1981 Chrysler New Yorker sedan

“So many reasons for superiority.”

For 1981, Chrysler’s full-size New Yorker sedan got few changes. The 5.9 liter/360 ci V8 was no longer available, but the optional four-barrel version of the 5.2 liter/318 ci V8 received a horsepower bump. There was a new grille, but otherwise, changes between a 1980 and a 1981 New Yorker are tricky to spot.

The standard powertrain for the New Yorker was the 130 bhp LA 5.2 liter/318 ci V8 with a two-barrel carburetor mated to a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. New Yorker buyers could choose a four-barrel version of the same engine ($68) that was rated at a respectable for 1981 165 bhp.

No matter which engine, performance was unimpressive in a car with a 3,900-pound curb weight. The 0-60 time was likely a little over 14 seconds with the base engine, with the optional mill dropping that number by about two seconds. Fuel economy was 17 city/26 highway by the day’s standards with the base engine and 16 highway/23 with the uprated one. With a 20.9-gallon gas tank, a New Yorker owner could expect a range of 330 to 405 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $10,463 1981 New Yorker (about $39,500 in today’s dollars) included tinted glass on all windows, a Landau padded vinyl roof, power front disc/rear drum brakes, and P205/75R15 steel-belted wide white sidewall tires on 15-inch wheels with Premier wheel covers. Inside, cloth and vinyl 60/40 individually adjustable seats with folding center armrest and passenger seat recliner, a Luxury steering wheel, manual control air conditioning, power windows, and an AM/FM stereo radio were included. Standard on the New Yorker, the Light Package included a trunk light, a glove box light, an ash receiver light, a rear door courtesy light, and an under hood light.

Packages, Options, & Production Numbers

Chrysler’s marketers seem to have reacted to challenging market conditions by giving buyers many choices of packages and options. Package choices for the New Yorker included:

• The Basic package ($156) included a vinyl body-side molding, a right remote control convex mirror, deluxe windshield wipers, and undercoating.
• The Premium Speaker System ($95) included two front and two piezo electric two-way coaxial rear speakers, along with a 15 watt per channel rear amplifier.
• The Heavy-Duty package included a heavy-duty suspension, a 3.2 axle ratio, an auxiliary transmission oil cooler, a power steering oil cooler, and a 500-amp Long Life Maintenance Free battery. It required the optional four-barrel carburetted V8 and P225/70R15 steel belted radial tires.
• The Open Road Handling package ($180) included a Firm Feel suspension (front and rear heavy-duty sway bars, heavy-duty shock absorbers, heavy-duty front torsion bars, heavy-duty rear springs), special Firm Feel power steering, and P225/70R15 steel belted wider white sidewall radial tires.
• The Fifth Avenue Edition package ($1,822) included halogen headlights, cornering lamps, front fender louvers, special lighted quarter windows, wire wheel covers, a conventional spare tire, and a 500-amp Long Life Maintenance Free battery. Inside, Fifth Avenue buyers got a left power seat, deep pile carpets, front and rear floor mats, a Luxury steering with leather-wrapped rim, a tilt steering column, semi automatic temperature control air conditioning, semi-automatic speed control, power door locks, and a power deck lid. They also got the Premium Speaker System and a choice of four stereos, along with a power antenna (except with the CB choice).
• The Carriage Roof package ($854) was only available with the Fifth Avenue Edition. It included a brushed stainless steel forward half roof cap and a padded Landau top with a small frenched backlight, bright surround moldings, and a forward bright transverse molding with integral electro luminescent lights.

Individual exterior and mechanical options included special paint ($68), a halogen headlamp system ($41), a power operated glass sun roof ($934), and styled aluminum road wheels ($321, $70 with the Fifth Avenue Edition). Inside, a leather 60/40 bench seat ($676), a tilt steering wheel ($84), and an electrically heated rear window defroster ($112 and required in New York State) were available. Three stereos were optional for the New Yorker, with the most pricey being the AM/FM stereo with a CB transceiver and a fixed tri band antenna ($261 and included with the Fifth Avenue Edition). A well-equipped New Yorker could easily run to about $13,300—real money in 1981 and about $50,100 in today’s dollars.

Despite the hopeful brochure slogans, it was clear in 1981 that the era of the big Chrysler was ending—New Yorker sales were off 36% to 6,548. The situation with the less-expensive Newport was even worse, with a decline of 67%. By the 1982 model year, full-size Chryslers would be gone, with the M-body New Yorker mid-size being Chrysler’s new top-of-the-line sedan. The R-bodies had only lasted three model years.

There were many reasons for this failure. Probably made worse by frightening build complexity, Chrysler’s quality was at perhaps its absolute nadir, and the word had gotten out. Overall automotive market conditions were also not great, with the early eighties being tough for many marques. Finally, there was legitimate and realistic concern that Chrysler might go out of business.

The View From 2025

There are not a lot of these handsome cars left. Hagerty doesn’t track New Yorkers built after 1970, so it’s hard to get a feel for values. They occasionally appear in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. In March 2025, a 1980 New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition hammered for $11,000 at Mecum Glendale.

Make mine the extra-cost Mahogany Starmist, please.

Other eighties Chryslers I have written about include the 1980 Cordoba coupe, the 1982 LeBaron convertible, the 1983 Imperial coupe, the 1984 Laser hatchback coupe, the 1986 Town & Country convertible, and the 1987 Fifth Avenue sedan.