This is a variation of the CC Effect™: It’s six o’clock Wednesday, we’re heading home from our afternoon hike, I’m hungry, and there’s no kick-off CC scheduled for the morning. I say to Stephanie: I really hope there’s something new and good at the Cohort to inspire me. Is there ever. tbm3fan came through with a very big present: it’s not just the last big Chrysler, it’s the last genuine Brougham from Chrysler. And it’s even ever-so conveniently parked next to the first really small and Japanese car sold by Chrysler.
The end of an era, and the beginning of another.
Let’s get the formalities out of the way first. By “last Brougham”, I mean the last time that vaunted name was actually used by Chrysler. Which is a bit surprising, considering that Lee Iacocca, the father of the Great Brougham Era, was just arriving at Chrysler. And Lee kept the brougham (with a small “b”) party going there longer than anyone (think 1993 Imperial). But Lee was never that big a user of the actual B word, at Ford and at Chrysler.
I’m thinking it’s time to do a CC Complete Guide to the Great Brougham Era. I started some notes on that in 2011; time to put together.
This is not the first time we’ve covered these relics; I’ll give you the links at the end. But my point is that I’m not going to do the whole grandiose long-format CC again. Not that it doesn’t deserve it, but we all know the broad strokes.
This waterfall-grilled behemoth arrived in 1974 as the Imperial. 1974 was a terrible year for big cars, and a truly horrific one for Chrysler’s big cars. After selling just 14,483 1974 models and a mere 8,830 ’75s, the Imperial was euthanized. The car and the brand. Well, St. Lido of Iacocca did miraculously bring it back to life, sort of; twice actually, in 1981 and 1990. But the results were more like zombies; not the real thing.
Anyway, those terrible sales numbers for ’74 and ’75 meant that a Chrysler already in serious distress could no longer support a separate brand, so what had been the 1975 Imperial was reincarnated as the 1976 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. But you know all this.
And it was built with very minimal changes through 1978, by which time it was more than obsolete, thanks to GM’s downsizing. Unlike the last big Lincoln Town Car, which got a bump in sales in 1979, before it was downsized, the New Yorker’s sales just shriveled away, down to 44k in 1978.
That’s not say its 1979 downsized successor did much better, but that’s another sad story altogether.
It was also the end of the road for the mighty 440 V8 big block. Now making a mere 195 hp through its single exhaust, it still had plenty of low end grunt that would not be felt again for quite some time.
Nor an interior quite like this (picture from another New Yorker).
There it is, in all its faded glory. But since this is a California car, we can be pretty sure it’s got some more living to do yet. Who could possibly resist the last 440-powered big Chrysler Brougham?
CC 1976-1978 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham by Tom Klockau
CC 1976 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham by Perry Shoar
Last US-built four-door hardtop also, no? What a dinosaur. Love it!
Good point on last 4Dht.
And (I think) the last 4DHT that was actually pillarless. The ’80s-’90s Japanese models had a thin B-pillar that looked even thinner with the windows up, but a pillar nonetheless.
I would say it is the last hardtop because a hardtop by definition has no b pillars. If later ones had even thin, hidden b pillars, they are not hardtops.
Wasn’t the 425ci Cadillac motor a big block? That went through 1979.
Cadillac V8 engines before the introduction of the 4.1L and the V8-6-4 was only known as Cadillac V8 back then unlike Chevy engines.
The 1974-78 Chrysler sedan was a sort of evolution of the 1965-68 design. I wonder how it would had fare if it had been introduced in 1969 instead of the fuselage design?
I’ve often wondered the same thing about this design. For one thing, it would have been two years ahead of GM. Of course that didn’t work out so well the last time it happened…
I do like the fuselages, and literally grew up in a couple of them, but they always seemed like a return to Exner versus Engel themes. Did Elwood take his hand off the tiller a bit after the success of the ’65s, or was it more a case of wanting to outdo GM on curvyness?
Or is it simply projecting back an idea they simply didn’t have until Bill Mitchell did it first?
There’s nothing radically different in the underpinnings or technologies of these ’74 C-bodies, aside from safety features and pollution controls. So design inspiration willing, they could have launched these then.
Good point on the Cadillac being the last of the giants.. Cadillac 368 was based on the big architecture too, so that’s probably “thee” last. Pontiac was probably the runner-up.
FWIW, I was referring to the last Chrysler big block.
Paul, I kind of figured that after I posted
Jason compiled a Broughmology last year, but I know it is missing a few models.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-brougham-a-defense-and-an-indictment/
It is indeed missing a few models but I was trying to stay within the defined parameters. Trying to keep one’s eye on the target often means you have to cull the surrounding environment as my focus was on the “B” versions, not the “b”. However, I’m not certain that came across as vividly as it could have.
That was a good start. What I intended to do then was a complete guide to all Broughams and broughams; meaning those that carried that name and all those that were obvious broughams, if not in name.
The task is a bit daunting, which probably explains why I dropped it.
On the other hand, my VW history the other day was first drafted partially in 2013, so you never know…
Hi, I’m JP and I’m a recovering owner of one of these. It was the best of times and the worst of times. There was so much I loved about these, but I still suffer from a kind of PTSD that makes me flinch when I see one.
