The last generation of the Chrysler New Yorker continued with front-wheel drive on an elongated version of the new Chrysler LH platform and was shown at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It was released along with the nearly identical Chrysler LHS for the 1994 model year, a year after the original LH cars: the Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid, and Eagle Vision, were introduced. For 1995, the Chrysler New Yorker received Chrysler’s new logo on its grille, which replaced the old pentastar. Chrysler gave the New Yorker a more traditional American luxury image, and the Chrysler LHS a more European performance image, but in reality the two only differed by the Chrysler New Yorker’s chrome exterior trim, column shifter, front bench seat, and fewer standard features. This is why after 1996, the New Yorker name was dropped, in favor of a six-passenger option on the more-popular Chrysler LHS.
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The Chrysler LHS is a full-size, front wheel drive car. The Chrysler LHS was dropped after the 1997 model year in anticipation of a new, redesigned Chrysler LHS, released for 1999. As was the case before, the second generation LHS occupied its niche as Chrysler’s most luxurious car, although it’s interior provided no more space than the slightly longer-nosed Concorde. The differences between the second-generation Chrysler LHS and the Concorde were far fewer and limited mostly to fascias and equipment levels. Also released with the new Chrysler LHS was the Eagle Vision replacement, the Chrysler 300M. With the 300M, this once again gave Chrysler three full-sized models, all based on the LH platform. Oddly enough, the slightly smaller 300M ended up costing more than the Chrysler LHS, however it gained more popularity than the Chrysler LHS, as did the less-expensive, nearly identical in every aspect Concorde. Due to the restyling, the Chrysler LHS interior felt slightly more cramped than the previous model. The side windows were more aggressively curved into the roof, reducing the space between the upper portions of the windows and the sides of the occupants’ heads.
The Chrysler LeBaron was introduced in 1977 as Chrysler’s lowest priced model, and the name was used on various Chryslers until 1995. The 1985 LeBaron GTS was a somewhat different car than the standard LeBaron and was based on the Chrysler H platform. As a 5-door hatchback still derived from the K-car, the GTS (and the similar Dodge Lancer) was more of a performance vehicle, than the softer-tuned K-car LeBaron sedan. In base configuration, the car was powered by Chrysler’s 2.2 liter inline-4 engine, later replaced by a 2.5 L TBI version generating 93 hp (69 kW). A turbocharged 2.2 L engine producing 146 hp, was also available. The Chrysler LeBaron GTS moniker was dropped for 1989, the final year of this vehicle’s production, after the K-based LeBaron sedan was discontinued.
In 1926, Walter P. Chrysler decided to attempt to compete with Cadillac and Lincoln in the lesser luxury car field. Chrysler offered a variety of body styles: a four-passenger roadster, a four-seat coupe on a 120 in wheelbase, five-passenger sedan, and a seven-passenger top-of-the-line limousine. The Chrysler Imperial’s new engine was slightly larger than the company’s standard straight 6. It was a 3.3 L I6 with seven bearing blocks and pressure lubrication. The car set a transcontinental speed record in the year it was introduced, driving more than 6,500 miles (10,460 km) in the week. The car was chosen as the pace car for the 1926 Indianapolis 500. The Chrysler Imperial was redesigned in 1931. The car received a new engine, a 6.3 L I8. Marketing materials for this generation of Imperial referred to the car as the “Imperial 8”, in reference to the new in-line 8-cylinder engine. The engine would be found in many other Chrysler vehicles. The redesign also saw the introduction of new wire wheels that became a standard wheel treatment until the 1940s. Stock car driver Harry Hartz set numerous speed records with an Imperial sedan at Daytona Beach, Florida.
The Chrysler Horizon, was a subcompact automobile developed by Chrysler Europe and was sold in Europe between 1977 and 1985 under the Chrysler, Simca and Talbot nameplates. A derivative version of the Chrysler Horizon was also in the United States under the Dodge and Plymouth marques until 1990. Born largely out of the need to replace the ageing Simca 1100, the Horizon was essentially a shortened version of the larger Alpine model, giving the vehicle an unusually wide track for its length. Featuring the familiar range of Simca-designed 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 L OHV engines, and torsion-bar suspension, the Chrysler Horizon gained praise for its crisp styling, supple ride, and competent handling. It was voted European Car of the Year in 1978. Its launch saw to the end of the 1100 and the rear-engined Simca 1000.
