The Chrysler Fifth Avenue was the name Chrysler gave its most luxurious saloons from 1979 to 1993, below only the Imperial in the range. It began as an option package on the New Yorker, became a stand-alone model line in 1982 and was built in two generations before being replaced by the LH-platform New Yorker and LHS.
Chrysler Fifth Avenue at a glance
| Years used | 1979–1993 |
|---|---|
| First use | 1979 New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition package |
| Stand-alone model | 1982–1993, two generations |
| First generation | 1982–1989, rear-wheel drive, Dodge Diplomat counterpart |
| Second generation | 1990–1993, long-wheelbase Chrysler New Yorker |
| R-body wheelbase | 118.5 in (3,010 mm) |
| R-body price | US$8,631 plus US$1,500 for the package in 1979 |
| R-body production | under 75,000 New Yorkers 1979–1981, Fifth Avenue about 25% |
| Competitors | Lincoln Town Car, Cadillac Fleetwood |
| Replaced by | Chrysler New Yorker and LHS on the LH platform |
History of the Chrysler Fifth Avenue
The 1979 package
The name first appeared in 1979 on an upmarket trim level of the rear-wheel-drive R-body Chrysler New Yorker, whose 118.5-inch wheelbase was close to that of the downsized Cadillac and Lincoln competitors. The Fifth Avenue Edition came only in two-tone “Designer’s Cream-on-Beige” paint with a matching Champagne leather interior, driftwood woodgrain dash appliqués and a unique Pentastar hood ornament, plus a standard landau vinyl roof and fixed quarter windows integrated into the rear doors. The colour-keying went as far as the bumper rub strips. The New Yorker listed at US$8,631 and the package added US$1,500; buyers could add a long list of extras from air conditioning and cruise control to an eight-track player. For 1980 a Black Walnut metallic option appeared with a simulated alligator-grain landau roof and gold side stripes, and 1981 brought two more colours and a higher package price. Fewer than 75,000 R-body New Yorkers were built from 1979 to 1981 and the Fifth Avenue accounted for about 25% of them; fourteen were stretched into limousines and others were used at the 1980 Winter Olympics and loaned to Hollywood studios.
Stand-alone model
From 1982 to 1989 the Fifth Avenue was a model line of its own, the Chrysler counterpart of the Dodge Diplomat and the last rear-wheel-drive Chrysler sedan produced in the 20th century. It competed with the Lincoln Town Car and Cadillac Fleetwood, and it carried Chrysler’s traditional longitudinal torsion-bar front suspension, known as Torsion-Aire, with an anti-roll bar and a leaf-sprung rear axle.
Second generation and the end
From 1990 to 1993 the Fifth Avenue was a long-wheelbase version of the Chrysler New Yorker, sharing its body with the Chrysler Imperial. After 1993 Chrysler retired the nameplate, replacing it with the LH-platform Chrysler New Yorker and the Chrysler LHS, which moved the company’s large saloons to front-wheel drive and cab-forward styling.
Design and features
- Trim-package origins: it started as a colour-keyed luxury package on the 1979 New Yorker.
- Two generations: a rear-wheel-drive car from 1982–1989 and a long-wheelbase front-drive New Yorker from 1990.
- Top of the range: reserved for Chrysler’s most luxurious saloons, below only the Imperial.
- Traditional engineering: torsion-bar front suspension and a leaf-sprung live rear axle in the first generation.
- American luxury rivals: pitched against the Lincoln Town Car and Cadillac Fleetwood.
Chrysler Fifth Avenue versions
- New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition (1979–1981): the original option package on the R-body New Yorker.
- Fifth Avenue (1982–1989): the stand-alone rear-wheel-drive model based on the Dodge Diplomat.
- Fifth Avenue (1990–1993): the long-wheelbase version of the front-wheel-drive New Yorker.
The Fifth Avenue was the flagship above the New Yorker and the Cordoba, and its role passed to the LHS and the later Chrysler 300. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.
Video: 1986 Chrysler Fifth Avenue start up, walk around tour and review
Video by AutomotiveReview on YouTube.
Sources
- Chrysler Fifth Avenue, English Wikipedia: package, generations, equipment, production
- Chrysler Fifth Avenue, Wikimedia Commons: photographs
