38-487: The Chrysler Drifter is an automobile which was produced by Chrysler Australia from 1977 to 1978. It was offered in panel van and coupé utility body styles. Chrysler Australia added a panel van to their Chrysler CL Valiant range in April 1977, and a few weeks later they introduced the "Drifter Pack" as an option on that body style. The Drifter Pack included a Chrysler Charger grille, quartz halogen high beam headlights,
76-562: A "Chrysler Australia Ltd" which had operated as a vehicle manufacturer in Australia from 1951 until 1980, and was subsequently taken over by Mitsubishi Motors Australia . Chrysler Australia Ltd was established in June 1951 when the Chrysler Corporation acquired Chrysler Dodge Distributors (Holdings) Pty Ltd , a company which had been formed in 1935 by 18 independent distributors. During
114-549: A 15 percent interest in the company in 1971, with the result that Chrysler Australia began building the Mitsubishi-designed Chrysler Valiant Galant . The association with Mitsubishi also gave Chrysler Australia another winner—the 1977 Chrysler Sigma . With a range of 4-cylinder "Silent Shaft" engines, competitive pricing, "Japanese" style and the availability of a luxurious "SE" version, with optional leather trim (an innovative sales approach in its era),
152-700: A modified appearance would minimise the risk of accusations that Australia was selling "last year's model". Through the 1960s, Chrysler expanded the Valiant range, with 2-door hardtop, long wheelbase (VIP) and sporty (Pacer) variants. Also, in 1966, with the Chrysler USA acquisition of the British Rootes Group , Chrysler Australia took over the Rootes Australia as well as the operation of their Port Melbourne factory. The principal Rootes model sold in Australia
190-594: A name used by Chrysler in the US market from 1937 to 1950. The design chosen for the final model was that proposed for the Plymouth variant, thus the AP (Australian Plymouth) designation was adopted, and changed to stand for Australian Production. The Royal differed from the P25 in using front and rear mudguards similar to those on the 1956 US Plymouth and a rear window which was larger than that of
228-509: A sports steering wheel, radial ply tyres, styled wheels and special exterior paint and decal treatment with colour-coded bumpers. The 4.3 litre Hemi 265 engine and a four speed floor shift manual transmission were standard on the Drifter. In spite of its option pack status, Chrysler marketed the model as the Chrysler Drifter without using the name "Valiant". The Drifter pack was also available on
266-592: A successful niche as an alternative to Australian prestige cars—generally extended-wheelbase versions of traditional Australian family cars—the Holden Statesman/Caprice and Ford Fairlane/LTD . In 2012, Chrysler Australia took over the distribution responsibilities for Alfa Romeo , Fiat and Fiat Commercial . In 2013, the RAM brand of trucks was introduced to the Australian market, converted locally by ASV , at
304-460: A then-novel wind-down rear window and tailgate. (Chrysler USA had acquired an interest in Simca in 1958, the basis for sourcing of this car). The assembly and marketing of Simca Aronde and Vedette models by Chrysler Australia was announced on 1 July 1959. In both 1958 and 1959, Chrysler Australia released Plymouth Belvedere , Dodge Custom Royal and DeSoto Firesweep models which were imported from
342-715: The Holden Special Vehicles facility in Clayton, Victoria . The Chrysler marque was withdrawn from the Australian market on 19 November 2021 as its only model, the Chrysler 300, has been discontinued. Chrysler Royal (Australia) The Chrysler Royal is an automobile which was produced by Chrysler Australia from 1957 to 1963. After investing in tooling to stamp body panels for the 1954 P25 series Plymouth locally, and with Chrysler headquarters in Detroit unwilling to assist in
380-682: The Jeep Cherokee , then expanding the range to include the Chrysler Neon (discontinued in 2002) Grand Cherokee , Jeep Commander , PT Cruiser , Crossfire , 300C , Voyager and Dodge Caliber . Initially, the attraction of the Jeep range was "value for money" although the first cars became known for poor quality of construction. In the 2000s, a range of vehicles was imported from the United States, Canada, Mexico , and Austria. The Chrysler 300C found
