Dodge · 1965–present

Dodge Monaco

The Dodge Monaco is an automobile that was marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler Corporation. It was introduced for the 1965 model year as the flagship of the full-sized Dodge product line, replacing the Custom 880. The Monaco later became a sub-model of the Dodge Polara. During its production, the Monaco was offered in several body configurations, including two-door and four-door hardtop sedans, four-door sedans, two-door convertibles, and station wagons. From 1965 through 1977, three generations of the Monaco were produced using the full-size Chrysler C platform. For 1977 and 1978, Dodge shifted the Monaco to the intermediate Chrysler B platform, effectively downsizing the model line. For 1979, the model line was redesigned and renamed the Dodge St. Regis. After a twelve-year hiatus, the full-size Monaco was revived for the 1990 model year as the flagship Dodge sedan, replacing the Diplomat. This model was a rebadged version of the Eagle Premier, which was developed by Renault and American Motors Corporation (AMC). The Dodge Intrepid replaced the Monaco for the 1993 model year. The cars are named after the Principality of Monaco.

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Predecessor: Dodge Polara · Successor: Dodge St. Regis

All Dodge Monaco data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

First generation (1965–1968)

=== 1965 === Upon its introduction on September 25, 1964, for the 1965 model year, the Dodge Monaco was intended to compete with the Pontiac Grand Prix in what came to be known as the personal luxury market. The new model was based on the Custom 880 two-door hardtop body. The Monaco received special badging and a sportier interior with a full-length center console, as well as a 383 cu in (6.3 L), 325 hp (330 PS; 242 kW) V8 engine as standard equipment. Transmissions were the Torqueflite automatic or a four-speed manual, both with console-mounted shifters. In an attempt to emulate the halo effect of the Grand Prix for the Pontiac line, the new Monaco was marketed as the "Limited Edition Dodge for the Man with Unlimited Taste". The Monaco's exterior featured a distinctive rear end design, front fender-mounted turn indicators, wheel covers with simulated knock-off centers, and the bodysides only had a slim full-length molding and a ribbed rocker-panel trim. The interior of the Monaco received special attention from the designers with standard buckets seats in the front and rear, a rear package tray contoured with the tops of the individual rear seat-backs, unusual rattan wicker accents on the door and quarter panels, and a unique three-spoke steering wheel. The Monaco two-door competed with similar "sporty" models such as Chrysler 300 non-letter series, Oldsmobile Starfire, Buick Wildcat, and Mercury S-55, as well as top-of-the-line full-sized models: the LTD in the Ford Galaxie series; the Chevrolet Caprice; the VIP in the Plymouth Fury series; and the Ambassador 990-H and DPL hardtops offered by American Motors Corporation (AMC). Compared to the marketing goal of replicating the success of the Pontiac Grand Prix, the lower pricing was in the Monaco's favor, but its fron

Second generation (1969–1973)

=== 1969 === For the 1969 model year, the wheelbase of the Monaco was increased from 121 inches to 122 inches, and the length was increased to about 220 inches. Returning for 1969 was the "500" option, which in the U.S. market gave the Monaco front bucket seats and a center armrest. In Canada, the Monaco 500 was a separate series that used the side trim of the Polara 500 sold in the U.S. Canadians could also buy a Monaco convertible; U.S. Dodge full-size convertible shoppers had only the lower-end Polara and Polara 500 to choose from. All full-sized Dodge cars, including the Monaco, adopted Chrysler Corporation's new "fuselage" styling, in which the upper and lower body are melded into a uniformly curved unit. Curved side glass adds to the effect, as does deleting the "shoulder" along the rear. The look starts in the front of the car, with a nearly straight-across bumper—demanded by a Chrysler executive after a Congressional committee attacked him over the seeming inability of car bumpers to protect vehicles from extensive damage in low-speed collisions—and a five-segment egg-crate grille that surrounds the headlamps. When the cars failed to spark buyers' interest, Dodge executives demanded a change. By the summer of 1969, the division released new chrome trim for the front fender caps and leading edge of the hood as an option, which gives the appearance of a then-fashionable loop bumper without the tooling expense. At the rear, Dodge's signature delta-shaped taillamps were presented in a new form that required the top of the bumper to slope downward toward each end. The standard-equipment engine on the 1969 Monaco is Chrysler's 245-horsepower (183 kW) B-block 383 cu in (6.3 L) V8 engine with a two-barrel 2245 Holley carburetor. Buyers could order the 383 with a four-b

Third generation (1974–1977)

