The Dodge Phoenix is an automobile that Chrysler Australia produced from 1960 to 1972. It was introduced in May 1960 as an Australian-assembled version of the American Dodge Dart, positioned above the locally developed Chrysler Royal as Chrysler Australia’s luxury model.
Dodge Phoenix at a glance
| Maker | Chrysler Australia |
|---|---|
| Production | 1960-1972 |
| Class | full-size luxury car |
| Bodies | four-door sedan; four-door hardtop from 1967 |
| Engines | 318 cu in V8; 383 cu in V8 in the hardtop |
| Drive | right-hand drive only |
| Based on | Dodge Dart, then Dodge 440, then Plymouth Fury III |
| First model | PD4, built from CKD packs at Mile End |
| Assembly | Mile End, Tonsley Park and Port Melbourne |
| Total special run | about 400 cars planned for each Phoenix 400 series |
| End | 1972, when the Port Melbourne plant closed |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Phoenix.
History of the Dodge Phoenix
The Phoenix took its name from the top Dart, the Dodge Dart Phoenix, but unlike its American namesake it was offered only as a four-door sedan with a 318 cubic inch V8, and all Australian cars were right-hand drive. The first Phoenix, the PD4, was released in May 1960. It was a Canadian Dodge with a Plymouth dashboard, imported in CKD packs and assembled at Chrysler Australia’s Mile End plant in South Australia in two trims, De Luxe and Luxury Liner. It had a 118-inch wheelbase.
The RD4 of 1961 used the PD4 cabin with new front and rear bodywork, keeping the same dimensions and mechanicals and again based on the American Dodge Dart. The SD2 of 1962 moved to a shorter 116-inch wheelbase with a completely new body that was shorter and narrower, following the downsized American Dart. The TD2 of 1963 was the first Phoenix based on the renamed Dodge 440, since Dodge moved the Dart name to the new compact A-body range; the four-door sedan and the 318 V8 were retained. The VD2 of 1964 had a 119-inch wheelbase and a body four inches longer at 212 inches, based on the 1964 Dodge 440.
From 1965 the Phoenix became a rebadged Canadian Plymouth Fury III, a policy Chrysler Australia kept until 1972. The AP2D of 1965 had vertically stacked four-headlight styling and kept the 318, using a Plymouth bonnet ornament with the Dodge Fratzog superimposed on the Plymouth outline. The DB6 of 1966 followed the Fury III changes with a new grille, rear panels, tail lights and boot lid. The DC of 1967 was the first Phoenix offered with a choice of bodies, a four-door hardtop joining the sedan; the sedan kept the 318 V8 while the hardtop had a 383, and late that year assembly moved from Tonsley Park to Port Melbourne. The DD of 1968 brought new rear sheet metal, new tail lights and round side marker lights as used on the North American Fury.
The DE of 1969 had horizontal dual headlights, a 120-inch wheelbase and a length of 214.5 inches, with the new Plymouth Fury fuselage-style curved sides and, for the first time, hidden parallel-action wipers. It was marketed as the 400 Limited Edition with a numbered badge on the dashboard, and although production was planned at 400 sedans and 400 hardtops, only 371 were built in 1969 and 385 in 1970. The DF of 1970 and DG of 1971 continued as Phoenix 400 models with numbered dash plaques, with 298 built in 1970 and 110 in 1971, then 298 in 1971, and the DH of 1972 was built in 73 examples. The decision to close the outdated Port Melbourne plant ended the Phoenix, and the Australian-developed Chrysler by Chrysler took over as the top luxury model.
Design and features
- Australian luxury Dodge: positioned above the locally developed Chrysler Royal.
- Always a V8 sedan: the 318 V8 from the start, with a 383 in the later hardtop.
- Fury III base: from 1965 the Phoenix followed the Canadian Plymouth Fury III.
- Phoenix 400: the 1969-1972 cars carried numbered dashboard plaques.
Dodge Phoenix versions
- PD4, RD4 and SD2 (1960-1962): the Dart-based cars.
- TD2 and VD2 (1963-1964): the Dodge 440-based models.
- AP2D to DD (1965-1968): the Fury III-based cars, with a hardtop from 1967.
- DE to DH (1969-1972): the Phoenix 400 series with numbered badges.
The Phoenix was the Australian relative of the Dodge Dart and Dodge 440, and it shared its market with the Dodge Kingsway built in Australia in the 1950s. More Dodge models are in the Dodge collection.
Sources
- Dodge Phoenix, English Wikipedia: model history, engines, Australian production
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