Dodge St. Regis

The Dodge St. Regis was one of 1978 offered by U.S. automobile manufacturers until 1981 Dodge sedan in the full-size category. The St. Regis was presented to the model year 1979 as a successor to the 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco set. To document the independence of the model, the new Dodge did not adopt the model name of its predecessor, but used a seemingly new name. In fact, however, the name St. Regis had been used since the 1950s in various contexts by the Chrysler Group. So was 1955 a special model of the Chrysler New Yorker out the name of St. Regis; later the name of the group brand DeSoto was used.

Vehicle development

Technically, the St. Regis could only partly be considered as a new development. It was based on the so-called R- platform Chrysler Corporation, which in turn was a modification of the in 1970 introduced "B - Body". He was related to the previous Intermediate models of the Chrysler Group, which included, for example, the Dodge Coronet, the Chrysler Cordoba and Dodge Magnum XE. The recourse to these known platform meant that the top model of the brand significantly lower proportions than did its predecessor. This so-called downsizing, the competitive brands with the Chevrolet Caprice or Ford LTD had some years before realized, was the Chrysler Corporation, which was in the 1970s in a deep structural and financial crisis, rapidly implement thanks to the platform strategy without major development effort.

The body of the St. Regis was redesigned. The passenger cell, the glass units, doors and fenders were identical, with the same featured Chrysler Newport and the Chrysler New Yorker; even a year later presented Plymouth Gran Fury used these structures. The individual models differ, apart from deviating laced equipment packages, solely by the design of the front and rear end. The Chrysler Newport Plymouth Gran Fury and were so far largely identical; the Dodge St. Regis, however, had an independent front end. A special feature of the Dodge were the retractable plexiglass covers in front of the headlights. This concept was realized in 1978 with the Dodge Magnum XE; it should give the impression as if the car is sporty -looking wide-band headlamps, although they were actually not allowed in the United States. Therefore, the cover fell open when activated, the positioned behind here rectangular headlights. The folding mechanism was also used in the flagship model of the brand, the Chrysler New Yorker; there was the cover but not transparent, but painted in body color.

The only available as a four-door sedan St. Regis was powered by different engines. As the base engine was a 3.7 liter in-line six-cylinder with 110 hp. Upon request, a V8 engine with 5.2 liter displacement and 135 hp was available; in the first two years of production also was a 5.9 liter eight -cylinder engine with 150 hp ( twin carburettor ) or 195 hp ( four -barrel carburetor ) can be ordered. A three-speed automatic TorqueFlite counted in each stage engine as standard equipment.

The selling price of the St. Regis was slightly lower than that of the largely identical Chrysler Newport. The base price of the St. Regis was in 1979 with $ 6,532, $ 7,100 in 1980 and 1981 at $ 7,737. The time delay Plymouth Gran Fury was presented with significantly reduced equipment about $ 400 cheaper.

Production and distribution

The Dodge St. Regis was just like the other models of the R -body on the market are not successful. Although Dodge realized with it a downsizing; also reduced compared with the top models of the competing brands, he came, however, two years too late. When he was finally introduced, it appeared already abandoned as too large. Since the introduction of the relatively large and thirsty St. Regis coincided with the so -called second oil crisis of 1979, their sales was limited. After the first model year it was purchased almost exclusively by government agencies and other fleet customers. For this reason, the St. Regis was taken off the market in the spring of 1981 again.

In two and a half years sat on Dodge St. Regis total of just over 53,000 copies from. His successor was the even smaller, based on the outdated M- platform Dodge Diplomat.

Gallery

Dodge St. Regis 1979, side view.

Swell

• Flammang, James M / Kowalke, Ron. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999, Kraus Publications, Iola 1999, ISBN 0-87341-755-0.
• Langworth, Richard M.: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980. New York ( Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2.