C Body I've ever owned. They really went all out on these.

Aside from those hideous tits on the bow and stern, that are easily removable, they are still in a class by themselves. IMHO.

My uncle was an executive at Ford in the seventies. He was a "honcho" at the Ford Stamping Plant in Buffalo, one day at family function he tossed me the keys to his '78 Lincoln Town Car and said take it for a spin. Very nice car, but WAAAAYYYY, too baby buggy for me, at the time I owned my first '73 LeBaron (5 years old at the time). .. no comparison.
 
The '73 Imperial (Old Red) I sold to @DocMcNeedy was probably the smoothest and best driving C Body I've ever owned. They really went all out on these.

(...) they are still in a class by themselves. IMHO.

(...) no comparison.

Can you (or @saforwardlook or @Robert Saigh or @DocMcNeedy or anyone else with direct experience to make a comparison) comment about a ‘73 NYB vs. a ‘73 Imp? Or a ‘71 NYer vs. ‘72 NYB vs. ‘73 NYB?

@saforwardlook has shared that the sound insulation was noticeably improved on the Imperial between 1972 and 1973, and the the 1973 Monaco's torsion-quiet ride was substantially better than the 1972's. I wonder about the other above pairwise comparisons: same-year NYer vs. Imperial and different-years NYers (seat quality, ride, sound insulation, build quality, fabrics resilience, leather and vinyl pliancy and strength, etc. )
 
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I'm afraid I can't comment on that vintage of NYB. As much as I love my '78 NYB, I still think the '73 LeBaron has a better ride. The seats in my NYB are way better though. LOL
 
My 73's (Imperials) are smoother on the road than my 72's except for the one 72 coupe which is almost equal to the 73 4 door Imperial ride and handling experience because of it's lower mileage I imagine. I have never driven a NYB.
*one other random useless thing: each Imperial feels, rides, smells, sounds, brakes different. If it was safe you could blindfold me and I bet I could tell you which Imperial i was in pretty quickly. For example, the green 72 has hyper super sensitive braking, etc...Old Red is the only one with a resonator on i believe, etc, etc...sweet rumble.
 
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Imperial and different-years NYers (seat quality, ride, sound insulation, build quality, fabrics resilience, leather and vinyl pliancy and strength, etc. )

After driving two Formal Chryslers and two Fuselage Imperials and having been ib a Fuselage Chrysler, I can say that the front seat of a 78 NYB Saint Regis does has two arm rests, which is a plus over the single arm rest of Fusies with buckets and a buddy seat.

One obvious thing is that the Imperials have more foot room in front, which is caused by the 3" difference. That's a plus for Imps.

The Formal Chryslers ride very firmly, though that is caused by an export suspension installed by the factory on each one. The Imperials (my 73 and the 71 of one of my friends) ride very smoothly, but don't sway, dive, or anything else like those an easily notable amount.

I don't dare to tell about the sound insulation, because windows and in one case, the factory sunroof have been opened. :)
 
Can you (or @saforwardlook or @Robert Saigh or @DocMcNeedy or anyone else with direct experience to make a comparison) comment about a ‘73 NYB vs. a ‘73 Imp? Or a ‘71 NYer vs. ‘72 NYB vs. ‘73 NYB?

@saforwardlook has shared that the sound insulation was noticeably improved on the Imperial between 1972 and 1973, and the the 1973 Monaco's torsion-quiet ride was substantially better than the 1972's. I wonder about the other above pairwise comparisons: same-year NYer vs. Imperial and different-years NYers (seat quality, ride, sound insulation, build quality, fabrics resilience, leather and vinyl pliancy and strength, etc. )

