Plymouth Gran Fury
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Plymouth Gran Fury | |
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St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
Body and chassis | |
Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Plymouth Fury (for 1974) |
Successor | Dodge Monaco (fifth generation) |
The Plymouth Gran Fury is a
Before 1975, the top line models in Plymouth's Fury series were known as the "Fury Gran Coupe" and "Fury Gran Sedan". The Fury Gran Coupe model was introduced in 1970 as a highly trimmed pillared coupe. It moved to the two-door hardtop body for 1971, when a "Fury Gran Coupe" hardtop sedan was also available, renamed "Fury Gran Sedan" for 1972. The Gran Coupe and Gran Sedan models continued in 1973.
1975–1977
First generation | |
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Full-size C-body Plymouth Fury (for 1974) |
In 1975, the mid-size B-body Plymouth Satellite was restyled and renamed Plymouth Fury. As a result, the previous full-sized C-body Fury became known as the Gran Fury. Because the C-body Fury had been redesigned for 1974, the 1975 Gran Fury received few changes besides its new name. Top-of-the-line Gran Fury Brougham models were treated to a new grille and new single-unit headlight design; all Gran Furys would receive this for 1976.
This generation was available as a 2-door coupe, 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, 4-door hardtop, and 4-door station wagon. All models with the exception of the wagons rode on the 121.5 in (3,086 mm) wheelbase shared with the Dodge Monaco. Gran Fury Suburban wagons rode on a longer 124 in (3,150 mm) wheelbase that was also used by Monaco wagons and all full-sized Chryslers and Imperials. The 1975 Gran Fury was available in four trim levels:[3] base (sedan and coupe only), "Custom" (all models), "Brougham" (coupe and hardtop only), and "Sport Suburban" (wagon only). Changes for 1976 were minimal. The 4-door hardtop body style was eliminated, leaving only coupes, sedans, and wagons. With this, sedans were now available in deluxe Brougham trim. Offerings were trimmed for the C-body Gran Fury's final model year, 1977. The mid-range Custom trim level was dropped, leaving only base and high-end Brougham coupes and sedans. 1977 Gran Fury wagons were available in either base Suburban or high-end Sport Suburban models. All full-sized C-body Plymouths were discontinued at the end of the 1977 model year, leaving the mid-size B-body Fury to soldier on as Plymouth's large car for 1978.
Sales of all of the Chrysler Corporation's C-body models for the 1974-1978 model years were considerably disappointing; the Plymouth Gran Fury was no exception. This is because 1973 introduction of the redesigned 1974 model year C-bodies coincided with the
Year | Units |
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1975 | 72,801 |
1976 | 39,511 |
1977 | 47,552 |
Total production | 159,864 |
1980–1981
Second generation | ||
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Curb weight 3,628 lb (1,646 kg)[5] | |
When the downsized "R-body" cars were introduced for 1979, a Plymouth version was not included, as the low-end Chrysler Newport was intended to fill this gap. Although the Newport achieved this, and 1979 sales were fairly strong, there was still heavy demand for a full-sized Plymouth model.[6] So finally in 1980 the Gran Fury returned after a two-model-year absence.
This downsized Gran Fury was available only as a "pillared hardtop" 4-door sedan, this time based on the heavily restyled, but not re-engineered
The 1980 Plymouth Gran Fury was available in two versions, Base and Salon. Gran Fury Salon offered more standard features, including a vinyl-covered roof, higher-grade interior cloth, split-bench seat, chrome body-side trim, and deluxe wheel covers. Like its sibling, the Dodge St. Regis, the R-Body Gran Fury was very popular with fleet customers, especially police departments (by ordering the A38 Police Package coupled with a 195 bhp E58 360 cu in engine); both the Michigan State Police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol ordered substantial numbers of the cars. In light of this, the 1980 Gran Fury achieved the highest sales (18,750) of any R-body that year.[7]
The second Generation Plymouth Gran Fury was short-lived, being discontinued midway through the 1981 model year along with the other R-body models due to slow sales.[6] This can be mainly attributed to poor fuel economy, as well as its outdated platform. The 1981 Gran Fury was also the last true full-size car to bear the Plymouth name, until the brand's demise twenty years later.