Although the changes to the 78 model were minor, I have never gotten on board with them. Those wheelcovers with the oddly huge hub-thing sticking out of the middle were never attractive to me. Also, moving the pinstripe to that lower body line was (to me) a more awkward look than the 76-77 with the straight stripe up high.
All that aside, it is good to see this one still on the road.
Just love these. Are those hubcaps original to a New Yorker? I seem to remember a girlfriend’s Dad had a 78 Cordoba (or whatever year it it had the horrible stacked headlights), and it had the same ones. Maybe they were shared, but I always saw them as being a Cordoba feature.
Couldn’t agree more on the pinstripe. These cars are should scream “bigger, wider, longer, lower”…and that defined line just makes them look bloated.
I do love these…they belong the the sixties, but on all white
Yes, that was a 1978 wheelcover shared by at least the big C body and the
Cordoba. I am not sure if the LeBaron got those or not.
I’m more bothered with the new ’78 grille – the main part is fine (looks alot like the original 74 Imperial grille) but the thick chrome molding at the top spoils the “waterfall” effect. I still find the overall frontal appearance (the whole car actually) more attractive than the boxy R body NYer that replaced it.
I had a ’79 Cordoba with those wheel covers in high school back in the late 80s. Black car with red pinstripes and blood red interior. The vertical grill in the ’79 was the absolute best for the ‘Doba, just a stunning machine. Those wheel covers were gorgeous chrome mirrors, shining along with the rest of the chrome details against that black paint. Sadly I’ve never seen a ‘Doba with that color combination again, in real life or online.
Chrysler always struggled to compete with GM and to a lesser extent Ford in full-size and mid-size cars. I wonder how much of the 1957 or at least 1960 Chrysler was still in these cars in 1978. I know that the 1979 R body was heavily based on Chrysler’s B body dating back to 1962.
One of my regrets was turning down a 75 Imperial, in nice driving condition for $500, years ago. Foolishly I didn’t realize these were rare and a really nice driving example of the genre, better than the Ford and GM competition.
The Ford and GM full size 70s cars may have been better assembled with higher quality materials, but that Imp didn’t seem as big and ponderous. Better steering, low belt line and a light airy interior made for a nice drive. It’s one of the few affordable old Chryslers I’d consider picking up today.
Back in the mid 80’s, my buddy’s Dad had one of these in the exact same color. I remember moving a dresser of substantial length just by pushing it into the back seat!
Is this one?
Richmond St., west side, Below 13th Ave., Newark NJ, 1988.
Since I took this photo, the car and the houses have disappeared:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7386648,-74.1854788,3a,75y,302.96h,87.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOVZaF2X6vTigoE5P5dHe6g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
I’d say so, that lovely c pillar is unmistakable. I think maybe it has the cool road wheel too, but missing center cap and trim ring.
Definitely is. And not a mostly lookalike 74-75 Imperial, because those had distinctive rear side marker lights with a distinctive shield shape with an Imperial logo in them.
Same houses in 1960 (visible on right).
House on the right looking so much better than in the more recent pic…
Passed it again yesterday and between 9 am and 1 pm the roof had been painted red. No doubt spray can red I guess as a form of protection temporarily. The Colt was off elsewhere in another field feeding. The Suburban he had has been sold off. The green Dodge truck of this fellow is for sale on Craigslist now for $4015. This fellow could be an on going source of old cars.
I will tell you that I took the picture of the New Yorker and Colt just for Paul as I knew he would look.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/alameda-vintage-1974-pre-smog-dodge/7221845646.html
The big Chryslers absolutely plunged in value. By the early to mid ’80s they were already bottomed out to nothing.
I’m thinking of a buddy’s purchase that the gang was looking over; the time must’ve been about ’81 or ’82. The Chrysler maybe a ’77? The Chrysler was all yellow and just perfect. The consensus was that, yes, he reached a bit on price, but it was such a NICE car that it was probably worth it.
What was the price, do you guess? Nope, it was $600.00. lol
The one I owned was a 77 originally bought used by my mother in 1982. It was a 5 year old cream puff with under 40k miles and cost $3400 from a Chry-Ply dealer – the sticker was in the glove box, and it cracked $10k brand new.
Having always been a fan of the Chrysler B/RB V-8’s, I remember their ‘death watch’ during the summer of ’78. It was widely known that 1978 would be their last year in passenger cars and despite that fact they were still widely available, 400’s in ‘B’ and ‘C’ bodies, 440’s in the police ‘B’ and C bodies. We were hopeful that at least the 400 would continue in pickups and vans but that was not to be, even though initial information on the ’79 Dodge trucks had the 400 as an option. I was told a handful of ’79 pickups were built with the 400 but I have never seen one. Chrysler did build several hundred heavy duty 440’s around August of 1978 before the Trenton engine line was scrapped for motorhome applications. That supply lasted into 1980, no doubt prolonged by lackluster sales of RV’s.
Loved this car since day 1. First car ever bought and still own. I loved the model so much had to get a second one. That’s right 2 ‘78 NYs. Still running and less than 70k miles. Can never separate from these cars.