You have some of my thoughts already, but I can say in general that all the Chrysler products got more insulation to improve sound levels in 1973, not just the Imperials. As such, I have 1971-2-3 Imperials and the 73s are the most quiet and comfortable riding cars you will find from those days. There is also a world of difference in the feel of a NYB compared to the Imperial - the Imperial is much more quiet and it goes down the road like it is plowing any bumps flat before they have a chance to upset the ride quality - it is an experience you won't get in any other model of Chrysler product. The 73 Imperial just exudes a luxury feel and ride with the attendant quiet you would expect from a luxury car. The 73 NYB is a good riding car and pretty quiet, but nothing like the Imperial IMO. The 1971 Imperials were equivalent to the 1972 models, generally but I felt the fabrics used in 1972 were inferior to those used in 1971 and even the fabric seats in the 1973 Imperials didn't impress me either in terms of quality and durability. This seat design and materials in the 1971 Imperials were the best I have ever experienced in any automobile and I have never sat in anything else that was even close in terms of comfort and feel of the cloth - the cloth felt like silk:

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I will never let my 71 Imperial coupe with this interior go as long as I am on this planet for that reason.

In terms of aspects other than sound insulation, I felt the 71-73 Chryslers including the NYBs were all pretty equivalent in terms of interior materials and ride quality and all very good. The 71-73 Chryslers were light years ahead of the 1969 and 1970 models in terms of interior comfort and instrument panels. In my preference, the 71 models of Chryslers had much better styling than the 72-3 models but that is a matter of taste more than anything else. I felt with the squared-off front and rear styling of the 72-3 models, the fuselage beauty and clean integrated lines were lost probably to pave the way for the sea-change formals, that went completely in the direction of squared off lines to give a more "Detroit luxury" look which to me was just the absence of real styling. But they had the "high brow" look that made them appear expensive with their Rolls-Royce theme of grilles, etc. I lost interest in Chrysler products pretty much after the 1971 models with one exception, and that was the 1972-3 Dodge Monacos which I thought still had killer looks with their stylish, unique front ends and retained much of the original fuselage appearance still. But the Imperials were still desireable to me in 72-3 to me, but maybe not quite as much as the 71s, but very close probably because I always liked the styling of the 1961-1963 Lincoln Continentals that Elwood Engle also pioneered with those standout front fenders that were very similar.
 
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Whilst I only drove Lee (1973 Imperial) 40 miles, I quickly understood how luxurious and comfortable they are, most definitely a car you could ride/drive all day and be as fresh as when your journey began. I'm glad to have had the experience - more so now she's Doc's car, well loved and cared for
 
Whilst I only drove Lee (1973 Imperial) 40 miles, I quickly understood how luxurious and comfortable they are, most definitely a car you could ride/drive all day and be as fresh as when your journey began. I'm glad to have had the experience - more so now she's Doc's car, well loved and cared for
Thank you John for making her available to me. I was out there today and will be tomorrow caring for Lee...looking forward to Spring here to get her back on the road...I have another gold '73 sister coming soon to the stable to keep her company with the others.
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Just Noticed this thread tonight. I picked this car up a few years ago in Perth Ontario and took it to Cape Breton . Here's the old ad

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Kip brought me 4 road wheels this past summer on his way to NFLD for the car in the article. 2 of the wheels wouldn't clear the front calipers. Switched them around and all four on now. Any thoughts?
 
Dad got a New Yorker loaner in 73 for me to take the girlfriend to her Senior Prom.
Thing was triple green with Mist Green paint that seemed to glow in the dark like Limelight Green. Fortunately green was her favorite color. Back seat was huge in those cars.:rolleyes:
 
Dobalovr posted the for sale ad on this site Nov 19,2015. Was surprised pics of the 73 New Yorker ended up in the Hemmings Article. Dobalovr also posted the 78 St Regis which I bought and has 17,000 miles on it now. Great site.
 
Kip brought me 4 road wheels this past summer on his way to NFLD for the car in the article. 2 of the wheels wouldn't clear the front calipers. Switched them around and all four on now. Any thoughts?

Would love to see photos of your ‘73 with the road wheels. I found a set in Pittsburgh (though with the wrong center caps) and may yet decide to put them on Ming, the ‘73 NYB that I bought in March.
 
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