418-811: The 1950s and 1960s, Chrysler made a substantial investment in Australian manufacturing facilities. It consolidated assembly from other state capitals to its expanding operations in Adelaide. Vehicle production for Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales was in Adelaide from 1953 and Perth and Brisbane assembly ceased in 1954. The company had several facilities at Finsbury in Adelaide's northwest. The trim shop (car seats and interiors) and steel pressings (chassis components) produced components which were sent to Keswick for assembly. Chrysler also had an aircraft division which manufactured components for Canberra bombers , Jindivik drones and Winjeel trainers. Chrysler recruited both local men and young single men from interstate to staff
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#1732881005335456-562: The 2-speed PowerFlite automatic of the AP2. Production ceased in 1964. The AP3 was available as a Royal four-door sedan and a Wayfarer two-door coupé utility. The choice of six cylinder and V8 engines continued, with the V8 identified by twin side trim strips (the six cylinders having only one side trim strip) and a small V8 badge on the rear quarter. In addition to the Royal sedan, Chrysler Australia also produced
494-470: The Adelaide suburb of Clovelly Park . An engine manufacturing plant was opened at Lonsdale in November 1967. These new factories replaced facilities at Keswick , Mile End and Finsbury . During this time, Chrysler Australia established its position as the third of the "Big 3" Australian motor manufacturers behind General Motors-Holden and Ford Australia . Beginning in 1962, Chrysler Australia assembled
532-629: The American Plymouth Valiant , marketed as the Valiant by Chrysler . By 1963, they had developed a local version, the AP5 Valiant, with distinctive styling giving the car a separate identity from the US Plymouth and Dodge variants. The reason for developing different styling was concern that the local manufacturer could not afford to make substantial styling changes as quickly as in the US. Hence,
570-523: The Chrysler Valiant Utility, which was also marketed as the "Chrysler Drifter". The Drifter styles of the panel van and utility body ended when Chrysler Australia discontinued the CL series. The 1978 CM Valiant range did not include these styles. The brief life of the Drifter was marked by low sales as competition from comparable offerings from Ford and Holden was stiff. Chrysler Australia also used
608-656: The Dodge Kingsway Custom, Kingsway Crusader & Kingsway Coronet and the De Soto Diplomat Custom, Diplomat Regent & Diplomat Plaza. The Plymouth sedan was a popular choice for taxicab usage however the rise in popularity of the Holden during this decade led to the decline of this range of cars. In 1957, Chrysler Australia consolidated each of the badge-engineered marques in one car—the Chrysler Royal . This
646-519: The Drifter name on a special edition Charger Drifter , released in 1978. This article about a modern automobile produced after 1975 is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chrysler Australia Stellantis (Australia and New Zealand) Pty Ltd (formerly FCA Australia ), is the official Stellantis subsidiary in Australia and New Zealand, operating as distributor of Chrysler, Jeep , Dodge , Abarth , Alfa Romeo , Fiat and Leapmotor vehicles. However, there had previously been
684-751: The P25 Plymouth Cambridge and Cranbrook , the D49 Dodge Kingsway and the SP25 De Soto Diplomat . Original designations for the three different designs were AD1 for the Dodge, AS1 for the DeSoto and AP1 for the Plymouth. Plans to market the updated version under these three names were dropped late in the development program and the new model would be sold only as the Chrysler Royal thus revising
722-605: The P25. The AP1 was originally only produced as a Royal four-door sedan; the Plainsman four-door station wagon was introduced during 1958. The AP1 was offered with two versions of Chrysler's valve-in-block straight-6 engine : a 115-horsepower (86 kW), 230.2 cu in (3.8 L) with manual transmission and a 117-horsepower (87 kW) 250.6 cu in (4.1 L) with the Powerflite 2-speed automatic. Chrysler's 313 cu in (5.1 L) polyspherical-head V8
760-581: The Sigma marked Chrysler's sales comeback. Sigma soon became market leader in its class. In 1979, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation each acquired a one sixth equity in Chrysler Australia and in April 1980 the two companies purchased the remaining shares in the company from the US Chrysler Corporation, which was in bailout negotiations with the US government. The company name
