The Newport was a name used by

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automotiv ...

for both a hardtop body designation and also for its lowest priced model between 1961 and 1981. Chrysler first used the Newport name on a 1940

show car A show car, sometimes called a dream car, is a custom-made automobile created specifically for public display, rather than sale. They are shown at auto shows and other exhibitions. Show cars can either come from car companies or from private indiv ...

, of which five vehicles were produced. The Newport continued the tradition of a large, comfortable luxurious coupe and sedan, while offering a modestly priced product in comparison to the

Chrysler New Yorker The Chrysler New Yorker is an automobile model that was produced by Chrysler from 1940 until 1996, serving for several decades as the brand's flagship model, or as a junior sedan to the Chrysler Imperial luxury brand. A trim level named the "New ...

and

Chrysler Imperial The Chrysler Imperial, introduced in 1926, was Chrysler's top-of-the-line vehicle for much of its history. Models were produced with the Chrysler name until 1954, after which it became a standalone brand; and again from 1990 to 1993. The compan ...

. The Newport gradually replaced the

Chrysler Windsor The Chrysler Windsor is a full-size car which was built by Chrysler from 1939 through to the 1960s. The final Chrysler Windsor sold in the United States was produced in 1961, but production in Canada continued until 1966. The Canadian 1961 to 19 ...

which originally replaced the

Chrysler Royal Chrysler Eight For production year 1931, Chrysler introduced their first straight eight engine for the Chrysler Imperial, and offered it in the Chrysler Eight Series CD. It borrowed appearance influences from the Cord L-29. The engine used had ...

. The Newport was initially the brand name for the Windsor with a hardtop body style, then was used for coupes, sedans and station wagons in later decades.

1940s

The first Newport, known as the Chrysler Newport Phaeton, was produced during 1940 and 1941. It was a dual-cowl phaeton that used the Chrysler Straight Eight "Spitfire" engine with dual carburetors coupled to a three-speed

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear changes ...

. The Newport was based upon the Chrysler Imperial Crown chassis and engine, and was designed by LeBaron /

Briggs Manufacturing Company Briggs Manufacturing was an American, Detroit-based manufacturer of automobile bodies for Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Corporation and other U.S. and European automobile manufacturers. In 1953 it was bought by Chrysler Corporation without its fo ...

designer Ralph Roberts. Only six were built. Actress

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized per ...

owned a Newport Phaeton, as did Chrysler founder

Walter Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, American automotive industry executive and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler Corporation. Early life Chrysler w ...

, who used it as a personal car. Five Newport Phaeton are known to exist today, while five Thunderbolts also show to have been manufactured, sharing the chassis and mechanicals with the

. Futuristic features that were shared with both the Thunderbolt and the Newport Phaeton were electro-hydraulic doors, electric windows and covered headlights. The interior was particularly plush with leather upholstery and a bespoke aluminum dashboard. The chassis of the New Yorker was necessary to store the one-piece retractable top in the rear storage area for the Thunderbolt while a canvas top was used for the Newport Phaeton. The Thunderbolt was not installed with a traditional grille and instead received airflow to the radiator from below the bumper, in a

bottom breather A bottom breather is a front-engine automobile that takes in air from below the front fascia (nose) rather than through a conventional grille at the front of the vehicle. The roundness of both vehicles shows influences of a appearance during that time that was called " ponton" styling. The Newport Phaeton served as the pace car for the 1941

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianap ...

race. This pace car, chassis number C7807503, was the only one that did not have hide-away headlights and became the personal property of Walter P. Chrysler Jr. after the race. Photos of the car can be foun
here
1941 Chrysler LeBaron Thunderbolt - fvl.jpg, 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt File:1941 Chrysler LeBaron Thunderbolt - int.jpg, 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt 1941 Chrysler Newport Phaeton (30933437534).jpg, 1941 Chrysler Newport Phaeton owned by Lana Turner File:1941 Chrysler Newport Phaeton (30965770383).jpg, 1941 Chrysler Newport Phaeton owned by Lana Turner

1950 to 1960

The 1949 Town and Country was first proposed as a hardtop, however the body style only appeared in the model's final year in 1950, followed by the Town and Country nameplate designated for station wagons only in 1951. Chrysler did briefly offer a hardtop coupe under the Town and Country labeled the "Custom Club Coupe" in 1946 but very few were manufactured. In 1950, the Newport name was used to designate the two-door hardtop (no

B-pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, C'' and (in larger cars such as 4-door stati ...

