. The Dodge St. Regis is a full-size Dodge automobile built from 1979 to 1981. 1978 Dodge Diplomat 4,804 mi $ 16,500 or $272/mo Gateway Classic Cars of Tulsa is proud to present this slick 1978 Dodge Diplomat Coupe. Thats the only connection I can think of. I have a 1979 Chrysler Newport, 318 LA small block 2bbl, TF A 904, AC, PS, PB, AM FM, cruise control (works well), base interior. Im sure you know that was also the first year they had equipped the Torqueflite with a lock-up torque converter. . The timing cover in between the block and water pump, with coolant passages cast into it, so coolant actually passes through the timing cover. I bet that car is rare with leather interior. The Dodge St. Regis introduced in 1979 was a re-skinned dinosaur based on the old large Chrysler B-body platform which underpinned the classic 1960s Dodge Charger muscle car. Hes not real clear on the just what the problem is. Its not in as good of shape as this one is. Gene Poon: The last car I drove on duty was the California-spec 1980 Dodge St. Regis with the 318 4-barrel. A large number of Diplomats were also built by AMC during 1987 to 1989. It wasn't an MSP car originally, but it is a real police spec machine, originally hailing from Virginia. Produced for a single generation, the St. Regis is one of the shortest-lived Dodge nameplates. Worked great for a long time until the display died. I did this to my St. Regis and ran a early 1990s AM/FM cassette and it blended right in. [citation needed] 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. 1979 Dodge St. Regis brochure 1979 Ford LTD - Australia 1979 Ford pickups 1979 Lincoln-Mercury 1979 Newport 1979 New Yorker 1979 Chevrolet 1979 Plymouth Horizon 1979 Pontiac. There is a St Regis hotel on Grand Boulevard rather close to the headquarter of Chrysler at that time. The Fab Forums Fox Body Project: Doing A Factory Mini Tub Build Part 3. They had replaced 1977 Plymouth Fury sedans powered by the 440 Magnum, and 1978 Plymouth Volares with 360 4-barrel (my favorite squad of all for city use). I did test drive a used one sometime in the mid-1980s. ( I came across a excellent looking Fox Continental in a Ford-Lincoln dealership in North Michigan last month, and it reveals the problem when I opened the door ). My dad eased one in 1978 and it was junk with a capital J. Brakes coming totally unset from the factory! Based on the photo and the ad copy, Id say that young man is CC material. The Dodge St. Regis is a very rare car. My brother took it over, and when he sold it in the fall of 83 it was in better shape at 5 years old than when it was brand new!. Seeing how bad they looked in less than fifteen years, given the choice, Ill take vinyl over whatever Dodge was using for leather. Ottawa :[Le droit],1913-jeudi 15 octobre 1981, Journaux, Ottawa :[Le droit],1913- . Following its introduction, the Dodge St. Regis saw heavy use as a police car in the United States. Nowadays, I have my 2012 Chrysler 300c (Hemi of course), my 1977 AMC Gremlin, and my 1969 Toyota Corona. If you have something to share let us know. If only they could have had both style and quality. Get the best deals on Parts & Accessories for Dodge St. Regis when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Im sure its simpler than I think. 1978 Dodge Trucks. Ill let the ad copy speak for itself.) Dodge would not market a rear-wheel drive sedan until the 2006 Dodge Charger. Early versions of this generation Malibu had six-window sides and fixed rear door window glass. Have you ever wondered what all those boxy American police sedans were from the 1980s in American movies and television shows? It went back to the dealer numerous times for things I cant even remember. 1979 Dodge LeBaron (Brochure). It was probably easier to do this in my car because it was originally a single speaker AM radio and I ran the speaker wiring from the back and put in some front speakers in the factory holes and hooked everything up to the later harness. And the 318 is not my favorite Mopar engine. In deference to fuel economy standards, the 400 and 440 big-block V8s were deleted from the engine lineup. All windows roll up and down with the hand cranks. Even a highly reputable repair shop in my city could not rectify the problem. . He has been writing about cars for several years with a string of published books to his name. Ive never actually seen one up close and in person. My dad agreed with you. He pulled the engine to put in a 53 Willys and sold the car before he finished it. The biggest engine available was the Chevrolet 5.0-litre V8 and it was produced until 1983. Let's check out this unbelievable 40,000-mile survivor. I added dual remote mirrors from a 79 Newport and salvaged the wiring harness from a 90 Daytona so I could use a much later factory stereo. Even after it warmed up it would sputter and bog down on tip-in from idle. The second gas crisis came in 1979, the car was bigger than the B-body GM or the new-for-1979 Panther platform over at Ford, the styling echoed the Buick LeSabre just a little too much, the old suspension design showed through, the big-block cop cars had gone so fleet sales wound up going to hell, and then there was the quality control issues. Model WC WC-12 1979 Dodge St. Regis For Sale. New Land Rover Defen, New 911 GTS, with 7spd manual It was only produced from 1979 to 1981 and most of the 58,000+ cars produced went to fleet use. I remember Dabney Coleman driving one in the hilarious car chase in the movie Short Time, and wondering just how that thing held together. I bought a lean burn 81 imperial as a gag for beer runs at the cottage 20 plus years ago . The Chrysler R-body cars (like their 197478 predecessors) arrived at precisely the wrong time, as a second gasoline crisis hit the U.S. in 1979. Given the glacial maximum acceleration rate, there wasnt much of a visual cue it was being hooned anyway. Im from Saskatoon originally. It would be the last rear-wheel drive model made by Chrysler until the Plymouth Prowler from 1997. . It appears to be in very good condition for an R-body. Coinciding