(EXPANDED FROM 6/13/2022)
While the 1961 Chrysler was hardly a stylistic masterpiece, it strikes me as being the least weird of the automaker’s lineup. The Plymouth suffered from a bizarre shark-faced fascia and the Imperial’s neo-classical doodads were hilariously ill-proportioned.
Meanwhile, the DeSoto’s odd, bi-level grille and truncated taillights did not save that struggling brand from its demise. (An Indie Auto commentator liked the 1961 DeSoto’s looks better than the Chrysler’s, but I find it to be overly busy and awkward — quite a step down from the lovely 1957-58 models.)
The Dodge was somewhat more normal, but it was bestowed with “chicken wings” side sculpting that anticipated the ill-fated 1962 S-series styling. In addition, both the junior Dart and senior Polara models had some of the stranger taillights to come out of the early-60s.
The Chrysler brand also had some oddball details, such as ribs on the rear trunk lid and canted headlights that evoked the ill-fated 1958-60 Lincoln. Four-door hardtops even sported bumps that made the Chryslers look like space ships from the Planet Ork.
Some Chrysler models came off better than others
The 300G was arguably the best-looking Chrysler in 1961. The two-door hardtop and convertible had a lovely cross-hatch grille and a tasteful amount of chrome. That’s in addition to the trendy interior, which had four bucket seats separated by a full-length center console. That was almost as exotic as the Ford Thunderbird’s.
In contrast, the New Yorker four-door hardtop pictured here looks a bit overcooked. A large expanse of chrome was slathered onto the top of the front fenders and the grille looks busy.
The new entry-level Newport series may have been less dressed up than the New Yorker, but its use of chrome on the body sides did a better job of integrating the car’s tall fins with an otherwise discordant front end.
Of course, the New Yorker’s interior was fancier than the Newport’s. For example, the New Yorker included a fold-down rear armrest. And like all Chryslers, an “AstraDome” instrument panel was carried over from 1960. This was the fanciful name for a three-dimensional pod with electroluminescent lighting (LaChance, 2006).
New Yorker goes up against GM’s juggernaut
For all of the New Yorker’s charms, it doesn’t strike me as possessing the cachet of General Motors’ high-end premium-priced cars, the Buick Electra and Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight. A big part of the problem was that Chrysler’s styling was still steeped in the sci-fi look of the 1950s. In contrast, GM had moved on to more sculpted lines — and no tail fins.
Even so, New Yorker output for 1961 was up 5 percent from the previous year despite a recession. Meanwhile, the Buick Electra was down 13 percent and the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight fell 28 percent.
However, Chrysler was not catching up with either of these GM nameplates. New Yorker production in 1961 was under 20,000 units — less than half of the Ninety-Eight’s roughly 43,000 units and the Electra’s 48,000 units.
Might Mercury’s sharp 1961 shift downmarket to the lower-end of the premium-priced field have left more room for the New Yorker? Mercury’s top-end Park Lane series had generated around 10,000 units in 1960.
Chrysler shifts somewhat downmarket for 1961
The New Yorker may also have benefitted from the Chrysler brand’s own shift downmarket — albeit less dramatic than Mercury’s. For 1961 list prices for the New Yorker were almost $300 lower. That put them below the top-end Electra 225 models. In addition, the mid-level Saratoga series was dropped. The Windsor sort-of replaced it, but prices were a substantial $700 lower and the wheelbase was four inches shorter.
An additional factor benefitting the New Yorker may have been the strong sales of the Newport, which helped to propel the brand to a 25-percent production gain. Some of those sales could have been at the expense of the DeSoto and top-end Dodge Polara. Unlike the previous entry-level Chrysler series, the Windsor, the Newport was priced to directly compete with its corporate siblings. Might the Newport have been perceived as more prestigious and less weird?
NOTES:
This story was originally posted on Jan. 29, 2021 and expanded on June 13, 2022 and Oct. 20, 2025. Production figures were calculated from base data from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (2006), Flory (2004) and Gunnell (2002).
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1993, 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, IL.
