Dodge Aspen

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dodge
Dodge Aspen 2 Door Coupe
Dodge Aspen 2 Door Coupe
Aspen
Production period: 1976-1980
Class : Middle class
Body versions : Sedan , station wagon , coupé
Engines:
Petrol engines : 3.7-5.9 liters
(67-130 kW)
Length: 5017-5118 mm
Width: 1849 mm
Height: 1349-1392 mm
Wheelbase :
Empty weight : 1382-1674 kg
Previous model Dodge darts
successor Dodge Aries
Dodge Aspen 2 Door Coupé, basic version
Dodge Aspen Wagon (1977)
Dodge Aspen Sedan (1980; facelift)

The Dodge Aspen was a mid-range rear-wheel drive model produced by the US automobile manufacturer Dodge from 1976 to 1980.

In spring 1976 the Aspen appeared as the successor to the Dodge Dart . The Aspen, named after the eponymous ski resort in the State of Colorado , was based on the F platform of the Chrysler -Konzerns and was the sister model of the Plymouth Volare ; the close relatives also included the models Chrysler LeBaron , Chrysler Fifth Avenue , Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury, which are located above in the model hierarchy and belong to the M platform .

The Aspen was replaced in the 1981 model year by the smaller, front-wheel drive Dodge Aries , which was equipped with four-cylinder engines.

Model history

In the 1976 model year, Dodge launched the Aspen as a four-door sedan, five-door station wagon and two-door coupé, the latter on a wheelbase that had been shortened by 10 to 275.5 cm. The equipment levels Basic, Custom and Special Edition were available. The Aspen was powered either by the 3.7-liter Slant-Six in-line six -cylinder or by V8 engines with a displacement of 5.2 and 5.9 liters; three- or four-speed gearboxes and Chrysler's TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission were available for selection. Based on the basic version of the Aspen Coupé, the sporty version Aspen R / T was offered with a matt black radiator grille and trim, decorative stripes, sports rims and modified taillights; this model was only available with the V8 engines and around 17,000 copies were sold.

In 1977 the station wagon received a double carburetor version of the six-cylinder engine with 112 hp as the basic engine. In addition to the Coupé R / T, the Coupé R / T Super Pak was offered with spoilers at the front and rear, flared fenders and lamellar plastic covers above the rear side windows. 4465 of the R / T and 2284 of the R / T Super Pak were sold.

The Aspen's initially good reputation was damaged in 1976/77 by numerous recalls due to its high susceptibility to rust. Quality assurance measures at Chrysler ensured that these weaknesses no longer occurred in later models.

For the 1978 model year, the Aspen underwent its first facelift with a narrower radiator grille and parking lights placed between the grille and headlights and modified rear lights. The variety of models for the coupés has been expanded; In addition to the R / T and R / T Super Pak, there was the Super Coupe from the beginning of 1978 with a special dark brown paint, matt black bonnet, sports suspension and a 5.9 liter V8. The number of units remained low: around 1500 R / T, around 500 Super Pak and around 600 Super Coupes were sold.

In 1979 the Super Coupe was discontinued, but a sporty version of the station wagon model was added, the Aspen Sport Wagon. A total of 75 coupes were still delivered as Aspen R / T.

In 1980, the Aspen surprisingly received an extensive facelift, although the model series was deleted from the range in the summer of 1981. The new front featured square headlights and a wider grille. The model series now consisted of the basic model, which could be combined with various equipment packages, and the Aspen Special. 285 units of the Coupé R / T were built. The engine output has been reduced, for the six-cylinder to 67 kW (91 PS), for the 5.2-liter V8 to 90 kW (122 PS), which was less than 5.9 liters.

A total of 810,000 copies of the Dodge Aspen were built.

Variations

Alienated and refined version of the Dodge Aspen: Monteverdi Sierra

The Dodge Aspen formed the technical basis for the Monteverdi Sierra, which was offered from 1977 to 1982 . The Swiss automobile manufacturer Monteverdi launched the Sierra in 1977 as the successor to its previous sports cars in the High Speed ​​375 series . Conceptually, the Sierra should represent a luxury class sedan with sophisticated technology and external understatement and compete with vehicles like the Mercedes S-Class or the 7-series from BMW . In fact, Monteverdi took over the entire Sierra technically unchanged and had changes designed at the front and rear by Carrozzeria Fissore , including modified fenders, narrow bumpers, front headlights from the Fiat 125 and taillights from the Renault 12 . The modifications were carried out in Italy or Switzerland ; Carrosserie Wenger in Basel carried out individual modifications (to around 20 cars) . The Sierra's production figures are unknown; however, it is doubtful whether they reached three-digit regions overall. Two copies were then made of a convertible (based on the Aspen Coupé) and a single copy of a luxury station wagon, which was based on the Aspen Station Wagon and had taillights from the Peugeot 504 .

swell

Flammang, James M./Kowalke, Ron: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999 , Krause Publications, Iola 1999. ISBN 0-87341-755-0

Web links

Commons : Dodge Aspen  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files