Chrysler R platform
Chrysler R-Platform was the internal name of a car model of the American car manufacturer Chrysler , which was sold between 1979 and 1981 by the brands Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth in slightly different variants. The Chrysler R models were vehicles of the so-called full-size class.
The background
The first oil crisis in 1973 led to a significant drop in sales of the previous American full-size models, which were up to six meters long and some had an empty weight of over 2.5 tons. General Motors and Ford responded with a development known as downsizing , which led to a considerable reduction in length and weight of their upper-class models and a noticeable reduction in fuel consumption. In 1977, for example, General Motors introduced the significantly reduced B-body as part of Project 77 . The Buick Le Saber and Electra , Cadillac DeVille , Chevrolet Caprice , Oldsmobile 88 and 98 and Pontiac Parisienne models based on it were 300 to 400 kg lighter and, depending on the structure, 250 to 360 mm shorter than their predecessors. Ford followed suit in 1978 with the LTD based on the Panther platform and the Mercury Marquis derived from it , which were 380 mm shorter and around 350 kg lighter than the previous models.
Chrysler, the smallest of the three large American automobile manufacturers, only implemented the downsizing with a very delay. In 1978, when General Motors and Ford were already able to offer the downsized upper-class models for all divisions, Chrysler had not yet developed a suitable competitor product. Sales of the large Dodge Royal Monaco and Plymouth Gran Fury had already ceased. In the full-size segment, Chrysler only offered the Newport and New Yorker models designed in the early 1970s , which could hardly be sold compared to the new models from General Motors and Ford. While Chevrolet alone sold over 600,000 copies of the new Caprice in 1978, Chrysler only sold a little more than 83,000 vehicles of the old Newport and New York series.
Chrysler's need for a size and weight reduced upper class was evident. However, since the company found itself in a severe structural and financial crisis in the 1970s, it was only able to carry out the necessary development work with delay and to a limited extent. Downsizing could only be completed in early 1979, when Chrysler presented the R-Body and three full-size models based on it.
The technology of the R platform
The development of the R platform only began in the spring of 1977 under time pressure. Because of this, but above all for cost reasons, Chrysler - unlike General Motors and Ford - was unable to design a completely new platform for the full-size models. Rather, the company's management decided early on to revise the in-house B platform, which at that time was already over 15 years old. She had debuted in 1962 with the Dodge Polara and the Plymouth Fury ; In 1978 it was still used in the Dodge Monaco , the Plymouth Fury, the Chrysler Cordoba and the Dodge Charger and the Dodge Magnum . The enlargement of well-known platforms was a tradition at Chrysler: The M platform ( Chrysler LeBaron , Dodge Diplomat ) was created in 1977 by extending the F platform ( Dodge Aspen , Plymouth Volaré ).
The landing gear
For the R platform, the wheelbase of the B body has been extended to 3010 mm. It was thus slightly longer than the competing models from General Motors and Ford. The chassis and structures of the B platform were largely adopted. The suspension was conventional here as there. Chrysler continued to use torsion bars on the front wheels , the basic form of which had already been introduced in 1957; the rear of the model had a leaf-sprung rigid axle. The deceleration was carried out by disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear.
The body
The new full-size class was designed exclusively as a four-door sedan with a fixed B-pillar (so-called pillared hardtop ); A two-door coupé and a large station wagon, which had been part of the model range of the predecessors and which the competitors still had on offer, were not planned.
When designing the body, the designers made a point of creating the impression of unchanged size. The trunk and bonnet stayed long, while the passenger compartment looked squat. Overall, the proportions were not as balanced as in the new full-size models from General Motors.
Chrysler's plans were to have the R platform sold by the individual divisions of the group with different names. In the interests of the most cost-effective production possible, all variants used the same body; only in the design of the front section and partly also the rear section did they show deviations (in the case of the top model, the Chrysler New Yorker, a Landau roof was added in the rear area, which was reserved for this model).
The motorization
The engine consisted of six and eight-cylinder engines:
- With the exception of the top model Chrysler New Yorker, a 3.7 liter (225 cubic inch) in-line six-cylinder with 110 hp served as the base engine for all models. In California, the power output sank to below 90 hp. These models, which were mostly handed over to authorities, were clearly underpowered; their top speed was only 140 km / h.
- A V8 engine with a displacement of 5.2 liters (318 cubic inches) and 135 hp was available on request
- In the two two years of production, a 5.9 liter (360 cubic inch) eight-cylinder engine with 150 hp (double carburetor) or 195 hp (quadruple carburetor) could also be ordered.