- Flory, J. “Kelly” Jr.; 2004. American Cars, 1960-1972. McFarland & Co., Inc.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Grist, Peter; 2007. Virgil Exner, Visioneer. Veloce Publishing, Dorchester, England.
- LaChance, Dave; 2006. “AstraDome.” Hemmings Motor News. March issue.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES
- oldcarbrochures.org: Buick Electra (1961); Chrysler (1961); Dodge (1961); Imperial (1961); Mercury (1960); Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight (1961); Plymouth (1961)
Have Dodge had keeped the rear of their 1960 models and just removing the small tailfins for 1961 instead of putting these “elephants ears”, I wonder if things would have worked differently for Dodge?
According to a 1994 Automobile Quarterly article by the late Jeffrey Godshall, the original plan was to shave off the tail fins of the 1961 Dodge and Dart. But the head of Dodge Division had other ideas, and he won that particular battle.
The Chrysler was the most “least weird looking” of the corporation’s 1961 full-size vehicles, although I’d say that the 1961 Dodge Lancer was the least weird of all the car maker’s offerings that year.
Perhaps the New Yorker benefitted from the phase-out of DeSoto? The brand had been looking terminal since 1959, when rumors of its impending demise began spreading in earnest. Perhaps Mopar loyalists who had been buying DeSotos decided to visit their Chrysler-Plymouth dealer instead.
As for the decline in sales of the Electra and Ninety-Eight – I wonder how many sales of their full-size offerings were lost to the new compacts rolled out by the divisions for 1961? In particular, how many women who were loyal to both brands were happy to trade for a smaller, easier-to-handle vehicle that still looked like a Buick or an Oldsmobile? Women tended to be less wedded to the “greater size=greater prestige” equation.
I take exception to the assertion that the 1961 “DeSoto’s styling was ugly enough to finally kill that struggling brand.” When you make the case of the 1961 Chrysler being “the least weird of the automaker’s 1961 line”, you fail to take into account that except for the dual level front grille and the reversed position of the rear tail lights/brake lights and the backup lights, the styling of the 1961 Chrysler and the 1961 DeSoto is identical. In fact, from both a styling and functional standpoint the positioning of the rear tail/brake lights and backup lights are far better on the DeSoto than the Chrysler.
Despite the Desoto’s abbreviated 1961 production it is the least weird 1961 Mopar.
Sadly, all of Chrysler’s cars, perhaps with the exception of the Dodge Lancer, were unacceptable in the marketplace. I know Exner, Sr. was ill, but where was competent management ? In comparison, the 1961 G.M. and Ford cars were masterful in their restraint. It must have been torture to be a Chrysler, Plymouth or Dodge dealer in 1961.
Indeed, and it’s more painful when the 1962 models arrived for Dodge and Plymouth with their plucked chicken.
For further first hand information on the reactions of both dealers and customers to the 1961 Mopar lineup, refer to the remembrances of Curtis Redgap through the Allpar website.
While Chrysler’s early 60s designs weren’t for everyone, I believe the public did like the si fi styling, but to me it was the Astrodome with it’s Panelesent lighting. It was weird but beautiful. It glowed like it was in outer space. That Astrodome has been my favorite dashboard of any car, then and now. It was a beautiful sight to behold. We had a 1961 Newport and a 62 300 in the family. I was mesmerizing by the Panelesent glow, and still am.
I’m not sure what you mean by a lump on the Chrysler 4 door hardtops. Do you mean the toilet seat continental spare on the trunk? BTW, the Plymouth grill looks eerily prescient to the modern “angry” look.
I’m talking about the raised ribs along each side of the roofline. They are around four inches above the top of the door windows.
Now I see it. Maybe there was a crease on the blueprint.
While I am enjoying reading all the commentary on mostly Chrylser’s bizarre or sci – fi styling – When I was a kid during this period I felt mostly the same way. What did I know. Then my good friend Mike’s parents bought a 1962 Plymouth Wagon. It was large and fairly good looking – in our eyes.
Why then did Edsel fail ? IT was American as all hayle and even had that 32 Duece coupe front end . IT was original – and cool.
And later Pontiac shamelessly borrowed the Edsel grille for the rest of the decade.