Year | Units |
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1980 | 14,600 |
1981 | 7,719 |
Total production | 22,319 |
1982–1989
Third generation | |
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Transmission | 3-speed A727 automatic 3-speed A904 automatic 3-speed A999 automatic |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 112.6 in (2,860 mm) |
Length | 204.6 in (5,197 mm) |
Width | 72.4 in (1,839 mm) |
Height | 55.1 in (1,400 mm) |
In 1982, Plymouth downsized the Gran Fury again, this time sharing the mid-size
For 1979, all M-body coupes were offered with 2 different roof treatments. The Chrysler LeBaron, Dodge Diplomat, Plymouth Gran Fury (in the U.S.) and Caravelle Salon (in Canada), had a more formal rear side window treatment with a tall, narrow rectangular shape, rather than the “triangle” shape of the standard trim model. This more formal coupe was only sold for one year.
1982-1989 Plymouth Gran Fury shared the Dodge Diplomat's front and rear fascias. They were virtually identical with the exception of badging. Once again, the third generation Gran Fury was available in base and higher-end "Salon" trim. As in previous years, the higher-volume Gran Fury base model catered more towards fleet customers while Gran Fury Salons were geared more towards private customers and offered options such as full vinyl roofs, velour upholstery, turbine-spoke wheels, power windows, and power locks.
Although available to retail buyers, Gran Fury was far more popular with police departments and other fleet buyers, primarily since the car was reasonably priced and had a conventional drivetrain with proven components that could withstand a good deal of abuse. The Gran Fury, however, was much less powerful than both its Big Three competitors as well as the Chrysler Corporation's earlier police offerings.[9] The most powerful engine available to police departments was a 165 hp (123 kW) iteration of the 318 ci V8, capable of an 18.16 second quartermile in period testing - slower than the 90-hp Volkswagen Rabbit GTi.[9]
This generation of the Gran Fury sold in respectable numbers. However, despite having the same base prices as the Gran Fury (just under $12,000
Year | Units |
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1982 | 18,111 |
1983 | 15,739 |
1984 | 14,516 |
1985 | 19,102 |
1986 | 14,761 |
1987 | 10,377 |
1988 | 11,421 |
1989 | 4,985 |
Total production | 109,012 |
Canada
The car that later became the M-body Gran Fury was also sold in Canada from 1978 to 1989 as the Plymouth Caravelle, badged "Caravelle Salon" after the midsize front-drive Plymouth Caravelle was released in Canada for 1983. Although the Diplomat and LeBaron appeared on the market in mid-1977, the Caravelle was introduced in the fall of 1977 as a 1978 model. It was sold only by Canadian Plymouth dealers and was not available in the U.S., though the midsize front-drive car was offered in the U.S. market starting in 1985. In addition to the sedan body style, the Canadian Caravelle was offered in 2-door coupe and 4-door station wagon form through 1982. An interesting note is that for 1979, all M-body coupes were offered with 2 different roof treatments. The upscale trim model, called Caravelle “Salon”, had a more formal rear side window treatment with a tall, narrow rectangular shape, rather than the “triangle” shape of the standard model. This more formal coupe was only sold for one year.
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1978 Plymouth Caravelle coupe
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1986 Plymouth Caravelle Salon
References
- ISBN 0-87341-027-0.
- ^ "Directory Index: Plymouth/1975_Plymouth/1975_Chrysler-Plymouth_Brochure". Oldcarbrochures.com. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
- ^ Encyclopedia of American Cars "Plymouth" p.717: "Plymouth Production Figures."
- ^ a b The Encyclopedia of American Cars, 2006 Edition
- ^ a b c "Plymouth Gran Fury '80" Chrysler Corporation, retrieved on 2023-10-15.
- ^ a b c "Chrysler Corporation R Bodies: 1979-1981 Downsized, Full-Sized Cars" Information courtesy of Chrysler, allpar, retrieved on 2010–07–01.
- ^ Encyclopedia of American Cars, 2006 Edition p.278; 362; 717: "Plymouth Production Figures."
- ISBN 0-87341-755-0.
- ^ a b Hall, Jim (September 1982). "The chase gets slower". Motor Trend. Vol. 34, no. 9. Petersen Publishing. pp. 93–95.