Authentic American luxury

Authentic American luxury

Eighty years ago, the world was mesmerised by the idea of the future, where this mental picture came in the form of a flying or omnidirectional car. But the reality is a rather disheartening contradiction: unless you choose a Rolls-Royce, it's obvious that quality and craftsmanship are fading. It’s a cost-saving trend that has seeped through the cracks throughout the decades but one which the 1948 Chrysler Windsor weathered through timeless design and intricate detail.

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Chrysler's Windsor was considered a poor man's Rolls of sorts, but by no means did it lack any element of well-matured class and luxury. Its story began in 1939 when a need for a more upscaled version of the Chrysler Royal was called upon. The Windsor sat comfortably between the Royal and the New Yorker, the brand's premium flagship model, and its arrival was well received.

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Until 1942, the Windsor offered more affordable luxury with dynamic angles and some intriguing tech within, over, say, its British competition. The engine bay housed a 4.0-litre inline-6, which encouraged 114 ponies, or 84kW for us more metric-inclined folk, through its 3-speed Fluid Drive automatic gearbox to the wheels. The engine also saw a new engine mount design called Floating Power, which would provide a smoother ride quality through improved shock absorption. But what made this car so popular were the variations you could opt for, such as a 6-seater coupe, a 6-seater saloon and a convertible, along with its plump yet meticulously designed curvy exterior. A plethora of wooden trims speak to its element of class and bench seats for a classically comfortable experience.

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Unfortunately, due to America's later participation in the war, the brand closed its doors to vehicle manufacturing and focused on supporting the war effort until its end from 1942 to 1946. Its return brought with it a few interesting additions to the Windsor, like a slightly larger 4.1-litre engine with no power increase, a vacuum-powered convertible top for those who liked the attention and an improved Fluid Drive Prestomatic transmission, which was a semi-automatic 3-speed gearbox.

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It wasn’t long before the brand saw a return in interest for the model, and by 1948 the Windsor was Chrysler's best-selling product. From pictures I saw prior to my experience with the Windsor, it was a striking car that demanded attention, mixing a character of automotive artwork and comfort with a sense of hard work and taste. And its initial impression left me almost speechless.

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It’s a car that displays intricate design, and almost every panel on the car is a topic of discussion, from the extensive yet tasteful use of chrome to its unique silhouette. Even the simple task of opening the doors reminds you of a nobler time for automobiles, and the suicide doors add to the occasion. This particular vehicle is the product of the best kind of story—a family one, and this car began its life in America and was brought to our nation in the late 1960s. Skip a few years, and Oscar and his brothers, along with their father, received a call from a distant family member about a body shell that was perishing under a shed in a field.

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And, like any die-hard petrolhead, the idea of letting a classic rot away could not be ignored. The car was jumped into life in 2013, and with a few signs of age, the family got to work restoring it back to its original glory, and the work was completed in 2014. An element of originality was exercised as the interior was fixed using its original parts and a few upholstery touches. As for the paintwork, it was resprayed in its original grey colour, and the results provide a glimpse at what a showroom-ready car in the 40s might have looked like.

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Inside, the seats aren't far off from what you'd expect to find in a luxury boutique hotel's lobby, and my word, are they comfortable. In true old-school American fashion, the 4-door sedan version of this model provided two bench seats, which were all the rage for couples back in the day. The cabin provides a sense of importance, as your surroundings are artistic and provide a selection of colours and textures, all blessed with a good sense of build quality. And with a touch over 80,000km on the clock over its 77 years, it's better looked after than most of the newer cars on the road. In fact, I would go as far as to say there are very few cars that look this good after 60 years.

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Oscar's handsome old cruiser is powered by a 3.4-litre inline 6-cylinder engine, which was the common option for the LWB 1948 Windsor and produced 81kW and 255Nm and it's impressively smooth for a 77-year-old. But of course, the 3-speed manual gearbox with the lever on the steering column is a simple reminder of a bygone era and its quintessentially American in nature. As you'd expect, the ride quality is smooth, but its weight does show as it bobs its way around the road with different obstacles, and the way it handles its size commands patient authority.

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Yes, at the lights you will end up racing the cyclists over the surrounding traffic, but a car like this is unlike any modern alternative, as it’s a car for the experience over anything else. You want to be in a Windsor where it's parked up with a friend, talking about your troubles or for sheer comfort on the open road. I wouldn’t be surprised if the phrase “It's not the destination; it's the journey” came to be behind the wheel of a Windsor.

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What new cars lack is a story, and the Stephanou family sure has enough to write a book about. They are a group of people with family at the core of their beliefs, and it's clear that their cars are a part of the family. From loading the Windsor up with friends to breaking their backs to restore it to its current glory, it’s a car that holds a place in each of their hearts for different reasons. But for me, it felt like I was a part of more than just a drive around Pretoria but rather a family helping their oldest member to remain as charming as he once was, whilst giving me a glimpse into the world of real original luxury, where manufacturers cared about finished products with no corners cut along the way.

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