with its usage in law enforcement, the St. Regis appeared on multiple 1980s police-based television series, including Sledge Hammer!, "The A-Team" and T.J. Hooker. Maybe it will stay there longer. The automotive landscape and world at-large is shifting away from petrol cars and towards electrification and political correctness. I drove a later model Volare a few times for work and it steered much better, so I suspect it may have just been our cars particular set up. Of course, my perception may be influenced by the fact that my parents were having a rather disastrous experience with my moms 1978 LeBaron and I may have just tuned out Chrysler news at that time. I dont know if they could have made a more low-rent industrial looking unit if theyd tried. Either someone needs to use the antenna trimmer or the plug on the end of the cable is messed up and its not making a good connection. This car should be seen and driven to fully appreciate it. The Diplomat has been a long staple in American history mostly recognized as police cars throughout most Gateway Classic Cars Click for Phone O Fallon, IL 62269 (644 miles away) 2 27 1984 Dodge Diplomat The only other thing was the headliner started coming down after the car was 20 years old. The Dodge St. Regis is an automobile that was marketed by Dodge from the 1979 to 1981 model years. The next up was the Dodge Aspen. The leather wouldnt have held up that well. Options $0. In The 60s and 70s you even saw the odd Pontiac or Meteor. I think they should put it back in limited service, maybe nice summer days, and mess with some peoples minds. Contact seller. Bought from the original owner, an old veteran, who purchased it right out of the showroom in the local Chrysler/AMC dealership. Youd think someone at Chrysler would have known better than to repeat that past mistake. Its not a perfect car as I would have done some things differently design wise, especially around the windows, window regulators, wiper linkage attachments and door seals. Out of all the things you listed, Ive only experienced the mirror falling off the windshield, the hard plastic panel that went over the defroster and radio speakers cracking but only after the car well past 30 years old. The rpm lock, when engaged, keeps the motor running at a desired rpm, to power the lights or for the air conditioning on those hot sunny highway days. This is a 1979 Dodge St. Regis. It was a strong rival to Chrysler and Ford models thanks to its then-new aerodynamic design, weight efficiency and resulting good fuel economy. These cars are a great deal for St Regis shoppers. Around the 50k mile mark, our LeBaron had definitely adopted a nose-down attitude and would bottom out against the suspension stops if driven across big dips with any gusto. The neat clear-lens headlight covers are gone (most police departments ditched them) but everything else about this begs for a road trip. Why? Looking at that last photo, he wore what appears to be a denim-like leisure suit to prom. My dad bought it in 1985, rebuilt the engine and the front suspension and drove it for ten years. The glass is good and appears all original due to some factory decals on the windshield and side glass. The underlying platform dates all the way back to 1926 and had a number of major revisions over the decades up to 1991. It has a clear California title and is being sold as-is with no warranty. The box he put on the car in 1985 finally failed about two weeks ago. Replacement motors are very thin on the ground. I wonder if they were actually any more comfortable? Call 916-661-8753 with any questions. Poor quality, especially on the interior was common. 1979 Dodge St Regis Police TJ Hooker R Body Year: 1979 Mileage: 60,100 Location: Davis, California, United States 1979 Dodge Magnum XE ORIGINAL (Cordoba, St. Regis, 1978 Dodge Magnum GT) NO RESV Year: 1979 Mileage: 52,000 Location: Broad Brook, Connecticut, United States 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco Chicago IL Police photographed Aug 2007: 1973 Plymouth Fury I Delaware State Police . It is barely noticeable, nd another pair of taillights is included with the car. The car would go both fast and handle. It has been in California all its life and is rust free. Looks great! 1700 isnt crazy for this one, though it seems more like maybe a $1200 car to me. We had chunks of the black painted stripes just fall off the car. I ran the power wire from the later harness over to the original factory power wire. Takes all kinds, I guess. It featured a unique retractable headlight cover, 5.2-litre and 5.9-litre V8s and a three-speed automatic transmission. BTW that is some of the best looking vinyl I have ever seen it fooled me! Even AMC, the perpetual fourth-place finisher, bowed out at the end of 1978 with no real replacement in sight. This was 1979 and Chrysler still had dial radio with pushbutton Cadillac had digital soundsytems on all models back then. With 42,000 miles and a 360 V8, this chocolate bar is an unusually well-preserved car. Switch to inches. The 360 has been beefed up to a proper level and the car barks out through headers into Flowmasters. Mr_Brown99 writes: Bad on gas. Its north Michigan afterall, every town has an odd car, sometimes for odd use too. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Runway Classic Video: The Mighty Convair 880 Takes Off Again, http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/12/chrysler-bank-on-it/, http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/R-bodies.html. It was only produced from 1979 to 1981 and most of the 58,000+ cars produced went to fleet use. Oh my gosh this is my CL post. It was downsized and shed up to 450 kg in the process, and was styled to look bigger than it was. Being in my 20th year of St. Regis ownership, after my dad owning first for 10 years, I dont think the St. Regis was the worst looking of the 70s cars or that it was designed to fall apart. I have a line on 5 other cars. Then, there were the perpetual front end alignment problems. This car brings back a lot of bad memories for me, sadly.