) body style in Chrysler's lineup, to include the Windsor, Saratoga, New Yorker and Imperial, while DeSoto also offered the hardtop using the Sportsman nameplate, and

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Pl ...

used the nameplate Lancer. In 1955 a hardtop was introduced as the Imperial Newport for one year, while the nameplate continued to be offered on the Windsor Newport, Saratoga Newport and New Yorker Newport. In 1956 the model name was updated to identify two-door and four-door hardtops except for the Chrysler 300 lettered cars which were only available as a two-door hardtop or convertible. Imperial continued to offer a hardtop also starting in 1956, but to distinguish it from other Chrysler products, the Imperial hardtop was renamed Southampton until 1963. Briefly in 1955, Chrysler used the nameplates St. Regis for the New Yorker and Nassau for the Windsor hardtops with two-tone paint schemes but ended the practice in 1956. File:1950 Chrysler Windsor Newport hardtop coupe, Schleswig-Holstein, Hohenlockstedt, Classic Motor Days (2016) NIK 1108.jpg, 1950 Chrysler Windsor Newport hardtop coupe File:Chrysler New Yorker Newport (5129621802).jpg, 1951 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Newport hardtop coupe File:1953 Chrysler New Yorker (34705069544).jpg, 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Newport hardtop coupe File:1953 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe Newport Coupe Passenger Side.jpg, 1953 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe Newport hardtop coupe File:1953 Chrysler Imperial (4254994785).jpg, 1953 Chrysler Imperial Custom Newport hardtop coupe File:54 Chrysler New Yorker (9121700224).jpg, 1954 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Newport hardtop coupe File:1954 Chrysler Imperial (14442039503).jpg, 1954 Chrysler Imperial Custom Newport hardtop coupe File:1955 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe 2 door Hardtop (10920304946).jpg, 1955 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe St. Regis hardtop coupe File:1955 Chrysler Windsor Newport (27213642733).jpg, 1955 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe Newport hardtop coupe File:'56 Chrysler Windsor Newport (Auto classique Laval '10).jpg, 1956 Chrysler Windsor Newport hardtop coupe File:1956 Chrysler Windsor Newport (14481236435).jpg, 1956 Chrysler Windsor Newport hardtop sedan File:1957 Chrysler New Yorker (18408525484).jpg, 1957 Chrysler New Yorker Newport hardtop coupe File:1957 Chrysler Saratoga (5111369539).jpg, 1957 Chrysler Saratoga Newport hardtop coupe File:1957 Chrysler Windsor (27390785562).jpg, 1957 Chrysler Windsor Newport hardtop coupe File:Chrysler New Yorker 1958.jpg, 1958 Chrysler New Yorker Newport hardtop sedan File:1958 Chrysler Saratoga 2 door Hardtop (10603584714).jpg, 1958 Chrysler Saratoga Newport hardtop coupe File:1959 Chrysler New Yorker (26894966483).jpg, 1959 Chrysler New Yorker Newport hardtop sedan File:1959 Chrysler Saratoga (27752849786).jpg, 1959 Chrysler Saratoga Newport hardtop coupe File:1959 Chrysler Windsor (6285200638).jpg, 1959 Chrysler Windsor Newport hardtop coupe File:1960 Chrysler New Yorker (5184544320).jpg, 1960 Chrysler New Yorker Newport hardtop coupe File:1960 Chrysler Saratoga (27750219826).jpg, 1960 Chrysler Saratoga Newport hardtop coupe File:60 Chrysler Windsor (9126558746).jpg, 1960 Chrysler Windsor Newport hardtop coupe

1961–1964

Chrysler updated the Newport nameplate as a separate model for 1961, and starting with 1960, all Chrysler models adopted the grille appearance from the Chrysler 300F. At a base price of $2,964 ($ in dollars ), the Newport was the least expensive Chrysler model, intended to appeal to owners of the discontinued DeSoto brand. While the Newport was successful and comprised the bulk of Chrysler production, the base Newport sedans were modest trim package versions of Chrysler's traditional upscale models, featuring smaller

hubcap A hubcap or hub cap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at minimum the central portion of the wheel, called the hub. An automobile hubcap is used to cover the wheel hub and the wheel fasteners to reduce the accumulation o ...

s instead of full-wheel covers, plain interiors and a minimal amount of exterior trim. By contrast, the next model up, the

New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * ''The Ne ...

