Chrysler Dynasty: the Canadian saloon with a fibre-optic loom

The Chrysler Dynasty was the name under which the Dodge Dynasty was sold in Canada and Mexico. A mid-size front-wheel-drive saloon built from 1988 to 1993, it was one of the largest K-car derivatives and, in its first year, one of the first mass-produced cars in the world with a fully multiplexed fibre-optic wiring bus.

Chrysler Dynasty at a glance

The Chrysler Dynasty is the Canadian and Mexican version of the Dodge Dynasty; this page uses the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Dynasty, and the photographs show the car as sold with Dodge badges.

History of the Chrysler Dynasty

A Canadian Dodge

The Dynasty was one of the largest Chrysler K-car variants, using the front-wheel-drive C/AC platform and sharing its body with the 1988–1993 Chrysler New Yorker. The longer-wheelbase versions sold as the Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue and Chrysler Imperial used the Y platform. Chrysler built the car at Belvidere Assembly in Illinois alongside the New Yorker, New Yorker Fifth Avenue and Imperial, and the last one was produced on 28 May 1993. In Canada and Mexico the model was sold as the Chrysler Dynasty, where it replaced the Chrysler LeBaron GTS hatchback and eventually the Dodge Diplomat, since the Dodge Monaco was not sold in Canada. It sat between the LeBaron sedan and the New Yorker, was largely identical to the base Chrysler New Yorker Salon of 1990 but had a unique grille, and in Mexico came only with V6 engines.

Engineering

When the front-wheel-drive C-body cars debuted for 1988 they were the first mass-produced cars in the world to have a fully multiplexed fibre-optic wiring bus connecting all electronic accessories and controllers, which cut the amount and weight of wiring. Engines were a 2.5-litre four in the base model, a Mitsubishi-sourced 3.0-litre V6 and, from 1990, Chrysler’s own 3.3-litre V6. The four and the 1988 3.0 used the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic; the electronically controlled four-speed Ultradrive (A604) arrived in 1989 and became the only transmission for V6 cars. Axle ratios changed from 2.36:1 to 2.52:1 for 1991–1993. Most cars were sold with V6 engines, and four-cylinders went mainly to fleets.

Equipment and the end

Trims were Base, Premium (1988 only), LE and Brougham, the last adding a padded landau vinyl roof for 1992–1993. A driver’s side airbag became standard in 1990, and a Bendix anti-lock system with four-wheel disc brakes was available on V6 cars. All models had power locks that locked themselves above 15 mph, and options included load-levelling suspension, 14-inch alloy wheels, an illuminated entry system, an Infinity stereo, a power trunk pull-down, dual six-way power seats and power mirrors. For 1993 Dodge introduced the Intrepid, which replaced both the Dynasty and the Monaco.

Design and features

• Fibre-optic multiplexing: the 1988 C-body cars were the first mass-produced cars with a fully multiplexed fibre-optic wiring bus.
• Three engines: a 2.5 four, a Mitsubishi 3.0 V6 and, from 1990, a 3.3 V6.
• Ultradrive automatic: the four-speed A604 became the only gearbox for V6 cars from 1989.
• Self-locking doors: power locks engaged automatically above 15 mph on every car.
• Canadian identity: a unique grille distinguished it from the New Yorker Salon it resembled.

Chrysler Dynasty versions

• Base (1988–1993): the entry trim, usually with the 2.5-litre four.
• LE (1988–1993): the main V6 trim, with an optional Brougham package.
• Brougham (1992–1993): a padded landau vinyl roof on LE cars.
• Premium (1988 only): an early additional trim level.

The Dynasty shared its body with the Chrysler New Yorker and its extended-wheelbase relatives the Fifth Avenue and Imperial, and it was replaced by the Chrysler Intrepid. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.

Video: Chrysler Dynasty 1993

Video by robin morin on YouTube.

Sources

• Dodge Dynasty, English Wikipedia: platform, engines, trims, Canadian names
• Dodge Dynasty, Wikimedia Commons: photographs