Vintage Chrysler still showing style

On display a few miles south of Janesville along 30th Street sits a classic Chrysler New Yorker car in the yard of Tad Anderson, 47. He says it’s been sitting there for around 10 years or so; though there is a touch of rust and the vehicle’s driving days are far behind, that doesn’t mean this small slice of Americana doesn’t still look good.

 

Anderson is a born and bred Janesville native, having grown up alongside his two brothers, Trey and Toby under the care of lifelong area resident Marcy Anderson. Tad graduated from Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School in 1997. Trey races enduro style cars all over southern Minnesota and Toby operates Toby’s Barbershop in Janesville.  

 

Tad spends his working hours in a machine shop: “I build 20-volt generators, they weigh around 60,000 pounds for Rolls-Royce Solutions Incorporated out of Mankato. Before that I worked for 22 years at Brown Printing out of Waseca, until they closed.” Brown Printing, which later turned into Quad Graphics, closed its doors in 2017.

 

When he spoke with the Pioneer, Tad was spending time in his home workshop with his friend Justin Stanke, who shared, “Tad lives here with his little dog Jo Jo, and his girlfriend Sarah. He woke up one day about ten years ago and decided he wanted a car in his yard, being a junk collector, it kinda makes sense.” The walls of the garage were adorned with signs from various mechanic shops; vintage gas station pumps lined the walls like arcade games at an arcade. Stanke added by pointing across the garage to a red tractor, “He’s also been working on that tractor, he’s put a lot of heart and joy in that thing.” Across the workshop a red rider mower tractor was sitting on a lift station; it looked like it was being well cared for.    

 

Stanke said the New Yorker hasn’t received any recent work; Tad was quick to say, “The car looks a lot better when there’s no snow on it.” He was hoping to have a better picture tucked away somewhere, but he couldn’t guarantee it and said, “Just take a photo on your way out, just in case I can’t find a better one.” Anderson didn’t know the exact year of the car, but pictures online suggest it is a 1955 model. “I bought the car at a Wingert Land Services auction. I’ve been living at my current address for 26 years. I am sort of a junk collector, besides old gas station pumps, I also like old oil cans when I can find them.” Regarding the car he added, “Unique Classic Cars out of Mankato has offered me money for the car's carburetor.” But at the moment Tad says he sees no reason to part with it.