Dodge Aspen: the compact Dodge that replaced the Dart

The Dodge Aspen was a compact car marketed by Dodge from the 1976 to 1980 model years. It replaced the Dodge Dart, introduced the new Chrysler F platform, and was sold alongside its Plymouth twin, the Volaré.

Dodge Aspen at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Aspen.

History of the Dodge Aspen

The Aspen and the Volaré were introduced mid-cycle for the 1976 model year as successors to the Chrysler A-platform cars, the Plymouth Valiant and Duster and the Dodge Dart. During 1976 the Dart was still sold alongside the Aspen at Dodge dealers, and the Valiant alongside the Volaré, but both older lines were discontinued after that year. The new cars were conceived as modern, fuel-efficient models, more luxurious than the Valiant and Dart, and were together named Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1976. The two-door coupe lost the hardtop roofline of the Dart, and the range offered a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon, the first compact Chrysler wagon since 1966.

The F platform was a ground-up redesign and was developed with unusual attention to aerodynamics for its time. Wind-tunnel testing softened the front-end contours, removed roof-drip mouldings and improved internal airflow. Body engineering used computer-aided design and clear plastic stress models to find stress points before any sheet metal was formed, and weight was cut with thinner glass, lighter door beams and high-strength low-alloy steel four times as strong as conventional mild steel. Glass area grew by 25 per cent on two-door models and 33 per cent on sedans.

The Aspen brought a new front suspension: crossed torsion bars mounted transversely beneath the engine, marketed as the Isolated Transverse Suspension System. It saved space and weight compared with Chrysler’s long-used longitudinal torsion bars and allowed the wheels to move rearward rather than straight up when they met an obstacle. The bars and an anti-sway bar were integrated into a spring-strut suspension attached to a K-shaped crossmember isolated from the body by four rubber mounts, and even the steering column was rubber-isolated. The rear used conventional semi-elliptical leaf springs, also rubber-isolated to keep road noise out of the body.

Several 1976 Aspen sedans served as test vehicles for a gas turbine engine installation sponsored by the United States Department of Energy, with testing beginning in August 1976. The engine was a smaller version of Chrysler’s earlier turbine, and the hope was that turbines would be cleaner and more efficient than comparable V8s, but technical problems eventually ended automotive turbine development. The Aspen and Volaré themselves suffered numerous quality problems, frequent recalls and early rust damage that seriously damaged their reputation and sales. After 1980 the F-platform cars were replaced directly by the front-wheel-drive K-cars, the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant, and the end of Aspen production also marked the closure of the Dodge Main plant at Hamtramck.

Design and features

• New F platform: the first ground-up redesign of Chrysler’s compact line since 1960.
• Transverse torsion bars: the Isolated Transverse Suspension System saved space and softened bumps.
• Lightweight body: high-strength steel, thinner glass and computer-aided design cut weight.
• Three body styles: coupe, sedan and the first compact Chrysler wagon since 1966.

Dodge Aspen versions

• Aspen coupe: two-door model without the Dart’s hardtop roofline.
• Aspen sedan: four-door family car.
• Aspen wagon: five-door estate.
• Aspen R/T and Super Coupe: sporty versions of the range.

The Aspen replaced the Dodge Dart and was itself replaced by the Dodge Aries, while its larger stablemate was the Dodge Coronet. More Dodge models are in the Dodge collection.

Sources

• Dodge Aspen, English Wikipedia: platform, suspension, body engineering, quality problems