Plymouth Gran Fury

Plymouth Gran Fury was the name of three different models of the U.S. automobile manufacturer Plymouth, which were produced in the years 1974-1977, 1980-1981 and 1982-1989. The Gran Fury was in these years respectively the largest models of the brand Plymouth.

Plymouth Gran Fury (1975-1977)

Background: Badge Shifting

The name Gran Fury first appeared in the model year 1975 as a standalone model designation for Plymouth full-size vehicles. These cars were sold until 1974 Plymouth Fury. As the name Plymouth Fury 1975 was under a procedure called as a badge shifting process to the previously mentioned Satellite mid-size model in order to increase its prestige, the biggest brand vehicles had to get a new label. The choice fell on Gran Fury. This term had been used since 1972 for top-quality specification line of Fury models; from 1975 he described now the entire series.

Technology

The Plymouth Gran Fury of the first generation was based on the C platform of the Chrysler Group. He was thus technically identical to its sister models Dodge Royal Monaco, Chrysler Newport and New Yorker and Imperial LeBaron. The car used a " unibody " said self-supporting body, which had a subframe.

The Gran Fury was available as a two-door hardtop coupe, four-door hardtop sedan and station wagon. The coupe and sedan had a wheelbase of 3,086 mm; however, the combination used as the more expensive Chrysler Town & Country has a 3,150 mm long wheelbase.

The body was almost identical with that of the Dodge Royal Monaco, but pointed at the front is an independent formal on. From 1975 possessed all Gran Fury about individual round headlights; to 1974, the available and used as before with the sister models dual headlights were deleted.

For the Gran Fury only eight-cylinder engines were provided as the drive from 1974 to 1977. As the base engine was a 5.2 liter eight -cylinder engine with an output of 150 hp SAE. Next were available with engines of 5.9 liters ( 170 to 190 hp SAE ), 6.6 liters ( 175-195 SAE hp) and 7.2 liters ( 185-215 hp) engine capacity.

The Plymouth Gran Fury was the cheapest model of Chrysler's full-size models. A four-door Gran Fury with standard engine was offered in the 1976 model year at a price of 4,349 U.S. dollars, the most expensive model in the series was the Gran Fury Sport Suburban with three rows of seats, which cost U.S. $ 5,761.

Production

The Gran Fury sold poorly. This is mostly attributed to the effects of the oil crisis, which led to an increasing demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The Gran Fury fulfilled those conditions just as the other models of the Chrysler C platform and was considered wrong car for this time. In model year 1975 72.801 Gran Fury arisen, 1976, there were 39 511 vehicles and 1977 again 47 552 copies.

At the end of the model year 1977 Plymouth discontinued the production of the Gran Fury. A replacement model in the full-size series had Plymouth initially not in the program, so that the 40 cm shorter on the B platform -based Fury in model year 1978 was the largest motor manufacturer, Plymouth. For the model year 1979, also this series was deleted. Since Plymouth of the larger models of M- platform (Chrysler LeBaron and Dodge Diplomat ) R platform (Chrysler Newport and New York and St. Regis) initially had no own discharges in the program, there was a model range of the brand in 1979 only from the small car Horizon and the compact model Volare. Only in 1980 Plymouth offered with the second generation of the Gran Fury returned to a larger model.

Gallery

Plymouth Gran Fury Hardtop Coupe

One of the biggest station wagon produced in the U.S.: The Plymouth Gran Fury Sport Suburban

Plymouth Gran Fury (1979-1980)

One year after its sister models, Dodge St. Regis and Chrysler Newport and New York, the Plymouth version of Chrysler's new ( and last ) full-size generation appeared again under the name Gran Fury. The vehicle was a variant of the Chrysler R- Cars.

Although the new Gran Fury compared to its predecessor was a few inches shorter and narrower, and several hundred kilograms lighter, it sold very poorly, because in the wake of the so-called Second oil crisis of 1979 came temporarily -consumption cars in the U.S. out of fashion.

Under the hood either were doing a 3.7 -liter inline six- cylinder, 5.2 -liter V8 or (only in model year 1980) a 5.9 -liter V8 in service, each paired with the TorqueFlite three- speed automatic.

With the end of the model year 1981 was the Gran Fury, as the other group models replaced on the R platform from the program and was replaced by a smaller model of the same name.

From the R- Gran Fury arisen in two years 22 319 pieces.

Plymouth Gran Fury (1981-1989)

The third Gran Fury appeared for Model Year 1982. He was down to the emblems and a few details completely identical parallel model of the Dodge Diplomat.

The Plymouth Gran Fury was based in this version as well as the Dodge and Chrysler Fifth Avenue at the same time offered on the M platform, which was introduced in 1977 and an extended version of the F- platform ( Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare ) was. The M platform in the U.S. was initially only been used for the mid-range models from Dodge ( diplomat ) and Chrysler ( LeBaron ); a Plymouth version were available on the U.S. market, not initially. In Canada, however, the M -body was available as Plymouth Caravelle early as 1979. In the early 1980s, after deletion of the full-size models ( R -body ) and the intermediate models (B- Body) had become the vehicles of the M platform for the biggest series of the Chrysler Group, now there was also a need for an inexpensive version in addition to the high-priced Chrysler models and settled in the middle segment Dodge versions. As a beginner, fleet or government model, a Plymouth version was therefore launched in 1981.

Stylistically took over the Gran Fury The front of the Dodge Diplomat in their second, 1980 version used. While the Dodge front was adapted from 1984 to the front part of the Chrysler Fifth Avenue and in the process, inter alia, took over the arranged above the headlights turn signals, kept the Plymouth the original design to its production end in.

The development did not parallel with the Dodge Diplomat. Up to and including model year 1983, there were either the familiar 3.7 -liter inline six- cylinder or the 5.2 -liter V8, from model year 1984 only the latter. Also on board was always the TorqueFlite three- speed automatic. Especially for the police, there was the Gran Fury with a 5.2 liter V8 with four -barrel carburetor and 167, later 177 hp.

The Gran Fury learned how the diplomat, to 1989, only minimal changes in details.

The Gran Fury of the third generation was not a successful model. From it emerged in eight years a total of around 108,000. Both the expensive Chrysler Fifth Avenue as well as the Dodge Diplomat was sold much more frequently.

Swell

• Albert R. Bochroch: American Cars of the Seventies. Warne 's Transport Library, London 1982. ISBN 0-7232-2870-1
• Flammang, James M / Kowalke, Ron. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999, Krause Publications, Iola 1999, ISBN 0-87341-755-0.
• Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980. New York ( Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2.