Lion Hearted: ’59 Chrysler Windsor

In 1957, Chrysler execs called upon Virgil Exner and his team to redesign the Chrysler Windsor. They started off by switching to a larger chassis, probably to accommodate the large rear tail fins that begin their upsweep at the B-pillar. Chrysler began advertising their car’s engines as “Golden Lions” and the cars as “Lion Hearted”. Lions were used in the advertising, and the cars had lion emblems on the fenders. You can see the lion emblems on the leading edge of the front doors of today’s Craigslist find. We don’t think these big Chryslers are particularly attractive but they are icons from a particular period in our nations automotive design history. Exner seemed to be right at home penning these aircraft and rocket ship inspired behemoths. Today’s find is an original car in exceptional condition making it Mint-worthy. It is equipped with swivel seats and we wish there was a photo of them. It is powered by a 383 V-8 that is Lionhearted, coupled to a Torqueflite transmission. The seller says it has a large rear window and although we do not disagree, we are curious if that was indeed an option. Chrysler fans with $14,000 can buy this one and enjoy it right out of the box. Click here for the Craigslist ad.