The name Chrysler Fifth Avenue first appeared as a special, upmarket sub-model of the Chrysler New Yorker sedan in 1979. This generation of Chrysler, although already smaller than its maximum size in the mid 1970s, was still V8-powered and rear wheel drive. Ordering the New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition package got the buyer a car finished in two-tone beige with matching leather interior. There was a standard landau vinyl roof, and somewhat unusual opera windows which opened with the rear doors. The package was so thoroughly color-keyed that even the bumper rub strips were beige. This body ran for three years, although additional Chrysler Fifth Avenue colors were added for 1980 and 1981. In 1980, a Fifth Avenue package was created by ASC (American Sunroof Corporation) for the Chrysler LeBaron, which shared its platform with the Dodge Diplomat. This rare option package, produced on 654 LeBarons for the year, included many of the exterior features found on the New Yorker Fifth Avenue in a smaller, more sensible package.
The Dodge Daytona was a front-wheel drive hatchback based on the Chrysler G platform, which was derived from the Chrysler K platform. The Daytona was produced from 1984 to 1993. The Daytona originally used the 2.2 L Chrysler K engine in normally-aspirated (93 hp) or turbocharged (142 hp) form. The 96 hp 2.5 L K engine was added for 1986. In 1985, the 2.2 L Turbo I engine’s horsepower was increased to 146 hp. The 1984 Daytona was available in three trim lines – standard, Turbo and Turbo Z. Total production was 49,347. The Daytona Turbo was on Car and Driver magazine’s Ten Best list for 1984. Both the Daytona and Chrysler Laser were available with the Chrysler Electronic Voice Alert system through 1987. A Shelby version of the Daytona was introduced in 1987.
The Crossfire is a rear-wheel drive sports car. The name Crossfire comes as a reference to the distinctive character lines that run from front to rear through the body sides. They create a surface that is upward facing as it passes over the rear fender, but they cross mid-way through the door to form a downward facing surface as they reach the front fender. The standard transmission is a 6-speed manual, and a 5-speed automatic is optional. Base Crossfires, originally sold beginning in the 2004 model year, are equipped with a 3.2 L, 18-valve, SOHC V6 engine which produces 215 hp (160 kW) and 229 lb·ft (310 N·m) of torque.
Chrysler Cordoba was the name of an intermediate personal luxury coupe. Although Cordoba is the name of a city in Spain, the car’s emblem was actually a stylized version of the Argentine cordoba coin. Either way, the implication was Hispanic, and this theme was carried out with somewhat baroque trim inside and by having Mexican movie star Ricardo Montalban as the car’s advertising spokesman. Many remember his eloquent praise of its soft Corinthian leather interior. The Cordoba became one of Chrysler’s few genuine hits of the 1970s, at a time when Chrysler was teetering on bankruptcy. Built in Windsor, Ontario, demand actually exceeded supply for its first couple of years, when production was over 150,000 annually. Half of Chrysler division production during this period and occasionally more was composed of Cordobas.
The Chrysler Concorde was a large four-door, full-size, front wheel drive sedan produced by Chrysler from 1993 to 2004. It replaced the Chrysler Fifth Avenue on the lineup. The first generation of the Concorde debuted at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit as a 1993 model. The first generation lasted until 1997; the Concorde was completely redesigned for 1998. The Concorde Limited, which was 4 inches (102 mm) longer than the standard Concorde, debuted in 2002 to replace the nearly identical Chrysler LHS. The Concorde, along with the Intrepid, saw its last year of production in 2004. The Chrysler 300M (which replaced the Eagle Vision in 1999) was also discontinued that year. The Chrysler 300 replaced the Concorde in 2004 as a 2005 model.
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