The Dodge St. Regis is an
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
that was marketed by
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 P ...
from the 1979 to 1981 model years. Replacing the
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, the St. Regis was the largest Dodge sedan, slotted above the mid-size Diplomat and Aspen. In contrast to both the Monaco and the Diplomat, the St. Regis was offered solely as a four-door sedan. Produced for a single generation, the St. Regis is one of the shortest-lived Dodge nameplates.
Deriving its name from a 1950s Chrysler trim package, the St. Regis was the first example of
downsizing of the full-size Dodge sedan line. For 1982, the model line was discontinued, with 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 Aven ...
serving as the largest Dodge; the next full-size Dodge sedan was the 1990 Dodge Monaco (derived from the
Eagle Premier
The Eagle Premier is a full-size executive car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) during the 1980s through its partnership with Renault. This model was manufactured in the then-brand-new Brampton Assembly in Canada. Chrysle ...
, itself a version of the
Renault 25
The Renault 25 is an executive car produced by the France, French automotive industry, automaker Renault from 1983 to 1992.
The 25 was Renault's Flagship#Automotive, flagship, the most expensive, prestigious, and the largest vehicle in the co ...
). Dodge would not market a rear-wheel drive sedan until the
2006 Dodge Charger.
The Dodge St. Regis was assembled alongside the Chrysler Newport, Chrysler New Yorker, and Plymouth Gran Fury by Chrysler at
Lynch Road Assembly
Lynch Road Assembly was a Chrysler assembly plant located in Detroit, Michigan near Coleman A. Young International Airport. It is now the location of The Crown Group, a powdered coatings manufacturer which supports the automotive manufacturing indu ...
(
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
), becoming the final production vehicles produced at the facility.
In total, 64,502 examples were produced.
Design overview
![80 Dodge St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/80_Dodge_St.Regis_Instrument_Panel_%286356203509%29.jpg)
The Dodge St. Regis was based on the rear wheel drive
Chrysler R-body platform. As Chrysler needed to expedite a downsized replacement for the 1974-1977 C-body to market (in response to the 1973 oil crisis), the R-body was developed from existing underpinnings at minimal costs. In place of redesigning the full-size C-body, Chrysler developed the R-body as an update of the intermediate B-body (last released in 1971, dating to 1962). Used by a wide variety of Chrysler model lines, the B-body architecture underpinned model lines ranging from the Dodge Coronet and Plymouth Belvedere to the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Cordoba.
Compared to its 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco predecessor, the Dodge St. Regis shed 5.5 inches in length, 2.7 inches in width, 3 inches in wheelbase, and nearly 900 pounds of curb weight (dependent on powertrain). The 225 Slant-6 inline-6 was now the standard engine with optional 318 and 360 V8s; a three-speed automatic was paired to all three engines. In deference to fuel economy standards, the 400 and 440 big-block V8s were deleted from the engine lineup. The front suspension continued to offer Chryslers signature longitudinal front torsion bars, called Torsion-Aire, and anti-sway bar with a solid rear differential connected to leaf springs.
The "St. Regis" name first saw use as an uplevel trim package on the 1956
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 New ...
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), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
coupe
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
and again on the 1974–78
Chrysler New Yorker Brougham
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 Y ...
coupe
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
.
Offered only as a four-door
notchback sedan, the St. Regis was styled with frameless door glass (the rear quarter glass was fixed). To further distinguish the model line from its
Plymouth Gran Fury
The Plymouth Gran Fury is a full-sized automobile that was manufactured by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth from 1975 to 1989. The nameplate would be used on successive Downsize (automobile), downsizings, first in 1980, and again in 1982, through ...
,
Chrysler Newport
The Newport was a name used by Chrysler 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, of which five vehicles were produced. The Newport co ...
, and
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 "Ne ...
counterparts, the front fascia was styled with transparent retractable headlamp covers (introduced on the 1978
Dodge Magnum
The Dodge Magnum is a nameplate used by several Dodge vehicles, at different times and on various markets. The name was first applied to a large Chrysler B platform-based 2-door coupe marketed from 1978 to 1979 sold in the United States and Cana ...
).
File:lamp_closed.jpg, lights off
File:lamp_open.jpg, lights on
Market timing
The Chrysler R-body cars (like their 1974–78 predecessors) arrived at precisely the wrong time, as a second
gasoline crisis hit the U.S. in 1979. In contrast to the clean-sheet Ford and GM designs, the dire financial situation of Chrysler relegated the company to retool an existing chassis.
