The 1969 model year saw a major refresh for Chrysler, which called its new rounded-side design"fuselage styling." The fuselage replaced the sculpted sides of the mid-1960s and generally resulted in a smoother car. What hadn’t changed was the chassis -- Chrysler’s unibody center section was bolted to a separate front subframe with large rubber doughnuts to reduce vibration in the car.<\p>

The New Yorker line remained Chrysler’s top line of sedans and coupes, and was considered a separate line from the Town & Country station wagons. The New Yorker was offered as a 4-door sedan or hardtop, and as a 2-door hardtop. Of the available body styles, the 4-door hardtop was by far the most popular at over 27,000 units, followed by the sedan at about 12,000 units, and just over 7,500 2-doors built.<\p>

Engine power came courtesy of Chrysler’s legendary 440-cid V-8, rated at 350 hp. The 440 TNT engine option with a four-barrel carburetor boosted that to 375 hp. All New Yorkers came with a standard Torque-Flight automatic transmission.<\p>

The New Yorker offered a lengthy and expensive option list, including several levels of air conditioning that could add up to $713 for dual-zone air with auto-temp. This was on top of a $5,225 base price for the 4-door hardtop.<\p>

Not much changed for 1970, and for 1971 the sides of the car were made even smoother. But the 1970s were getting rolling, and output from the 440 dropped to 335 hp. The TNT option was still available, however, at 370 hp.<\p>

The 1972 model year brought the notable change from gross to net horsepower across the industry. Chrysler was hit harder than most, with the change dropping the claimed output of the 440 to just 225 hp. Also in this year, the New Yorker was broken into two lines. Body styles were unchanged, but the base New Yorker replaced the Chrysler 300 as the mid-range offering, while the New Yorker Brougham became the top line of Chrysler passenger cars.<\p>

For 1973, Chrysler dropped the 2-door coupe from the base New Yorker line, but it remained in the New Yorker Brougham line. Engine power was down to 215 hp, with no upgrade options. However, sales of the luxury Brougham line shot up by 40%, with more than 26,000 4-door hardtops made and sold.<\p>

Collectors will gravitate to cars equipped with the TNT 440 option, and those equipped with optional dual exhaust. Luxury buyers may prefer the later Brougham models, but well-optioned earlier cars may be more desirable.<\p>