Chrysler 180
Encyclopedia
Executive car
Executive car is a British term that refers to a car's size and is used to describe an automobile larger than a large family car. In official use, the term is adopted by EuroNCAP, a European organisation founded to test car safety.- History :...
saloon cars produced by Chrysler Europe
Chrysler Europe
Chrysler Europe was a division of the Chrysler Corporation that operated between 1967 and 1979.-Formation:In the 1960s, Chrysler sought to become a world producer of automobiles. The company had never had much success outside North America, contrasting with Ford's worldwide reach and General...
. Resulting from joining development efforts of Rootes Group and Simca
Simca
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...
, the car was produced from 1970 to 1975 in Poissy
Poissy
Poissy is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.In 1561 it was the site of a fruitless Catholic-Huguenot conference, the Colloquy at Poissy...
, France, and later in Chrysler's subsidiary Barreiros'
Barreiros (manufacturer)
Barreiros was a Spanish manufacturer of engines, trucks, buses, tractors and automobiles.-Barreiros Diesel:The company was founded in 1954 as Barreiros Diesel S.A. by Eduardo Barreiros and based in Madrid...
factory in Spain. The Chrysler 180 was also the base for the medium-sized model built by Chrysler Australia
Chrysler Australia
Chrysler Australia is the importer of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles for sale in the Australian marketplace. However, there had previously been a "Chrysler Australia Ltd" which had operated as a vehicle manufacturer in Australia from 1951 until 1980....
, the Chrysler Centura
Chrysler Centura
The Chrysler Centura was a midsize car built by Chrysler Australia, based on Chrysler Europe's Chrysler 180 but also available with larger Australian made Hemi Sixes...
.
Depending on engine employed, the cars were marketed as Chrysler 160/180/2 litre, and since 1977 in France and rest of continental Europe as Chrysler-Simca 1609/1610/2 litres. After the takeover of Chrysler Europe by PSA Peugeot Citroën
PSA Peugeot Citroën
PSA Peugeot Citroën is a French manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles sold under the Peugeot and Citroën marques. Headquartered in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, PSA is the second largest automaker based in Europe and the number eight in the world.-History:In December 1974 Peugeot S.A....
, the continental Europe models were renamed Talbot 1610/2 litres for 1979 and 1980 model years, after which the model was discontinued in Europe save for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where a diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
model was sold until 1982.
The large Chrysler fared quite poorly in the principal European markets. The replacement for the car was developed by Chrysler Europe under the codename C9 and was finally launched by PSA as the even more ill-fated Talbot Tagora
Talbot Tagora
The Talbot Tagora is an executive car that was developed by Chrysler Europe and produced by Peugeot Société Anonyme . The Tagora was marketed under the Talbot marque after PSA took over Chrysler's European operations in 1979. PSA presented the first production vehicle in 1980 and launched it...
.
Development
Although Chrysler gradually took financial control of both Simca and Rootes Group during the 1960s, there was little effort to coordinate the operations of both automakers. Therefore, the first "common" European Chrysler car was actually a result of two separate development programmes.Rootes Group C Car
In 1966, under the direction of Roy AxeRoy Axe
Royden Axe was a British car designer.-Career:Axe started his career in 1959 with the Rootes Group where he progressed first to "Chief stylist" and then to "Design director"...
, the Head of Design, Rootes Group team started working on what was internally named the "C Car" (in reference to the smaller "B car", which became the Hillman Avenger
Hillman Avenger
The Hillman Avenger was a rear-wheel drive small family car originally manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group from 1970–1976, and made by Chrysler Europe from 1976–1981 as the Chrysler Avenger and finally the Talbot Avenger...
), a new large car for Rootes to replace the Humber Hawk
Humber Hawk
The Humber Hawk was a large four-cylinder saloon produced by the British-based Humber car company, part of the Rootes Group.-Humber Hawk Mk I & II:...