, retailed for $4,870 ($ in dollars ) Advertising took pains to emphasize the Newport was not a

compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, pr ...

, describing it as "a full-size Chrysler in a new lower price range" and using "no jr. editions" as a tagline. In 1961, the Newport was available as a two-door convertible, two-door

hardtop A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), detachable for separate storing or retractable within the vehicle itself. The ...

, four-door sedan, four-door

and four-door

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

. The base engine for the Newport was the

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...

rated at . Optional was the and the that was mostly used in the Town and Country station wagons. All Newports could have been ordered with the 413 either single or dual four-bbl carbs and most of the 300 letter car options, except the four bucket seats, center console, and tachometer. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, but seldom ordered. The dash had been designed with Chrysler's push-button controls for the TorqueFlite automatic in mind, with the " AstraDome" instrument cluster covering the part of the steering column a column shifter would come out from under then-standard practice, so manual cars used a floor shifter. Due to the installation of the "AstraDome" instrument cluster extending outward towards the steering wheel, the traditional installation of the turn signal lever was relocated to the dashboard underneath the

TorqueFlite TorqueFlite (also seen as Torqueflite) is the trademarked name of Chrysler Corporation's automatic transmissions, starting with the three-speed unit introduced late in the 1956 model year as a successor to Chrysler's two-speed PowerFlite. In t ...

pushbutton gear selectors and was installed as a sliding lever that would return to center as the steering wheel returned to the center position. Station wagons from 1961 through 1964 featured hardtop body styling, with no "B" pillar. The canted headlight approach was previously used by Lincoln, and briefly by

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General M ...

, but by 1961 when this generation was introduced the feature was unique to Chrysler. Because the program to create all-new Chryslers for 1962 was abruptly canceled in 1960, all of the 1962 Newport models, with the exception of the Town & Country

, were instead created by taking the front end of a 1961 Newport (updated for 1962) and mating it to the de-finned body of a corresponding 1961

Dodge Polara The Dodge Polara is an automobile introduced in the United States for the 1960 model year as Dodge's top-of-the-line full-size car. After the introduction of the Dodge Custom 880 in 1962, the Polara nameplate designated a step below the full-siz ...

model. The 1961 Polara's existing

tailfins The tailfin era of automobile styling encompassed the 1950s and 1960s, peaking between 1955 and 1961. It was a style that spread worldwide, as car designers picked up styling trends from the US automobile industry, where it was regarded as the ...

and taillights were replaced by redesigned rear-quarter panels which furnished the 1962 Newports with finless rear fenders and new taillights. In a similar fashion, the 1962 Newport Town & Country station wagon was created by mating the updated front end of a 1961 Newport to the body of a 1961

Plymouth Suburban The Plymouth Suburban is a station wagon produced from 1949 until 1978. 1949 to 1955 Prior to 1949, Plymouth had offered only a 4-door "woodie" station wagon, which was expensive not only to build, but also to buy. In 1949, Plymouth revolutio ...

