1950 Chrysler

Motor Trend for October 2012 reports the death of Walt Woron (1921-2012). Walt was my first and all-time favorite automobile test driver.

Summer 1950, the Greyhound or Trailways bus was taking me, age 14, from Panama City to Pensacola for my appointment with Dr. Bell, the only orthodontist in the area.

On arriving in Fort Walton the bus turned left down an alley and halted beside a drugstore, their bus stop in the little town, for a ten or fifteen minute rest stop and to let off and pick up passengers. Inside the drugstore was a magazine rack, and on the rack was a Motor Trend magazine, my first knowledge of such a publication.

On the magazine cover stood Walt Woron beside a 1950 Chrysler New Yorker sedan that he had road tested and reported on. One picture inside had the car leaning heavily into a high speed turn. It was the start of a lifelong addiction. That magazine is in my car trunk here in Joe’s room.

Because of two Walts, Walt Woron, and Daddy Walt, my grandfather Walter Gentry, who always drove Chryslers and Plymouths and ultimately Imperial, first a Maxwell then the 1924 Chrysler six touring car. Daddy Walt bought a new, black 1950 Chrysler Windsor sedan after my grandmother's light blue 1949 Windsor sedan (which he had presented to her on Mother's Day in 1949) was hit and demolished.

and also because at that time my father was buying only Chrysler products from Karl Wiselogel at W&W Motors on Harrison Avenue, Dodge and Plymouth cars for the family and Dodge trucks for his business, Chryslers were the cars of my dreams.

Actually, my father had switched from Chevrolet trucks to Dodge trucks after World War II when Bubber Nelson was not able to get him the Chevrolet truck he needed for his fish business.

When that happened, and he also switched to a Dodge car and then a Plymouth station wagon, I knew that my Buick hopes were dashed forever.

Just then, summer 1950, W&W Motors, although they were a Dodge-Plymouth dealer, had on the showroom floor a brand new, medium blue 1950 Chrysler New Yorker sedan. It is the first car I ever remember lusting for.

That Chrysler sat there for weeks, and every time we were at W&W for car or truck servicing, I sat in it, circled round it lovingly, imagined it roaring up our driveway and coasting silently into the garage. Both my mother and I wanted it. On one trip to W&W I persuaded my father to at least look at it. Glancing only, he said dismissively, “I think that car’s an eight.” “Of course it’s an eight,” thinks I, all hopes dashed, “it’s a Chrysler New Yorker.”

Chrysler had two lines for 1950, a six and an eight, both flat head engines. They had distinctive front grills; at least the chrome under the headlights was different, and the different Chrysler name or insignia in center front.

Also, the Windsor and New Yorker had "lavalier window cranks," very elegant in that day before every car had electric windows. Royal and Saratoga had a plain knob.

The six was offered as a Royal and an upper series Windsor.

The slowest, most lumbering car of all time was surely the very long, very heavy Chrysler Royal or Windsor flathead six cylinder eight passenger sedan with tip-toe shift.

Chrysler Eight was offered as a Saratoga, and the upper series New Yorker, and also as the top of the line Imperial.

The Chrysler Imperial for 1950 was distinguished by the new full wrap-around rear window on the sedan.

A 1950 Chrysler full line, full color, fold-out brochure was pinned to the wall beside my bed all that year.

Rest in peace, Walt, both of you.