798-541: The US in CKD form and assembled at Chrysler's Adelaide facilities. The Plymouth was fitted with a 318-cubic-inch V8 engine and the Dodge and de Soto models featured a 361-cubic-inch V8. Assembly of the three models was discontinued in 1960 and they were replaced by a single model, the Dodge Phoenix , which was produced by Chrysler Australia through to 1973. In 1964, Chrysler opened its Tonsley Park assembly plant located in
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#1732881005335836-403: The costs of retooling for the new US models, Chrysler Australia made the decision to develop their own range, using as much of the existing tooling as possible, whilst also realising that the new car had to appear as different as possible. The doors and basic structure of the P25 sedan was retained, and with input from Australian and American Chrysler designers, the 1955 US Plymouth front sheetmetal
874-399: The existing tailfins. The AP2 was available as a Royal four-door sedan, a Plainsman four-door station wagon, and the new Wayfarer two-door coupé utility . The unrelated Dodge Wayfarer lent its name to this version. The Plainsman station wagon was dropped from the range during the AP2 series. The choice of six-cylinder and V8 engines continued, with the V8 identified by a V-shaped emblem in
912-525: The first fibreglass ambulance body in Australia, in conjunction with the Central District Ambulance in Sydney. The first vehicle was completed in June 1958, after Central District agreed to replace its entire fleet with fibreglass bodied Royals constructed by ComEng. The use of fibreglass bodywork provided a vehicle that was believed to be tougher, quicker to build, and easier to repair and resulted in
950-973: The following Royal based derivatives: The Plainsman and Wayfarer models were not marketed under the Royal name. All three series of Royals were very popular with ambulance services throughout Australia with many ambulance services basing their fleet on the Royal chassis. The Victorian Civil Ambulance Service in Melbourne is one such service that employed vast numbers of Royals as did many country areas in Victoria . Royal ambulances were also used throughout New South Wales , Queensland , South Australia and Tasmania . Various coachbuilders were contracted to transform Royals into ambulances, using different specifications depending on District requirements. Some vehicles used hand formed steel bodywork over timber frames, others used newly developed fibreglass technology. In 1957 Commonwealth Engineering (ComEng) began development of
988-472: The grille and a small V8 badge on the rear quarter. The final version of the Royal was the AP3 which was introduced during 1960. The new series was easily distinguished from its predecessors by its vertically stacked quad headlamps and triple tail lights similar to those of the 1959 US Desoto models. A new pressing for the roof panel was also used. Chrysler's 3-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission replaced
1026-506: The growth. Initially, Chrysler Australia assembled North American Chrysler passenger cars and trucks. Its most popular car in the 1950s was the US sourced badge engineered trio: Plymouth Cranbrook , Dodge Kingsway and De Soto Diplomat , each based on the 1954 US Plymouth . A coupe utility variant was also developed by Chrysler Australia and this was marketed in nine different versions; the Plymouth Cranbrook, Savoy & Belvedere,
1064-453: The memorable Valiant Charger . This was a short-wheelbase (105-inch) two-door hardtop version of the standard Valiant. The car had distinctive sporty styling, including an integrated rear spoiler. The base model Charger was A$ 2750, and the range extended upwards with high-performance and luxury models. Charger won the " Wheels " magazine Car of the Year award in 1971. It was also a winner in
1102-613: The rear of the car, while the front end gained dual (vertically stacked) headlights. These changes failed to arrest the slide in sales, as General Motors-Holden came to dominate the Australian market, and the Royal was viewed as being outmoded and expensive. Production ceased in 1963. The saving grace for Chrysler at this time was the French Simca Aronde —a popular 4-cylinder compact car which Chrysler Australia assembled from CKD kits at their Forestville factory. Local engineers developed an Aronde station wagon unique to Australia, with