4-door station wagon. A Plymouth wagon was chosen because it was Chrysler Corporation's only finless full-sized station wagon. The Newport was restyled alongside the New Yorker and

Chrysler 300 The Chrysler 300 is a full-size luxury car manufactured and marketed by Stellantis North America (and its predecessor companies) as a four-door sedan and station wagon in its first generation (model years 2005–2010) and solely as a four-doo ...

for 1963, with this body style continuing for 1964. The 1963 model year was a major restyle without any tail fins. The 1964s saw the return of small, chrome-topped fins. File:1961 Chrysler (5159807007).jpg, The 1961 Newport had prominent tailfins File:62 Chrysler Newport (9129588288).jpg, By 1962 the tailfins were completely gone File:1962 Chrysler - Flickr - dave 7 (1).jpg, 1962 Chrysler Newport two-door hardtop File:63 Chrysler Newport (9128353118).jpg, 1963 Chrysler Newport four-door hardtop File:63 Chrysler Newport (9126142829).jpg, 1963 Chrysler Newport four-door hardtop File:1963 Chrysler Newport Stationwagon (37756706102).jpg, 1963 Chrysler Newport Town & Country hardtop station wagon File:1964 Chrysler Newport (27176847983).jpg, 1964 Chrysler Newport four-door sedan

1965–1968

The 1965 Newport was built on an all-new

Chrysler C platform Chrysler's C platform was the basis for rear wheel drive full-size cars from 1965 to 1978. Although often misclassified, 1964 and earlier full-size Chrysler products, and 1966 and earlier Imperials are not C-bodies. Wheelbases: * 119 in ** 1 ...

, shared with the 300 and New Yorker, along with the Dodge Polara and Plymouth Fury. Styling mimicked the square lines of the Lincoln Continental and the 1964 Imperial, while wheelbases increased to (wagons continued on the wheelbase). All body styles were continued from 1964 including the pillared four-door sedan, four-door hardtop sedan, two-door hardtop coupe, and convertible, along with the station wagon, which was renamed the Chrysler Town and Country and became a separate series. A new bodystyle for 1965 (shared with other Chryslers and Dodge Polaras) was a six-window Town Sedan that included a small side-window in the pillar similar to the three-window design of 1950s cars. This design would later return in the 1970s. The standard engine for the 1965 Newport was the V8 with two-barrel carburetor and , designed for use of regular gasoline of 92–94 Research octane. Optionally available at extra cost was the 383 with four-barrel carburetion and with higher compression and required premium fuel of 98–100

octane rating An octane rating, or octane number, is a standard measure of a fuel's ability to withstand compression in an internal combustion engine without detonating. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonatin ...

. The standard transmission was a three-speed column shifted

manual Manual may refer to: Instructions * User guide * Owner's manual * Instruction manual (gaming) * Online help Other uses * Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ * Manual (band) * Manual transmission * Manual, a bicycle technique similar ...

and optionally available was the three-speed Torqueflite

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving co ...

, now featuring a column-mounted shifter replacing the pushbuttons of previous years as was changeover on all 1965 model year Chrysler Corporation cars and trucks. Interiors featured padded instrument panels, full carpeting and choices of cloth-and-vinyl or all-vinyl bench seats and notchback bench seats with armrest. Newport coupes and convertibles were also offered with optional bucket seats with either a center console and floor shifter or armrest and center cushion. The 1966 Newport received new grille work and revised taillights, but was otherwise changed very little from 1965. Engine offerings were revised with the two-barrel continuing as standard equipment while the four-barrel 383 received a increase to . New this year was Chrysler's V8 that was available in a high-output TNT version with four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts, and dual-snorkel air cleaner. This version was rated at , about more than the standard 440 four-barrel that was the base engine in the New Yorker and Imperial, and optional on the Chrysler 300 as well as Dodge Polaras and Monacos, and Plymouth Furys. For 1967, the Newport and other Chryslers received new sheet metal, but retained the basic 1965 bodyshell. Two-door hardtops received a new angular semi-fastback roofline featuring reverse-slant side windows while the rooflines of four-door pillared and hardtop sedans, and station wagons were unchanged. The slow-selling six-window Town Sedan was dropped this year. Engines were unchanged except for the TNT version was increased up to . New to the Newport line for 1967 was a more luxurious Newport Custom series available in four-door pillared and hardtop sedans, along with the two-door hardtop. The 1968 Newport received only a minor facelift from its 1967 counterpart including new grilles and taillights. All body styles were carried over on both the base Newport and Newport Custom lines. The standard two-barrel V8 received a increase to , while the four-barrel rating went from to , while the TNT was unchanged at . A mid-year offering on the Newport hardtop coupe and convertible was the Sportsgrain option similar to the simulated woodgrain exterior bodyside trim on the Town and Country station wagons of this period. The Sportsgrain Newport was intended to bring back the spirit of the late 1940s Town and Country convertibles but amounted to little more than a regular Newport as there were no other modifications and interior trims were the same as standard Newports. Production of the 1968 Sportsgrain Newports amounted to 965 hardtops and 175 convertibles. The Sportsgrain option returned for the redesigned 1969 Newport two-door hardtop and convertible; however, orders for the option were low that Chrysler did not release their production totals. Mercury tried a similar approach to the Sportsgrain Newport in 1968 by offering woodgrain "Yacht Deck Paneling" as an option on its

