The Dodge St. Regis is an automobile that was marketed by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation. The first example of downsizing of the full-size Dodge sedan line, the St. Regis replaced the Monaco after its 13-year model run. Deriving its name from a 1950s Chrysler trim package, the St. Regis was the largest Dodge sedan, slotted above the mid-size Diplomat and Aspen. In contrast to its predecessor and the smaller Diplomat, the St. Regis was offered solely as a four-door sedan. Marketed across a single generation from 1979 to 1981, the St. Regis is among the shortest-produced Dodge sedans; the next full-size Dodge sedan was the 1990 Dodge Monaco, with Dodge not producing 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 its Lynch Road Assembly facility in Detroit, Michigan, becoming the final production vehicles produced at the facility; 64,502 examples were produced in total.
Design overview
The Dodge St. Regis was based on the rear wheel driveChrysler R-body platform. As a less-costly alternative of downsizing the C-body platform, the R-body was an update of the B-body platform. Used by a wide variety of Chrysler intermediates, the B-body chassis underpinned model lines ranging from the Dodge Coronet and Plymouth Belvedere to the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Cordoba. In comparison 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. The 400 and 440 big-block V8s were discontinued, with the St. Regis continuing the use of the 225 inline-6 and the 318 and 360 V8s. All three engines were paired to a three-speed automatic transmission. The "St. Regis" name first saw use as an uplevel trim package on the 1956 New Yorkerhardtop coupe, and again on the 1974–78 Chrysler New Yorker Broughamcoupe. Offered only as a four-door notchback sedan, the St. Regis was styled with frameless door glass. To distinguish it from its Plymouth Gran Fury, Chrysler Newport, and Chrysler New Yorker counterparts, the front fascia adapted transparent retractable headlamp covers.
Market timing
The Chrysler R-body cars arrived at precisely the wrong time, as a second gasoline crisis hit the U.S. in 1979. While shifting to an intermediate chassis allowed the St. Regis a smaller exterior footprint over the Monaco, it remained far larger than its Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice competitors. In contrast to the clean-sheet Ford and GM designs, the dire financial situation of Chrysler relegated the company to retool an existing chassis. Coinciding with the 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, with nearly 30% of St. Regis production dedicated for police/law enforcement use. Initially, Chrysler withdrew Plymouth from the full-size segment ; for 1980, a Plymouth version of the R-body was introduced, 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. For 1982, the mid-size Diplomat was marketed as the largest Dodge sedan; while nearly 16 inches shorter, the model line served as the primary vehicle for Chrysler law enforcement sales through the 1980s. For 1990, the Dodge brand re-entered the full-size segment with a front-wheel drive Dodge Monaco, a counterpart of the Eagle Premier. For 1993, Dodge introduced its first full size front-wheel drive car developed by Chrysler, the Dodge Intrepid. While closer in exterior size to the Diplomat, the Intrepid nearly matches the St. Regis in interior room.
Following its introduction, the Dodge St. Regis saw heavy use as a police car 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. Coinciding with efforts to expedite the retirement of the St. Regis from patrol service, in 1982 the CHP adopted the 'Ford Mustang Severe Service Package' that was a police pursuit vehicle.
Television and collectors
Coinciding with its usage in law enforcement, the St. Regis appeared on multiple 1980s police-based television series, including Sledge Hammer! and T.J. Hooker. While the St. Regis is of little collector value today, 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 With the low number built and the high percentage destroyed in film and TV work or retired after police use, very few examples survive today.
