Dodge Aspen

Production period:	1976 to 1980
Class :	Motor car
Body versions :	Saloon , station wagon ,coupe
Engines:	Gasoline  3.7-5.9 liters

The Dodge Aspen was produced by the US car manufacturer Dodge from 1976 to 1980.

In the spring of 1976, the Aspen appeared as the successor to the Dodge Dart . The Aspen, named after the winter resort of the same name in the US state of Colorado , based on the F-platform of the Chrysler Corporation and was the sister model of the Plymouth Volare ; Closer relatives also included the Chrysler LeBaron , Chrysler Fifth Avenue , Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury models, which are located in the model hierarchy above and belong to the M platform .The Aspen was replaced for the model year 1981 by the smaller, front-wheel drive Dodge Aries , which was equipped with four-cylinder engines.

History

In the model year 1976 Dodge launched the Aspen as a four-door sedan, five-door station wagon and two-door coupe, the latter on a shortened by 10 to 275.5 cm wheelbase. The equipment levels Basis, Custom and Special Edition were available. The Aspen was powered either by the 3.7-liter Slant Six six-cylinder or by V8 engines with 5.2 and 5.9 liters; Three-speed or four-speed transmissions and Chrysler's TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission were available to choose from. On the basis of the Aspen Coupé in the basic equipment, the sporty variant Aspen R / T was offered with matte black grille and trim parts, trim strips, sports wheels and modified taillights; this model existed only with the V8 machines and was sold in about 17,000 copies.

In 1977, the station wagon as a base engine received a double carburettor version of the six-cylinder engine with 112 hp. In addition to the Coupé R / T, Coupé R / T Super Pak was offered with spoilers on the front and rear, fender flares and lamellar plastic covers above the rear side windows. The R / T sold 4465 copies and the R / T Super Pak 2284 copies.

The initial good reputation of the Aspen suffered in 1976/77 by numerous recalls because of the high susceptibility to rust damage. Quality assurance measures at Chrysler, however, ensured that these weaknesses did not occur in later models.

For the model year 1978, the Aspen experienced a first facelift with a narrower grille and between grill and headlights placed parking lights and modified rear lights. The model variety in the coupe has been expanded; in addition to R / T and R / T Super Pak, there was the Super Coupe from early 1978 with dark brown special paint, matt black hood, sports suspension and 5.9 l V8. The numbers remained low: about 1500 R / T, about 500 Super Pak and the 600 Super Coupes were sold.In 1979, the Super Coupe accounted for, but came a sporty equipped variant of the combination model in the program, the Aspen Sport Wagon. A total of 75 coupes were still delivered as Aspen R / T.

Astonishingly enough, in 1980 the Aspen was given an extensive facelift, although the model had already been removed from the program in the summer of 1981. The new front featured rectangular headlights and a wider radiator grille. The model line now consisted of the base model, which could be combined with various equipment packages, and the Aspen Special. From the Coupé R / T 285 pieces were built. The engine power was reduced, the six-cylinder to 67 kW (91 hp), the 5.2-liter V8 to 90 kW (122 hp), which accounted for 5.9-liter.

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

The Dodge Aspen formed the technical basis for the 1977 to 1982 Monteverdi Sierra . The Swiss automaker Monteverdi brought in 1977 the Sierra as a successor to its existing sports car of the High Speed ​​375 series on the market. Conceptually, the Sierra was designed to be a high-end luxury sedan with an understated exterior, competing with vehicles such as the Mercedes S-Class or the BMW 7 Series . In fact, Monteverdi took over the entire Sierra technically unchanged and left at the front and rear of the Carrozzeria Fissoredesigned modifications, which included modified fenders, narrow bumpers, headlamps from the Fiat 125 and taillights from the Renault 12 . The conversions were carried out in Italy or in Switzerland ; individual conversions (about 20 cars) was carried out by the Carrosserie Wenger in Basel . The production figures of the Sierra are unknown; however, it is doubtful whether they reached a total of three-digit regions. In two copies was then a convertible (based on the Aspen Coupe) and a single copy of a luxury combination, which was based on the Aspen Station Wagon and rear lights of the Peugeot 504 wore.

General Specification

Engines: Gasoline 3.7-5.9 liters (67-130 kW)
Length: 5017-5118 mm
Width: 1849 mm
Height: 1349-1392 mm
Curb weight: 1382-1674 kg
previous model: Dodge darts
successor: Dodge Aries