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from Ma ...

coupes and convertibles, which also did not experience significant consumer demand. File:1965 Chrysler Newport @ Motor Museum of WA.jpg, 1965 Chrysler Newport 4-Door Hardtop File:66 Chrysler Newport (7339993986).jpg, 1966 Chrysler Newport 4-Door Hardtop File:1967 Chrysler Newport (9341731056).jpg, 1967 Chrysler Newport 4-Door Hardtop File:1968 Chrysler Newport (26887472450).jpg, 1968 Chrysler Newport 2-Door Hardtop

1969–1973

The Newport was completely redesigned again for 1969, and featured the distinctive "Fuselage Styling" that would become symbolic of Chrysler's full-size cars until the end of the 1973 model year. Although retaining the same wheelbase that it shared with the premium

, this generation Newport was longer, lower, wider, and several hundred pounds heavier than the 1965–1968 Newports. Although still offered in 2-door and 4-door hardtop, 2-door convertible, and 4-door sedan models, station wagons were no longer part of the Newport series, as the Town & Country became a separate model outright. Newport convertibles were discontinued after 1970, following a drop in sales of 48 percent that year, to 1124 convertibles; while total Newport sales were down almost 30 percent, to 110,292 units, despite the restyling. Available in 2- and 4-door hardtops and 4-door sedans, the Newport Custom would still be offered as the top-line Newport through the entire 1969–1973 design cycle. First appearing in 1971, the Newport Royal was an entry-level model in the Newport Series. It borrowed the name of the entry-level Chrysler from 1937–50.Flory, p. 890 The Newport Royal name was discontinued for the 1973 model year and the Newport became the base model Chrysler. For 1970 a special appearance trim package was introduced on the 2- and 4-door hardtop called the Newport Cordoba For the 1971 model year, the Royal came standard with the V8, with optional or engines, but not the ; the Custom was standard with the V8, and the or V8s as options. For 1972, the Royal came standard with the V8, with larger-displacement engines unavailable, while the Custom was standard with the V8, and the single- and dual-exhaust V8s were optional. Power output would steadily decrease on all engines during this generation due to stricter emissions standards and rising fuel prices. File:1969 Chrysler Newport convertible (5279706030).jpg, 1969 Chrysler Newport Convertible File:1970 Chrysler (3880757871).jpg, 1970 Chrysler Newport 2-Door Hardtop File:1971 Chrysler Newport pic2.JPG, 1971 Chrysler Newport 2-Door Hardtop File:'72 Chrysler (Les chauds vendredis '14).jpg, 1972 Chrysler Newport Custom four-door hardtop File:BBTR Mosel IMGP1368 (34692069710).jpg, 1973 Chrysler Newport 4-Door Hardtop

1974–1978

The Newport was redesigned for the 1974 model year, along with all other full-size C-body cars. This generation shed the sweeping "fuselage" styling, in favor of more crisper, slab-sided styling. Despite losing several inches in length, 1974–1978 Newports were some of the heaviest cars ever produced by Chrysler. Their introduction coincided with the 1973 OPEC oil embargo, and sales of all full-size cars plummeted. The Chrysler Corporation was especially hit hard, as no smaller cars were sold under the Chrysler brand. A design change was made in 1976 to the rear of the car. The former vertical style tail lights were replaced by a set that stretched out horizontally across the back of the car. The license plate was moved to the bumper but the fuel cap remained in the same place. However a new fuel door sat between the new tail lights, previous models had the fuel cap behind the license plate. Production of the C-body Newport ended in 1978, along with the