1140-647: The sales stakes, capturing the imagination of the Australian public in the same way as the Ford Mustang did in the US and the Ford Capri did in the UK. By the mid-1970s, sales of the Valiant range stalled, as a combination of factors worked against Chrysler Australia: In 1975, Chrysler introduced the Centura with a choice of a 2-litre (4-cylinder) and 3.5-litre or 4-litre (6-cylinder) engines, and two equipment levels, XL and GL. This
1178-589: The supply of parts. By the time the car arrived in Australia, its appearance was dated and, as a result, the Centura did not generate significant market interest. A mild 'KC' Centura update in GL and GLX variants combined with a simplified choice of two versions of the 4-litre engine arrived in 1977, but the car then quietly disappeared from the market by the end of 1978. Chrysler Australia's parent company began working closely with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation after they acquired
Chrysler Drifter - Misplaced Pages Continue
1216-463: Was a facelifted version of the 1954 Plymouth that continued in production until 1963. The Royal was an automotive curiosity. Starting life as a side-valve 6-cylinder manual, with 3-speed manual column gearchange, it was progressively modified, with the addition of US sourced engineering features such as power steering , the push button "Powerflite" automatic transmission and an OHV V8. On the styling front US "Forward Look" style tailfins were grafted on
1254-728: Was a medium-sized competitor for the Holden Torana and the Ford Cortina . The 'KB' Centura was based on the European Chrysler 180 (which had been introduced in Europe in 1970), with facelifted front and rear styling (reputedly based on the intended design for a Sunbeam version of this car, which never reached production). The launch of the Centura was delayed by several years as a result of embargoes placed on French imports, due to France conducting Pacific nuclear bomb tests , which impeded
1292-605: Was adapted to the P25 body and the rear quarter panels redesigned. They also added a wraparound rear windscreen, which caused development problems with Pilkington Glass , the Australian suppliers, who struggled to get the correct curved shape. The first version of the Chrysler Royal, the AP1, was introduced in May 1957. It was a development of the American Plymouth P25 design of 1954 which had itself been produced by Chrysler Australia as
1330-612: Was based on a US engine design for trucks, it was never produced in North America. The Valiant was a good seller, but never quite gained the level of market acceptance as its major competitors—the Holden and the Falcon . In 1971, Chrysler Australia released the Valiant VH model (still based on the US A-Body platform ), it was significantly wider than earlier Valiants, with the lineup including
1368-646: Was changed to Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited on 1 October 1980. Mitsubishi continued to build the Valiant models with Chrysler badging until August 1981 and production of the Sigma range continued under the Mitsubishi name until 1987. Colt , Magna , Verada and 380 models were subsequently produced before production of passenger vehicles was discontinued in March 2008. The company continues to operate today as one of Australia's major importers of road vehicles. Chrysler returned to Australia in 1994, initially importing
1406-488: Was introduced as an option during the AP1 model run. V8 powered Royals were popular with the South Australia Police , where they were employed as Highway Patrol cars. It was also offered in the Plainsman station wagon, although only 32 cars were thus equipped. A revised Royal, the AP2 was introduced in late 1958. This series featured a new grille and unusual rear styling with additional "saddle fins" grafted on to
1444-473: Was the Hillman Hunter and this car became a steady seller for Chrysler until 1973. In 1970, they introduced the unique-to-Australia "Hemi" 6-cylinder engine —launched with an endorsement from Stirling Moss . Billed as being "Right—for all the right reasons", this engine went on to become the most powerful 6-cylinder engine produced in Australia (equipped with triple Weber carburettors ). Though this engine
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