From the first fifty years - 1924-74 - Chryslers came in one size only - full size. Even as other semi-premium makes adopted “compacts” in the 1960s, Chrysler eschewed them. That conveyed it some brand prestige at the expense of volume. Chrysler was a conservative niche marque - not a top-drawer premium brand (it had Imperial for that) and not a volume leader. Until two seismic shifts in 1975. - The first was the Cordoba - built on the bones of the old Plymouth Satellite and aimed at the Pontiac Grand Prix. This major philosophical shift for Chrysler paid huge dividends - the Cordoba became the biggest selling Chrysler in decades. The second was the appearance of the Cadillac Seville, which forced Ford and Chrysler to respond. Ford’s take was the Lincoln Versailles, a warmed-over Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch. Chrysler’s was the #LeBaron. - LeBaron had once been a coachbuilder and later part of Briggs Manufacturing, Chrysler’s body supplier until the corporation bought it in 1953 - it had a long history of being associated with Chrysler’s most luxurious models. But Chrysler was not a De Facto luxury brand, and given Chrysler’s scant resources and languishing land yachts, a volume seller was badly needed. - The LeBaron was perfect for giving Chrysler a new market - but as with the Cordoba the company couldn’t afford a whole new car - hence it rebodied the Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volaré F-body car into the M-body, along with a Dodge sibling, the Diplomat. For cost reasons, the design team couldn’t stray too far from the base cars, although the Coupes were well differentiated. The Sedans got new front and rear styling and lots and lots of vinyl - au courant at the time. Mechanically, they were identical to the Aspen/Volaré. - Cadillac priced the Seville at the top of it’s lineup, but the #ChryslerLeBaron was meant to be a base model for Chrysler - it sold well but was hampered by Chrysler’s well-publicized troubles, and also tended to appeal to an older crowd (again in contrast to the Seville). Chrysler’s problems meant they lost value quickly and never really recovered - they tended to end up one of two ways: back lot bargain bangers or cherished minters. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqaadD-FOQk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fw28xyjwvk6h
