1988 Dodge Diplomat Classic car
Dodge first used the name 'Diplomat' in 1950 to designate their 2-door hardtop bodystyle. The name would endure until 1954. It re-appeared in 1975 as a trim package on the Royal Monaco two-door hardtop. In 1977, it became its own model line and served as a replacement for the Coronet in Dodge's mid-sized line-up. It was based on the Dodge Aspen and wore an M-body. Mounted on the bonnet was a 225 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine as the base powerplant. An optional 5.2L and 5.9L V8 were available. After 1984, the Diplomat was only available with the 5.2L V8 unit.
1988 Dodge Diplomat Muscle car
As the 1980s progressed, fewer private customers purchased the Diplomat, and the M-body was eventually dropped during the 1989 model year. One reason behind the drop-off in sales was fuel economy; although fuel in the mid-1980s was as cheap as it had been in some years (with prices in many parts of the country well below $1 per gallon), Diplomats with their carbureted engine and lack of an overdrive-equipped automatic transmission could not achieve fuel economy on a par with its larger, rear-drive competitors from Ford and General Motors, as evidenced by this comparison using EPA estimates from 1986:Dodge Diplomat(5.2L V8, 3-speed automatic): 16 city, 21 highway, 18 combined
Chevrolet Caprice (5.0L V8, 4-speed automatic with overdrive): 17 city, 25 highway, 20 combined
Ford LTD Crown Victoria (5.0L V8, 4-speed automatic with overdrive): 18 city, 26 highway, 21 combined
And, if that wasn't enough, the Dodge had two more strikes against it: It was subject to the federal "Gas Guzzler Tax" and it required premium unleaded gasoline.
But, despite its flaws as seen in the public's eye, by the mid-'80s, the Diplomat (and Gran Fury) found another profitable market niche - as fleet vehicles for taxicab and law enforcement use (this was Chrysler's last RWD non-truck vehicle (not counting the Dodge Viper) until the 2006 Charger). Being smaller and somewhat lighter than the Chevrolet and Ford police packages, Diplomats were well-known and respected for not only their speed, but their maneuverability.
Diplomats built from mid-1988 until the end of production were among the first Chrysler-built products to have a driver's side airbag as standard equipment, some two model years before the remainder of Chrysler's lineup (They were also among the only cars at the time to offer a tilt steering column with an airbag). Diplomats with airbags differed from earlier models in that they were also equipped with a padded, color-keyed knee blocker which extended out from beneath the instrument panel in front of the driver.
The Diplomat was discontinued in 1989, with the Dodge Monaco replacing it as Dodge's top-of-the-line sedan for 1990.
Chevrolet Caprice (5.0L V8, 4-speed automatic with overdrive): 17 city, 25 highway, 20 combined
Ford LTD Crown Victoria (5.0L V8, 4-speed automatic with overdrive): 18 city, 26 highway, 21 combined
And, if that wasn't enough, the Dodge had two more strikes against it: It was subject to the federal "Gas Guzzler Tax" and it required premium unleaded gasoline.
But, despite its flaws as seen in the public's eye, by the mid-'80s, the Diplomat (and Gran Fury) found another profitable market niche - as fleet vehicles for taxicab and law enforcement use (this was Chrysler's last RWD non-truck vehicle (not counting the Dodge Viper) until the 2006 Charger). Being smaller and somewhat lighter than the Chevrolet and Ford police packages, Diplomats were well-known and respected for not only their speed, but their maneuverability.
Diplomats built from mid-1988 until the end of production were among the first Chrysler-built products to have a driver's side airbag as standard equipment, some two model years before the remainder of Chrysler's lineup (They were also among the only cars at the time to offer a tilt steering column with an airbag). Diplomats with airbags differed from earlier models in that they were also equipped with a padded, color-keyed knee blocker which extended out from beneath the instrument panel in front of the driver.
The Diplomat was discontinued in 1989, with the Dodge Monaco replacing it as Dodge's top-of-the-line sedan for 1990.
1988 Dodge Diplomat Limousine
The Dodge Diplomat was a mid-size car and it was manufactured from 1977 to 1989 by the Chrysler Corporation's Dodge brand and practically identical to the Chrysler LeBaron of 1977, the Plymouth Caravelle sold in Canada, and the Plymouth Gran Fury from 1982. It was also sold in Mexico between 1980 and 1981 as the Dodge Dart, and in Colombia as the Dodge Coronet.
1977 saw the return of the Diplomat as a full model line rather than as the name of a particular body style. It replaced the Monaco in Dodge's new downsized mid-size lineup. The new Diplomat was based on the Dodge Aspen, designated the M-body. While the Aspen had the F-body, the M-bodies were related to it: the wheelbase and suspension were identical and doors and body panels often interchangeable. Hence, another M-body sedan, such as the 1989 Chrysler Fifth Avenue, had interchangeable doors with the 1976 Aspen. Like the Aspen, the Diplomat had coupe and station wagon variants.
The Diplomat was offered with a base 225 cu in (3.7 L) six-cylinder engine. In 318 cu in (5.2 L) V8 form (and an optional 360 cu in (5.9 L)) it, and its Plymouth Gran Fury/Caravelle twin, were widely favored as a police car both in the US and Canada. After 1984, the only engine offered was the 318 cu in (5.2 L) V8.
Following the demise of the Dodge St. Regis R-body in 1981, the Diplomat remained, becoming the largest sedan in the Dodge lineup, despite technically being a mid-size car. Dodge would not market another truly full-size car (at least based upon U.S. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency? (EPA) passenger volume statistics) until the Monaco debuted as a 1990 model.
In 1982, the coupe and station wagon were discontinued and Canada's Plymouth version of the Diplomat came south of the border. The Plymouth Caravelle was offered in the US as the Plymouth Gran Fury.