. Related

and

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

C-body cars, as well as C-body Chrysler Town & Country station wagons had all been dropped the previous year. The 1978 Newport and New Yorker offered the American car industry's last true two-door and four-door

s; all four-doors and Newport coupes were hardtops, the pillared sedan also having been dropped. File:1974 Chrysler Newport (27849936871).jpg, 1974 Chrysler Newport Custom 2-Door Hardtop File:'75 Chrysler (Auto classique VACM Montréal '14).jpg, 1975 Chrysler Newport 2-Door Hardtop File:1976 Chrysler Newport Custom front.png, 1976 Chrylser Newport Custom 4-door sedan File:1977 Chrysler Newport (27363576445).jpg, 1977 Chrysler Newport 4-door Sedan File:1978 Chrysler Newport 4-door hardtop r.jpg, 1978 Chrysler Newport 4-door hardtop

1979–1981

The 1979 model year saw a new downsized Newport on the

Chrysler R platform The Chrysler R platform was introduced for the 1979 model year. The first example of downsizing of the full-size Chrysler sedan line, the R-body is an evolution of the B-body intermediate chassis. Competing against the downsized General Motors ...

, a derivative of the circa 1962

Chrysler B platform The B platform or B-body was the name of Chrysler's midsize rear-wheel drive passenger car platform from 1962 through 1979, and the name of a later, unrelated front-wheel drive platform used by the Eagle Premier / Dodge Monaco from 1988 through 199 ...

. This reduced model availability to a single "pillared hardtop" 4-door sedan. While GM and Ford had downsized their big cars by engineering smaller bodies around more spacious passenger accommodations, Chrysler took a different approach. The existing

was modified to improve fuel efficiency through a number of weight saving measures. Examples include plastic brake

wheel cylinder A wheel cylinder is a component of a hydraulic drum brake system. It is located in each wheel and is usually positioned at the top of the wheel, above the shoes. Its function is to exert force onto the shoes so as to bring them into contact wit ...

pistons, which tended to swell and bind up the brakes after a some years in service. Chrome-plated aluminum bumpers were another innovation, but were replaced in 1980 with a stronger steel rear bumper. The large displacement V8 engines were dropped. Initial 1979 sales were strong (with a large portion of Newport sales going for fleet use), but Chrysler's unsteady financial condition, combined with the 1980 addition of the

Plymouth Gran Fury The Plymouth Gran Fury is a full-sized automobile that was manufactured by Plymouth from 1975 to 1989. The nameplate would be used on successive downsizings, first in 1980, and again in 1982, through what would originally have been intermediate ...

, tightening oil and gasoline supplies hurt sales of the redesigned vehicle, and all of the R-body models were discontinued after a short run of 1981 models, as Chrysler began its shift toward smaller

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...

cars. During this time the

Early 1980s recession in the United States The United States entered recession in January 1980 and returned to growth six months later in July 1980. Although recovery took hold, the unemployment rate remained unchanged through the start of a second recession in July 1981. The downturn e ...

began to take effect and impact sales.

Cancelled revival, 1984

The Newport model name nearly made a comeback in early 1984 as a more affordable version of the Fifth Avenue, but at the last minute, the would-be Newport was marketed as the

Dodge Diplomat The Dodge Diplomat is an American mid-size car that was produced by Dodge from 1977 to 1989. At launch, it shared a common design with the Chrysler LeBaron and for much of its later production run was the counterpart of the Chrysler Fifth Avenu ...

SE, a premium version of that line. This model used the same waterfall grille as the Fifth Avenue with the exception of a horizontal bar running across the center to mimic the other "crosshair" grilles in the Dodge lineup.New Chrysler Newport (New York Times; August 17, 1983)
/ref>

References

External links

Information on the Newport Phaeton

1969–1973 Chrysler Newport at Fuselage.de site

Chrysler Newport at The Crittenden Automotive Library
{{Chrysler Newport Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Police vehicles Full-size vehicles Convertibles Coupés Sedans Station wagons 1960s cars 1970s cars 1980s cars