While shifting to an intermediate chassis allowed the St. Regis a smaller exterior footprint over the 1974-1977 Monaco, it remained far larger than its
Ford LTD and
Chevrolet Caprice
The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 to 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1960s ...
competitors (at 220.2 inches long, an inch shorter than a
Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
The Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham was a luxury car manufactured by Cadillac from 1977 through 1986. In 1987, the Fleetwood Brougham name was shortened to simply Brougham, with production continuing through 1992 with only minor updates.
Cadillac u ...
).
Coinciding with the 1979 fuel crisis, high interest rates and the uncertain future of the company forced Chrysler into a high proportion of fleet sales for its full-size sedans. Despite being an introductory model, nearly 30% of St. Regis production was dedicated for police/law enforcement use. For 1979, Chrysler withdrew Plymouth entirely from the full-size segment (making the Volare the largest Plymouth that year); for 1980, a R-body Gran Fury was reinstated, nearly exclusively for fleet sales.
Discontinuation
The Chrysler R platform was dropped during the middle of the 1981 model year, with the Dodge St. Regis ending its product run; to reduce model overlap, Chrysler ended sales of the Newport. For 1982, Dodge began marketing the Diplomat as its largest four-door sedan; nearly 16 inches shorter than the St. Regis, the mid-size Diplomat was the final rear-wheel drive sedan marketed by Dodge during the 1980s.
For 1990, the Dodge brand re-entered the full-size segment with the fifth-generation Dodge Monaco. A rebranded version of the Eagle Premier (adapted from the
Renault 25
The Renault 25 is an executive car produced by the France, French automotive industry, automaker Renault from 1983 to 1992.
The 25 was Renault's Flagship#Automotive, flagship, the most expensive, prestigious, and the largest vehicle in the co ...
), the 1990 Monaco was the first version produced with front-wheel drive, slotted above the Dodge Dynasty in size. For 1993, Dodge introduced its first Chrysler-developed full-size sedan with front-wheel drive, the
Dodge Intrepid
The Dodge Intrepid is a full sized front-wheel drive four-door sedan that was produced by Dodge for model years 1993 to 2004. It is related to the Chrysler 300M, Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler New Yorker, and Eagle Vision which we ...
. While closer in exterior size to the Diplomat, the Intrepid nearly matches the St. Regis in interior room.
Production
Engine comparison
Use in law enforcement
Following its introduction, the Dodge St. Regis saw heavy use as a
police car
A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...
in the United States. Outside of California, a 195-hp 360 V8 engine was available as part of the A38 Police Package; the option package was popular by law enforcement of the time. In California, the St. Regis was fitted with a 190 hp four-bbl 360 V8. For 1980, the 360 was replaced by a 155 hp 318 V8 4-bbl with California emissions to comply with state emissions regulations.
The change in powertrain was unpopular, as officers found the top speed of the vehicle was reduced to below 100 mph when fitted with a lightbar (or 65 mph on a grade). Coinciding with efforts to expedite the retirement of the St. Regis from patrol service, the
CHP adopted the '
Ford Mustang Severe Service Package'
police pursuit vehicle (PPV) in 1982.
Television and collectors
Coinciding with its usage in law enforcement, the St. Regis appeared on multiple 1980s
police-based television series, including ''
Sledge Hammer!
''Sledge Hammer!'' is an American satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from September 23, 1986 to February 12, 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and stars David Rasche as Inspector ...
'', "The A-Team" and ''
T.J. Hooker
''T. J. Hooker'' is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network un ...
''.
While the St. Regis is of little collector value today (alongside Chrysler/Plymouth R-body counterparts), the mechanical commonality of the R platform with earlier Chrysler vehicles leads collectors to search for scrapped examples for its front disc brakes to upgrade earlier cars (such as the
Dodge Dart
Dodge Dart is a line of automobiles marketed by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets.
The Dart name originally appeared on a 1956 Chrysler show car featuring ...
and
Plymouth Barracuda
The Plymouth Barracuda is a two-door pony car that was manufactured by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth from 1964 to 1974.
The first-generation Barracuda was based on the Chrysler A platform, Chrysler A-body and was offered from 1964 to 1966. A ...
) With the low number built (in comparison to its Ford and Chevrolet competitors) and the high percentage destroyed in film and TV work or retired after police use, very few examples survive today.
References
Sources
*
{{Dodge Canada Timeline
St. Regis
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Full-size vehicles
Sedans
Police vehicles
Taxi vehicles
Cars introduced in 1979
1980s cars