The Diplomat name was originally used by Dodge on 2-door hardtop models from 1950 to 1954. It was also used on the export version of the DeSoto from 1946 through 1961. Between 1975 and 1977, The Diplomat name was also used on a trim package available on the Royal Monaco two-door hardtop.
By 1981 Chrysler was switching to smaller front-wheel drive designs. However, its older and larger rear-wheel drive Dodge Diplomat continued to sell. Chrysler's then executive vice president for manufacturing, Steve Sharf, met with officials at American Motors (AMC) to use the extra capacity at an assembly plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin to build the full-size cars. Chrysler's tooling was moved from St. Louis to Kenosha, and over the next two and a half years, about 250,000 Chrysler and Dodge models were built by AMC at a lower cost than Chrysler could. This relationship evolved into Chrysler's purchase of AMC in 1987.
Second generation Diplomat
In 1982, the coupe and station wagon were discontinued and Canada's Plymouth version of the Diplomat came south of the border. The Plymouth Caravelle was offered in the US as the Plymouth Gran Fury. 1983 was the last year for the Slant Six, and afterwards the only available engine was the 318-cid V8 with a two-barrel carburetor. A four-barrel 318 and a 360-cid V8 remained the optional engine choices for the police package.
For 1984, an upscale series was added to the American-market Diplomat, the SE. The SE used the Fifth Avenue's front end with its parking lights located above the headlights. The grille insert used thin vertical bars with a wide trim strip dividing the grille vertically as well as horizontally. The SE had more exterior trim and an interior that placed the SE between the Diplomat Salon and the Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
As the 1980s progressed, fewer private customers purchased the Diplomat, and the M-body was eventually dropped during the 1989 model year. One reason behind the drop-off in sales was fuel economy. Despite lower gas prices in the mid- to late-1980s and a 2.26:1 rear-end gear ratio, the Diplomat's carburated engine and lack of an overdrive gear on its TorqueFlite automatic transmission resulted in poor fuel economy compared with its larger competitors from Ford and General Motors, as evidenced by comparing the EPA estimates for 1986 models:
Dodge Diplomat (5.2 L V8, 3-speed automatic): 16 city, 21 highway, 18 combined
Chevrolet Caprice (5.0 L V8, 4-speed automatic with overdrive): 17 city, 25 highway, 20 combined
Ford LTD Crown Victoria (5.0 L V8, 4-speed automatic with overdrive): 18 city, 26 highway, 21 combined
Diplomats built from mid-1988 until the end of production were among the first Chrysler-built products to have a driver's side airbag as standard equipment, some two model years before the remainder of Chrysler's lineup (They were also among the only cars at the time to offer a tilt steering column with an airbag). Diplomats with airbags differed from earlier models in that they were also equipped with a padded, color-keyed knee blocker which extended out from beneath the instrument panel in front of the driver.
When the Diplomat and similar Plymouth Gran Fury were discontinued, it marked the last rear-wheel drive non-truck model sold by the corporation until the Plymouth Prowler was introduced in 1997. The Diplomat's other rear-wheel drive sibling, the Chrysler Fifth Avenue, also ended production, but the nameplate was continued on a front-wheel drive chassis. In the Dodge lineup, the Monaco became the top-of-the-line sedan.
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By 1981 Chrysler was switching to smaller front-wheel drive designs. However, its older and larger rear-wheel drive Dodge Diplomat continued to sell. Chrysler's then executive vice president for manufacturing, Steve Sharf, met with officials at American Motors (AMC) to use the extra capacity at an assembly plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin to build the full-size cars. Chrysler's tooling was moved from St. Louis to Kenosha, and over the next two and a half years, about 250,000 Chrysler and Dodge models were built by AMC at a lower cost than Chrysler could. This relationship evolved into Chrysler's purchase of AMC in 1987.
Second generation Diplomat
In 1982, the coupe and station wagon were discontinued and Canada's Plymouth version of the Diplomat came south of the border. The Plymouth Caravelle was offered in the US as the Plymouth Gran Fury. 1983 was the last year for the Slant Six, and afterwards the only available engine was the 318-cid V8 with a two-barrel carburetor. A four-barrel 318 and a 360-cid V8 remained the optional engine choices for the police package.
For 1984, an upscale series was added to the American-market Diplomat, the SE. The SE used the Fifth Avenue's front end with its parking lights located above the headlights. The grille insert used thin vertical bars with a wide trim strip dividing the grille vertically as well as horizontally. The SE had more exterior trim and an interior that placed the SE between the Diplomat Salon and the Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
As the 1980s progressed, fewer private customers purchased the Diplomat, and the M-body was eventually dropped during the 1989 model year. One reason behind the drop-off in sales was fuel economy. Despite lower gas prices in the mid- to late-1980s and a 2.26:1 rear-end gear ratio, the Diplomat's carburated engine and lack of an overdrive gear on its TorqueFlite automatic transmission resulted in poor fuel economy compared with its larger competitors from Ford and General Motors, as evidenced by comparing the EPA estimates for 1986 models:
Dodge Diplomat (5.2 L V8, 3-speed automatic): 16 city, 21 highway, 18 combined
Chevrolet Caprice (5.0 L V8, 4-speed automatic with overdrive): 17 city, 25 highway, 20 combined
Ford LTD Crown Victoria (5.0 L V8, 4-speed automatic with overdrive): 18 city, 26 highway, 21 combined
Diplomats built from mid-1988 until the end of production were among the first Chrysler-built products to have a driver's side airbag as standard equipment, some two model years before the remainder of Chrysler's lineup (They were also among the only cars at the time to offer a tilt steering column with an airbag). Diplomats with airbags differed from earlier models in that they were also equipped with a padded, color-keyed knee blocker which extended out from beneath the instrument panel in front of the driver.
When the Diplomat and similar Plymouth Gran Fury were discontinued, it marked the last rear-wheel drive non-truck model sold by the corporation until the Plymouth Prowler was introduced in 1997. The Diplomat's other rear-wheel drive sibling, the Chrysler Fifth Avenue, also ended production, but the nameplate was continued on a front-wheel drive chassis. In the Dodge lineup, the Monaco became the top-of-the-line sedan.
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Buy chrysler auto body parts You should always check the safety of a Chrysler vehicle. The Chrysler owners and future users are lucky that the vehicles are equipped with the top of the line safety features including the seat belts. There is a rear center three-point seat belt which is installed inside the vehicle. These trusty belts are installed to hold the occupants securely in place during any eventually impact, which can be a frontal or sides collision. These Chrysler motor parts have the constant force retraction which gives the car the controlled manner to decrease belt impact. With that, the passengers will have less pain experience because of the belts during accidents. This car also has the advanced front multi-sage air bags and supplemental front and rear side-curtain air bags for extra protection. This car can also be tested by the Road visibility which can also define life and death for passengers, thus this vehicle has been geared with rain sensing wipers and high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights.
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