1961 Chrysler New Yorker Wagon

Hi, I'm Dennis Gage and welcome to "My Classic car". This week we're in Guilford, Connecticut to check out a couple of John Cote's, thinned Virgil Exner Mopars. This guy is a serious Virgil Exner nut, actually so am I. So we've got some fabulous fins for you today, check these babies out. John, great to see you man.

Hey good to see you Dennis. Now hey, it was like about a year ago in, at Hilton head it's Hilton Head Concours, Yes. I ran into you and you had this absolutely spectacular 61 Chrysler New Yorker wagon. And as I got talking to you, as is often the case I found this wasn't the only one you had. Right?

You had a few other nice Chryslers like this gorgeous 56 New Yorker convertible. So I said, we gotta talk Absolutely. And next thing you know, you already go for Connecticut. Let's start over here with this, this insane wagon. Okay.

This is a 61 Chrysler New Yorker right? Yes, it is. Now this is a monster and they really, you just do not see these anymore. No, you don't. They've become very rare to find.

And usually if you do find them, they're basket case rusted out, beat up, utilitarian. But, I love the fact that she's a four-door hard top. Yes. This is what attracted me to this car and the Chrysler products which were the four-door hard tops and having no pillar here it just is a great minds in the car. They made them for five years only, 60 through 64.

And you know, this was a, it's such a unique dash. I was, I don't know, I always call it kind of a gumball machine or, you know, it's, I don't know it's something Space Age about a tube, but just like, the plexiglass dome and everything the gauges kind of fall back into it, Yes. push button trans and then, air conditioning, backup. That's a really weird set up. Yes, Chrysler had dual air conditioning in most of their wagons and it sat in the roof, right behind the rear seat.

It blew front and back, as well as an independent front dash unit. And those are all you can point those any way you want, or you they, Yes you can point them any way you want. There's snorkels. But I think the most beautiful feature of this car, are these boomerang tail lights. Yes, those are wagon only, and only in 1960 and 61.

It's just, they're just beautiful. Yes. They are different from the conventional sedan Yeah. and the hard top. And the third seat?

Third seat, for the children, facing rear which was commonly done back in that era Yeah. Interestingly, they thought of everything for the children back there, and there was even a national There was even a national. Well, this was 61. Now, you had to have something to haul this around. And that's what I really loved about this car is the engine.

Let's go look at that thing I was, just over the top. Let's do it. This is a, the little powerplant. Yeah, I mean, it's a great car to begin with, when you pop the hood on this baby, and it's like, holy mackerel. I mean, you know, the cross ram, it's a 413, I assume.

Yes it's 413 cubic inch. Gosh, man! With a cross ramps 375 Horse Power. It is just crazy. And this is just, it's really an insane setup.

Yes. You got dual-quads, but they feed what, they feed the opposite sides, right? Absolutely! This carburetor on this side, feeds that side of the engine and that one over there, feeds this side of the engine. And it's, it actually creates kind of a ram, It's like an artificial supercharging effect.

And the theory is, and they went through about five stages of development. Yeah. These are 30 inches long Yeah. And at 2,800 RPMs. They, there's a, the gas charge actually moves at the speed of sound and it travels back and forth six times in the ram.

And it arrives at the intake valve, at the precise time at 2,800 RPMs, to give a push into the cylinder. So kind of a, So beyond looking really, really cool, it actually does something. Yes, absolutely. Cause it does look really, really cool. Absolutely.

And man, I mean everything about this, John I mean your date stamps. Yes. You know, your chalk marks on the firewalls. Yes. She's just absolutely beautiful in every way.

Thank you. Does she run as well as she looks? Absolutely. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm just not surprised.

Little bit gloomy today, but it's not raining right now, could we take it and get a little bit of roadwork with it? Absolutely. Could I actually drive this thing? You're welcome. Oh man.

Oh, she comes alive right away. It's got that, throaty sound too. Yeah. All right, here we go. Holy cow!

This thing kicks. Oh God. Jeez! Yeah be careful of that accelerator. When you have dual-quads, with cross Ram Induction, I guess you should expect that huh?

Yes. And you know you're moving something down the road here. I mean this, this baby is big. Now I would imagine drum brakes all around back in the drain, Yes drum brakes. Cause this a lot to haul down, withdrawals.

No, you only need them once. You better, only need them once. The end of a quarter mile. That's because that's all you get them for. But this was really, I mean, this was the top of the line.

This was. This was a expensive wagon for it's day. And a very cool steering wheel, you know, transparent. Yes. These kind of like, they'd yellow and they crack and everything.

How did you get this back? A fellow in California recast them? Really? Yeah. So it's the original core Everything, is original.

And we had the plastic cast with the paint in it. It's not painted, it's cast with the paint, Nice. First class, First class indeed. Well hey, it's the New Yorker. You said they call this the Astrodome.

They call it the Astrodome dash. And it was a electroluminescent blading. Electroluminescent? Yes. Interesting too, is the signal lever, is over on the left side of the dashboard and goes left and right.

Which didn't catch on. It's rather odd, Oh over here. Yes. That is weird. Underneath your push by.

Is that when you said that I'm like, Yeah. I'm fumbling around with turn signal. Exactly. Andy has a signal secret radio. Oh yeah.

Yap. Power door locks, vacuum actuated. Wow! Power antenna, power windows, power. Power seats.

A lot of power in the engine. Exactly. But it just flows along. Yeah.