This 1953 Chrysler New Yorker was on the auction block at an estate sale we stopped by the other day, and ’53 was really an interesting year for Chrysler. It was the first year the car’s electrical system went to 12-volt, and it was the first year to feature a new one-piece wrap-around curved windshield. This Chrysler also had one of the earlier hemi engines (they first appeared in 1951) with a 3 13/16″bore x 3 5/8″ stroke and a piston displacement of 331.1 with a compression ratio of 7.5 to 1. It was called the “Firepower” engine and had 180hp.
1953 was notable for Chrysler, but it was downright historic for American automobiles because it marked the first time in history that eight-cylinder engines outsold six-cylinders. Ten makes were offering V-8s: Ford, Desoto, Dodge, Chrysler, Studebaker, Lincoln, Mercury, Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Buick. Straight-eights were being offered by Packard and Pontiac (and a special line of Buicks). The biggest selling six was Chevrolet, of course. The four-cylinders that once dominated now accounted for only one percent of the market, primarily sold by Willys-Overland and Kaiser-Fraser.
Other “firsts” for this Chrysler:
Let’s hope this straight, solid beauty went to a good home!
Sources:
Advertisement. Chrysler. The San Bernardino County Sun, 20 March 1953, p. 9.
“Chrysler Gains Wide Acceptance.” The San Bernardino County Sun, 20 March 1953, p. 9.
“Chryslers for 1953 Feature Beautiful Body Stylings.” Lancaster Eagle Gazette, 1 November 1952, p. B-8.
“Eight-Cylinder To Top All Models This Year.” The El Paso Times, 18 February 1953, p. 25.
“New Era Seen for Automobile Engines, With Eights Expected to Outsell Sixes.” Valley Evening Monitor (McAllen], 16 February 1953, p. 6.