- There were also special variants for California, where stricter emissions regulations applied. In view of this, the performance of the engines was reduced to varying degrees.
A three-speed TorqueFlite automatic was part of the standard equipment in every engine level.
The model family of the R platform
The new vehicles of the R platform were presented for the 1979 model year. Initially there were two Chrysler variants and one Dodge version; a Plymouth model was initially not included in the planning. Due to ongoing inquiries from fleet operators who were interested in a particularly inexpensive version of the vehicle, another offshoot for the Plymouth Division was added for the 1980 model year. The model family included:
- Chrysler Newport (1979 to 1981)
- Chrysler New Yorker (1979 to 1981). The New Yorker was the top model in the range with a high-quality interior, a separate Landau-style roof, pop-up headlights and a prestigious radiator grille. The rear lights were also designed independently.
- Dodge St. Regis (1979 to 1981). In terms of price, it was slightly below the Chrysler Newport. It had its own front section with a hinged Plexiglas cover for the headlights. The front bumper corresponded to the Chrysler New Yorker, the rear end to the Newport.
- Plymouth Gran Fury (1980 to 1981). The Gran Fury is the cheapest model, apart from the radiator grille identical to the Chrysler Newport, but less extensively equipped.
The inclusion in the market
The R platform vehicles were not a commercial success. In contrast to the reduced-size full-size models from General Motors and Ford, Chrysler was only able to sell small quantities from the start. The most successful was the Chrysler Newport, of which just over 78,000 were made in the year it was launched. All other members of the model family were clearly more unsuccessful in 1979 and the following years. In the last year of the R platform's life, only low five-digit production numbers were achieved.
To explain the low level of success, it is usually pointed out that the R-platform cars came too late - or "at the wrong time" -: the R models appeared just at the time when the second oil crisis began and the market for large vehicles collapsed. GM and Ford also sold significantly fewer vehicles of the full-size range in 1979 and, above all, 1980 than in previous years. Unlike Chrysler, they initially served the market well with their new models in 1977 and 1978 and were at least able to partially amortize their investments.
The lack of success was reinforced on the one hand by the image crisis of the Chrysler Group, which was on the verge of insolvency in 1979, and by the many problematic properties of the cars themselves. In the time of the oil crisis, which required fuel economy, the extremely large-looking body became a symbol of a bygone era perceived; it gave the impression that Chrysler had slept through the signs of the times. Even more serious were the considerable quality defects that were due to faulty development and negligent manufacturing. An in-house study assumed that not a single vehicle left the assembly line without defects; For every 100 vehicles produced, there were 1,077 defects, so that each vehicle was delivered with an average of eleven defects. Together with the production preparation for the new K-Car ( Dodge Aries , Plymouth Reliant ), Chrysler carried out sustainable quality management under the direction of Lee Iacocca in 1979, which resulted in a significant reduction in the error rate. A 1980 study found that the 1980 model year R-Cars used by the police were the best police cars Chrysler had delivered between 1956 and 1980.
From 1980, sales of the R models to private customers largely came to a standstill. The Chrysler Newport, Dodge St. Regis and above all the Plymouth Gran Fury were now largely delivered to fleet customers such as car rental companies or authorities.
At the end of 1981, Chrysler stopped production of the R models. Their successors Chrysler Fifth Avenue, Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury were based on the M platform presented in 1977.
literature
- Albert R. Bochroch: American Cars of the Seventies . Warne's Transport Library, London 1982. ISBN 0-7232-2870-1
- Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ For the history of downsizing at the big three American automobile manufacturers, see p. www.allpar.com (accessed November 16, 2010).
- ↑ Bochroch: American Cars of the Seventies. P. 45.
- ↑ Data from Langworth: American Cars from 1930 to 1980.
- ^ Numbers from Langworth: American Cars from 1930 to 1980.
- ↑ Overview of the Chrysler Corporation platforms at www.dippy.org (accessed November 16, 2010).
- ↑ Overview of the Chrysler models for the individual platforms at www.teamchicago.com (accessed on November 16, 2010).
- ↑ For the technical features of the R platform see p. www.allpar.com (accessed November 16, 2010)
- ↑ See www.allpar.com (accessed on November 16, 2010)
- ↑ Overview of the motorization with detailed technical description on the website www.allpar.com (accessed on November 16, 2010).
- ↑ Auto Catalog No. 25 (1981/82), p. 242 f.
- ^ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 197.
- ↑ Detailed description of the vehicle defects on the website www.allpar.com (accessed on November 16, 2010).