(and the imported Australian Chrysler Valiant
Chrysler Valiant
The Chrysler Valiant is a passenger car which was introduced by Chrysler Australia in 1962 with production ceasing in 1981. Initially a rebadged locally assembled Plymouth Valiant from the U.S., the Valiant range was sold throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as South Africa...
, which served as a placeholder in Rootes' lineup after the Hawk's demise in 1967, without much success). In a typical Rootes fashion, the plan was to market the car under three brands - the base version as Hillman
Hillman
Hillman is a British automobile marque created by the Hillman Motor Car Company, founded in 1907. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had built bicycles...
, a 2.0 litre one as Sunbeam 2000, and atop the range a Humber Hawk with a 2.5 litre engine. A further development of the C Car with a stretched platform was planned, a "D Car", which was to replace the Humber Super Snipe
Humber Super Snipe
The Humber Super Snipe was a car produced by the British-based Humber car company, part of the Rootes Group, from 1938 to 1967.-Pre-war Super Snipe:...
.
The Rootes development programme also comprised the development of a brand-new V6 engine
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...
, with a 60° vee angle, with two versions of the abovementioned displacements of 2.0 and 2.5 litres. There were four (Series IV, presumably) Humber Hawk- and some Hillman Avenger-bodied prototypes built to test the new engine. Some other design propositions included the use of De Dion tube
De Dion tube
A de Dion tube is an automobile suspension technology. It is a sophisticated form of non-independent suspension and is a considerable improvement over the alternative swing axle and Hotchkiss drive types. A de Dion suspension uses universal joints at both the wheel hubs and differential, and uses a...
s for rear suspension (like in the competing Rover P6
Rover P6
The first P6 used a 2.0 L engine designed specifically for the P6. Although it was announced towards the end of 1963, the car had been in "pilot production" since the beginning of the year, therefore deliveries were able to begin immediately. Original output was in the order of . At the...
), as well as a five-speed gearbox (which would still be a rather daring proposition at that time).
Simca Projet 929
At the same time, in France, Simca was working on Projet 929, which would be Simca's first large car since the VedetteSimca Vedette
The Simca Vedette is a large car, manufactured from 1954-1961 by the French automaker Simca, at their factory in Poissy, France. It was marketed with different model names according to trim and equipment levels...
was cancelled in 1961, and also partially replace the Simca 1501
Simca 1300/1500
Simca 1300 and Simca 1500 were large family cars manufactured by the French automaker Simca in its Poissy factory from 1963 to 1966, and between 1966 and 1975 in revamped versions, as Simca 1301 and Simca 1501....
in its role of the range-topping Simca. The car would not use a V6 engine, as the displacement-based puissance fiscale
Tax horsepower
The tax horsepower or taxable horsepower was an early system by which taxation rates for automobiles were reckoned in some European countries, such as Britain, Belgium, Germany, France, and Italy; some US states like Illinois charged license plate purchase and renewal fees for passenger...
tax system in France would make the costs prohibitive, but rather four-cylinder units of more modest specifications. There were three styling propositions prepared for the new car. The 929 XA was styled by Simca's design team, featuring angular design and rather top-heavy proportions. Bertone designed the 929 XB, which was much more rounded and somewhat reminiscent of contemporary BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
s. Finally, the 929 XC was sent straight from Chrysler's Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
design studios, and was very American in style, somewhat resembling a smaller version what later became the Australian VE Series Chrysler Valiant.
The decision
In early 1969, Chrysler realized that there were actually two potentially competing cars being developed and called for both the British and the French proposition to be presented before the general management of Chrysler Europe. The decision was taken to go ahead with the British C Car programme, but to develop two versions for both the UK and the French part of the concern. Chrysler funded a new plant along with a development centre for the Rootes Group at the Whitley plantWhitley plant
The Whitley plant, situated in Whitley, Coventry in the West Midlands of England, is one of the engineering centres of Jaguar Land Rover and the headquarters of Jaguar Cars...
, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, where the development was continued. Roy Axe employed former Chrysler USA designer Curt Gwinn as project designer, and the C Car took a shape very similar to an enlarged version of Hillman Avenger. Initial designs were inspired by contemporary American Chryslers, with twin headlamps and a light bar in the rear.
In 1970, however, Chrysler reviewed the programme once again and decided to trim it down to just one version, to be built in Simca's Poissy factory in France, for all markets. The responsibility for the programme was then passed in turn to Simca (where it became known internally as "Simca 1800"), who gave the car a different front end with rectangular single front lamps, as well as stripped the interior of some features proposed by the Rootes Group team, such as genuine wood and leather and air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
. Much to the shock of the British engineers, the entire V6 engine programme was scrapped, even despite allegedly £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
31 million of the £38 million of the programme budget was already spent, and the tooling for the new engine was already being installed in the Rootes' Humber Road factory. The car also ended up with more conventional coil sprung
Coil spring
A Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces...
rear live axle
Live axle
A live axle, sometimes called a solid axle, is a type of beam axle suspension system that uses the driveshafts that transmit power to the wheels to connect the wheels laterally so that they move together as a unit....
and MacPherson strut
MacPherson strut
The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson, who developed the design.-History:...
s in the front and a four-speed manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
(with an option of a three-speed automatic
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
).
Launch
Following the renaming of Simca to "Chrysler France" and Rootes Group to "Chrysler UK" (which combined formed Chrysler Europe), the new large car was the first one to spearhead the concept of unifying the offerings from both sides of the Channel under the common brand. Thus, the vehicle was launched as Chrysler 160, 160 GT and 180. In a fashion similar to Simca models, the designations referred to the displacement of the engines employed by the given version. The 160 employed the 1632 cc unit, while the 180 came with the 1812 cc one. A bit confusingly, the 160 GT came with the latter.The three models were introduced to the public at the 1970 Salon International d'Automobile
Mondial de l'Automobile
The Paris Motor Show is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held around October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show was the first motor show in the world, started in 1898 by industry pioneer, Albert de Dion. The show...
under the slogan " An American from Paris". The British launch took place in 1971, with only the 180 on offer. The 2.0 litre model (marketed simply as "Chrysler 2 litre") joined the lineup for 1973, unveiled at the Amsterdam Auto Show in 1972 for the first time. The 1981 cc unit was available solely with Chrysler's TorqueFlite
TorqueFlite
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...
automatic transmission ( which was an option on the 180 model), and the model came with a host of features that distinguished it from the lesser versions, including a full-length vinyl roof
Vinyl roof
Vinyl roof refers to a vinyl covering for an automobile's top. This covering was originally designed to give the appearance of a convertible to models with a fixed roof, but eventually it evolved into a styling statement in its own right. Vinyl roofs were most popular in the American market, and...
(which became an option for the 160 and 180), bumper-mounted auxiliary driving lights and a small "2L" badge adorning the C-pillar. The 160 and 180 also gained some chrome and metal trim on the outside in 1972, and since the advent of the 2.0 litre, all models featured 14 inch (rather than previous 13 inch) wheels and new hubcap
Hubcap
A hubcap, wheel cover or wheel trim is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at least a central portion of the wheel. Cars with stamped steel wheels often use a full wheel cover that conceals the entire wheel. Cars with alloy wheels or styled steel wheels generally use smaller...
s. The 160 GT was cancelled at the same time.
Press reaction
A Chrysler 180 saloon tested by the British Motor magazineThe Motor (magazine)
The Motor was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903....
in April 1971, a few months after the model's UK launch, had a top speed of 101 mph (162.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 12.4 seconds. An overall fuel consumption of 21.7 mpgimp was recorded. The test car was offered at £1498 including taxes. For all three of these measurements, the car was ranked third out of five UK market competitor vehicles: competitors identified by the journal, included the Ford Cortina Mk III 2000 GXL
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
and the Vauxhall VX 4/90
Vauxhall Victor
The original Victor, launched on 28 February 1957, was dubbed the F series and saw a production run totalling over 390,000 units. The car was of unitary construction and featured a large glass area with heavily curved windscreen and rear window. Following then current American styling trends, the...
