The Chrysler Concorde was a full-size front-wheel-drive saloon produced from 1992 to 2004, one of the three original LH-platform Chryslers. Its cab-forward body was derived from the Lamborghini Portofino concept, and it made Car and Driver’s Ten Best list in 1993 and 1994.
Chrysler Concorde at a glance
| Production | 1993–2004 model years |
|---|---|
| Platform | Chrysler LH, front-wheel drive |
| Body | four-door sedan |
| Layout | front engine, longitudinal, front-wheel drive |
| Engines | 3.3 L and 3.5 L V6 |
| 3.5 V6 technology | SOHC, four valves per cylinder |
| Transmission | four-speed automatic, 42LE |
| Debut | 1992 North American International Auto Show |
| 1993 base price | US$18,341 |
| Awards | Car and Driver Ten Best, 1993 and 1994 |
| Sister cars | Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, Chrysler LHS, 300M, New Yorker |
History of the Chrysler Concorde
From the Portofino
The Concorde’s design can be traced to 1986, when designer Kevin Verduyn completed the exterior of an aerodynamic concept sedan called Navajo. That design never passed the clay model stage, but when Chrysler bought the bankrupt Lamborghini it was reworked into the Lamborghini Portofino, shown as a concept at the 1987 Frankfurt show. The Portofino was received as a design triumph and set in motion Chrysler’s decision to build a production saloon with the same “cab-forward” shape: a long, low-slung windscreen, short overhangs and wheels pushed to the corners, which created a much larger cabin than rival cars of the same size.
Chassis and engine
Design of the chassis began in the late 1980s, after Chrysler had bought American Motors. An early Dodge LH design was scrapped when François Castaing, formerly AMC’s vice-president of product engineering, became Chrysler’s vice-president of vehicle engineering in 1988. The new design started from the Eagle Premier, whose longitudinal engine mounting, front suspension geometry and parts of the braking system were inherited, and grew into a flexible architecture able to support front- or rear-wheel drive, designated LH and LX. The transmission borrowed from the A604 Ultradrive to become the A606, also known as the 42LE. Until 1990 the only engine confirmed was the 3.3-litre pushrod V6, but Chrysler’s teams committed to a new 3.5-litre engine with SOHC heads and four valves per cylinder, developed in three years for the start of Concorde production.
First generation
The first-generation Concorde debuted at the 1992 North American International Auto Show as a 1993 model, a single well-equipped car at US$18,341. Of all the LH saloons it was most closely related to the Eagle Vision, sharing nearly all its sheet metal, with differences limited to the grilles, rear fascias, bodyside mouldings and wheels. The Concorde wore a modern version of Chrysler’s waterfall grille in six sections divided by body-coloured strips with a Pentastar on the centre strip, and its rear was marked by a full-width light bar between the tail lamps. Its bodyside mouldings carried bright chrome, later gold-coloured, that the Dodge and Eagle versions did not have. The car’s aerodynamic shape kept wind noise low and gave it a drag coefficient ahead of its time. A second generation followed for 1998, and production ended in 2004.
Design and features
- Cab-forward styling: a long, low windscreen, short overhangs and wheels at the corners, taken from the Portofino concept.
- Longitudinal engine: a Renault-influenced layout inherited from the Eagle Premier that lowered the bonnet line and tightened the turning circle.
- 3.5-litre V6: SOHC four-valve heads, developed in three years specifically for the LH cars.
- Waterfall grille: a six-section front with the Pentastar on the centre strip.
- Light bar rear: a full-width, full-height bar that made the tail lamps look as if they ran across the boot.
Chrysler Concorde versions
- Concorde (1993–1997): the first generation, initially a single well-equipped model.
- Concorde LX and LXi: later first-generation trim levels.
- Concorde (1998–2004): the second generation, larger and more powerful.
- 3.3 and 3.5 V6: the two engine choices across the range.
The Concorde shared its LH platform with the Chrysler LHS, the Chrysler Intrepid and the 300M, and it replaced the New Yorker Salon as Chrysler’s entry full-size saloon. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.
Video: 2001 Chrysler Concorde LXi
Video by skbarker192528 on YouTube.
Sources
- Chrysler Concorde, English Wikipedia: design history, platform, engines, trims
- Chrysler Concorde, Wikimedia Commons: photographs
