Chrysler Newport: from show-car phaeton to budget Chrysler

The Chrysler Newport name was used in three different ways: on a 1940 dual-cowl show phaeton, as the company’s designation for its hardtop bodies in the 1950s and, from 1961 to 1981, as Chrysler’s lowest-priced full-size model. That last car was the volume seller, advertised as a full-size Chrysler in a new lower price range.

Chrysler Newport at a glance

History of the Chrysler Newport

The 1940 Newport Phaeton

The first Newport was the Chrysler Newport Phaeton of 1940–1941, a dual-cowl phaeton using the 323.5 cu in Chrysler Straight Eight “Spitfire” engine with dual carburettors and a three-speed manual gearbox. It was based on the Chrysler Imperial Crown chassis and designed by Ralph Roberts of LeBaron and Briggs. Only six were built, and owners included the actress Lana Turner and Chrysler’s founder Walter Chrysler, who used one as his personal car; five are known to survive. The phaeton served as pace car for the 1941 Indianapolis 500. Its futuristic features, shared with the Thunderbolt, included electro-hydraulic doors, electric windows and covered headlights, with a plush leather interior and a bespoke aluminium dashboard.

The hardtop years

From 1950 the Newport name was used to designate the two-door hardtop body in Chrysler’s range, applying to the Windsor, Saratoga, New Yorker and Imperial, just as DeSoto used Sportsman and Dodge used Lancer. In 1955 an Imperial Newport appeared for one year while the name continued on the Windsor Newport, Saratoga Newport and New Yorker Newport, and in 1956 it was extended to both two- and four-door hardtops, except on the 300 letter cars, which were only two-door hardtops or convertibles. Imperial renamed its hardtop Southampton from 1956 to avoid confusion.

The budget Chrysler

For 1961 Chrysler made the Newport a separate model and the least expensive car in its range, at a base price of US$2,964, intended to appeal to owners of the discontinued DeSoto. It was a success and made up the bulk of Chrysler production, but the base cars were modestly trimmed versions of the company’s upscale models, with smaller hubcaps, plain interiors and little exterior trim, while the New Yorker listed at US$4,870. Advertising insisted the Newport was not a compact, calling it “a full-size Chrysler in a new lower price range” under the tagline “no jr. editions”. The 1961 range ran from a two-door convertible through two- and four-door hardtops and a sedan to a four-door station wagon, with a 361 cu in V8 of 265 hp as standard, a 413 cu in option and a 383 mostly used in the Town & Country. Because the AstraDome instrument cluster reached towards the steering wheel, the turn signal lever moved to the dashboard and manual cars used a floor shifter; the Newport remained Chrysler’s entry model until 1981.

Design and features

• Three meanings: a 1940 show phaeton, a 1950s hardtop designation and a 1961–1981 model.
• Volume seller: the 1961 Newport carried the bulk of Chrysler production.
• Full-size at a low price: advertised as “a full-size Chrysler in a new lower price range”.
• AstraDome dashboard: the wrap-around cluster that pushed the indicator stalk onto the dash.
• Big V8s: a 361 as standard, with 383 and 413 options including dual four-barrel carburettors.

Chrysler Newport versions

• Newport Phaeton (1940–1941): the six dual-cowl show cars.
• Newport hardtops (1950–1956): the body-style designation across the Chrysler range.
• Newport (1961–1981): the entry-level full-size model in convertible, hardtop, sedan and wagon form.

The Newport sat below the New Yorker and 300 letter series, and its 1940 phaeton is the ancestor of the later Chrysler Phaeton concept. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.

Sources

• Chrysler Newport, English Wikipedia: phaeton, hardtop designation, 1961 model
• Chrysler Newport, Wikimedia Commons: photographs