. The overall tone of the road test, written at a time when new models were generally greeted with uncritical enthusiasm by UK motoring journalists, is summed up in its description of the Chrysler 180 as a "very pleasing car that only just falls short of being a luxury sporting saloon".
Barreiros
Barreiros (manufacturer)
Barreiros was a Spanish manufacturer of engines, trucks, buses, tractors and automobiles.-Barreiros Diesel:The company was founded in 1954 as Barreiros Diesel S.A. by Eduardo Barreiros and based in Madrid...
. Barreiros had been assembling many Simca and Chrysler models previously for the protected Spanish market, but for the first time it would become the sole supplier of the entire model line for all markets. The vehicle became reasonably popular in its new home market, and local coachbuilder
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...
s even created estate and stretched versions of the car. The lineup remained for the most part unchanged in most markets, although the 160 was not offered in Spain, which in turn received a new diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
model, powered by the Barreiros 2.0 litre diesel engine (not offered in other European markets).
Chrysler 180 Diesel
The engine was a traditional four cylinders diesel with indirect injectionIndirect injection
In an internal combustion engine, the term indirect injection refers to a fuel injection where fuel is not directly injected into the combustion chamber...
. It was mated to the four-speed manual transmission and delivered 48 kilowatts (65 hp). The diesel model was fitted with the most basic 160 dashboard
Dashboard
A dashboard is a control panel placed in front of the driver of an automobile, housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle....
. An important change to the Spanish lineup was forced by the November 1977 change of the Spanish taxation system, similar to France's puissance fiscale - a new 13 CV tax band was introduced, which attracted the very high rate of 35%, and encompassed both the petroleum and diesel 2.0 litre models. While the petroleum 2.0 Litre model was simply replaced by a 180 automatic, the diesel engine had to be modified for 1978 to avoid increased taxation. The displacement was decreased from 2007 cc to 1917 cc (without a drop in actual maximum power or speed), just below the border of the 13 CV tax band, which stood at 1920 cc.
Later model life
In 1977, the car was for the first time officially badged as Chrysler-Simca in continental Europe (the Simca badge appeared on the bootlid, while the stylized Chrysler plate continued to adorn the front end). The individual models were renamed to be in line with the newly launched Simca 1307/1308Simca 1307
The Simca 1307 was the name under which Chrysler Europe launched its new large family car in July 1975.A modern, front-wheel drive hatchback, it was one of the first such cars in that class, along with the Volkswagen Passat, and became the 1976 European Car of the Year...
series. While the first two digits in this model naming system stood for the base engine's displacement (1.6 in case of the Chrysler 160), the latter two represented the French fiscal class in which the car slotted. Thus, the 1.6-powered model became the Chrysler-Simca 1609, as it fitted in the French 9 CV tax band (even though this model actually was cancelled from the French market lineup), and the 1.8, slotting one class higher, became the Chrysler-Simca 1610, and was fitted with the vinyl roof and extra driving lamps from the 2.0 litre model. However in the UK, where only the 180 was on offer, it retained its name. To add to the confusion, the 2.0 litre retained its name in all markets.
PSA takeover
In 1979, the large Chrysler saw the sale of its parent company, Chrysler EuropeChrysler Europe
Chrysler Europe was a division of the Chrysler Corporation that operated between 1967 and 1979.-Formation:In the 1960s, Chrysler sought to become a world producer of automobiles. The company had never had much success outside North America, contrasting with Ford's worldwide reach and General...
, to the French PSA
PSA Peugeot Citroën
PSA Peugeot Citroën is a French manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles sold under the Peugeot and Citroën marques. Headquartered in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, PSA is the second largest automaker based in Europe and the number eight in the world.-History:In December 1974 Peugeot S.A....
concern, due to Chrysler's financial difficulties. Some minor reshuffles in the range were made. The 1.8 litre engine was cancelled—in France, the 1610 got the 2.0 litre engine (which made it technically a "11 CV" car, but the name was not changed), while in Britain the 180 model was simply dropped, with the 2.0 litre now being offered with either the manual or automatic transmission to mirror the continental lineup. A minor rehash of the exterior decals also occurred. From 1 August 1979, PSA decided to rename all previous Chrysler Europe cars as Talbot
Talbot
Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...
s (and Talbot-Simcas in case of the French models, to capitalize on the established brand), and hence the Chrysler-Simca 1609 and 1610 became the Talbot Simca 1609 and 1610, and in Britain, the car became the Talbot 2 litre. The range was sold for only one year with the new names, as for 1981 PSA presented a replacement, the brand-new Talbot Tagora
Talbot Tagora
The Talbot Tagora is an executive car that was developed by Chrysler Europe and produced by Peugeot Société Anonyme . The Tagora was marketed under the Talbot marque after PSA took over Chrysler's European operations in 1979. PSA presented the first production vehicle in 1980 and launched it...
. Peugeot had originally intended to replace it with the Solara, the saloon version of the Alpine, which was launched in April 1980.
The production of petrol-engine Talbot 1610 stopped at the Barreriros plant, but diesel versions continued under the Talbot badge until 1982 for the Spanish market.
The car was also offered in Australia, and these models featured a large 6 cylinder engine mated to the automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
and equipped with a modified front radiator grille to allow more airflow to the radiator, and four round headlamps to complete the makeover. This model had limited success in Australia, and was named the Chrysler Centura
Chrysler Centura
The Chrysler Centura was a midsize car built by Chrysler Australia, based on Chrysler Europe's Chrysler 180 but also available with larger Australian made Hemi Sixes...
.
Lack of market success
The Chrysler 180/2-litre probably found its best market in Spain, albeit only after production had been transferred there in the later 1970s: Spain was effectively closed off to any competitor product not assembled in Spain. The only significant locally assembled competitor here was the Seat 132SEAT 132
The SEAT 132 is a four-door rear-wheel drive notchback saloon presented for the first time at the Barcelona Motor Show, assembled in Barcelona's Zona Franca, and sold by SEAT between 1973 and 1982....
.
The car was not received too well either in France or in the UK. Its mixed pedigree and exotic brand did not fit in well with the expectations of more nationalistic buyers and reviewers, and there was little that would make the car stand out among the crowd of similar cars, many of which already had an established position in the class. By 1976, with the number of cars sold in the UK not yet up to 10,000, British sales had settled down at the annual rate of about 2,000 which was seen to be below the company's expectations, but UK sales were more impressive than those in France. In France, the sales of the Chrysler were so disappointing that the old Simca 1501 was offered again for 1974 (it remained in production sometime after the Chrysler's launch for export markets mostly, in order to use up the remaining parts).
The German Auto Katalog remarked that the car bore resemblance to the Opel Rekord
Opel Rekord
The Opel Rekord was a large family car/executive car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel.-Naming:The Rekord name evolved into the main name of the model; at first the name was used in close relationship with the Opel Olympia name, which pre-dated the Rekord...
(which can perhaps be said not only of its styling, but also of almost identical dimensions and similar engine selection), yet it also pointed out that the Rekord in question was a four-year-old car at that time (and was subsequently replaced by a new model in 1971). In the British market the car's chances against rivals, such as the successful Rover SD1
Rover SD1
Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland or BL through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986....
, were also hampered by the lack of engines larger than the 2.0 litre, as the competitors offered six- or even eight-cylinder units, being unhampered by the French tax regulations.
Moreover, Chrysler seemed not to support the model after the launch. Advertising was scanty and updates scarce and rather limited in scope. Chrysler did not bother to fit the supposedly upmarket model with such features as power windows, central locking, ( though a then-unusual fitment was a low fuel warning lamp which would come on when a couple of gallons of fuel was left in the tank ), even though they were all available in the smaller Simca 1307, launched around the time when the 180 was in mid-life.