=== 1974 === The full-size C-body 1974 Dodge Monaco was completely redesigned for the 1974 model year with an all-new unibody platform and sheet metal. However, the 1973 oil crisis began within days of their introduction. Chrysler was excoriated in the media for bringing out huge new cars, and sales suffered accordingly. Many in the automotive press also criticized the car's new design as being too derivative of what they thought resembled a 3-year-old Buick or Oldsmobile full-size car. The Dodge Polara and Polara Custom models were discontinued after the 1973 model year. The Monaco and Monaco Custom replaced them respectively. The previous Monaco was renamed Monaco Brougham. The Brougham name was used on a luxury option package from 1969 to 1973. Fixed headlamps on all Monacos replaced the hidden headlamps of the previous models. The standard engine on all Monacos was a 360 cu in (5.9 L) with a 2-barrel carburetor—engine options included a 360 cu in (5.9 L) with a 4-barrel carburetor, a 400 cu in (6.6 L) with a 2- or 4-barrel carburetor, and a 440 cu in (7.2 L) with a 4-barrel carburetor. 1975. For the 1975 model year, changes to the base Monaco were minimal. However, the Monaco Custom was renamed the Royal Monaco, and the Monaco Brougham became the Royal Monaco Brougham. These newly named models featured hidden headlamps. 1975 was the last model year in which the four-door hardtop was available. Some models, depending on equipment and the state they were sold in, received catalytic converters to comply with increasingly strict vehicle emissions control regulations. After the start of the 1975 model year, a limited-production option for Royal Monaco Brougham coupes was introduced: the Diplomat package featured a landau vinyl roof with opera windows and a wide steel roo

Fourth generation (1977–1978)

=== 1977 === The 1977 model year brought changes to the Dodge Monaco lineup as a lingering result of the 1973–1974 energy crisis, especially as Chrysler decided to move the Dodge Monaco, in name form only, from the full-size C platform-body to the mid-size B platform-body line up for the 1977 model year. The entire 1977 Dodge Monaco lineup received a make-over. The previous model year's full-size C-body Dodge Monaco (from 1976) became, just for one year only, the full-size C-body 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco until its discontinuation from all production at the end of the 1977 model year. The mid-size B-body 1977 Dodge Monaco two-door coupe, four-door wagon, and four-door sedan replaced the previous model year's Coronet hardtop coupe, four-door wagon, and four-door sedan. These cars were "corporate twins" to the new-for-1975 "downsized" Plymouth Fury#Seventh_Generation. The 1977 Dodge Monaco Brougham four-door sedan replaced the previous year's Coronet Brougham four-door sedan. The 1977 Dodge Monaco Crestwood four-door wagon replaced the last year's Coronet Crestwood four-door wagon. Aside from the name change, the 1977 Dodge Monacos differed only slightly from the 1976 Coronet equivalents, receiving a revised front-end design with stacked rectangular headlamps. 1978. The 1978 mid-size, B-body Dodge Monaco was unchanged from the previous model year. It became Dodge's largest car during the 1978 model year. The Dodge Monaco was discontinued at the end of the 1978 model year. The B-body cars continued in the form of the Dodge Magnum until 1979. Replacement. The Dodge Monaco was replaced by the Dodge St. Regis for the 1979 model year, using the Chrysler R platform (a smaller revision of the B platform). Struggling to compete against the all-new designs of General Motors and For

Fifth generation (1990–1992)

For the 1990 model year, Dodge revived the Monaco nameplate after a 12-year hiatus. Replacing the long-running Diplomat sedan, the model line was the first full-size Dodge sedan since the 1981 Dodge St. Regis. Slotted above the slightly smaller Dodge Dynasty in size, the fifth-generation Monaco was the Dodge counterpart of the Eagle Premier, available in standard LE and deluxe ES trims. The Dodge Monaco and Eagle Premier were assembled by the Bramalea Assembly in Brampton, Ontario (opened by AMC in 1986). Although produced in Canada, Chrysler Canada did not sell the model line; following the discontinuation of the Diplomat, the largest Dodge sedan sold in Canada was the mid-size Spirit (the Dynasty was badged as a Chrysler). For the 1993 model year, Dodge consolidated its two large sedan lines, as the Dodge Intrepid replaced both the Monaco and the Dynasty; the Eagle Vision replaced the Premier. Background and development. In August 1987, Chrysler completed its acquisition of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Along with its ownership of the Jeep model line, the AMC Eagle sedan/station wagons, and the Renault lineup of the Alliance and Encore (and the newly introduced Medallion), AMC was sought after for ability to develop and engineer cars quicker (and at lower cost) than other American auto manufacturers. Beginning in 1985, AMC had begun to build the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon and the Dodge Diplomat/Plymouth Gran Fury/Chrysler Fifth Avenue for Chrysler under contract. At the time of the sale, AMC was nearing the release of the Premier, a collaboration between AMC and Renault to develop a full-size car for the North American market. The largest AMC-branded vehicle since the 1978 Matador, the Premier was to become a full model line, including a four-door sedan, statio

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Specifications

name: Dodge Monaco
Manufacturer: Dodge (Chrysler)
Related: Dodge Polara
Model years: 1965–1977 (full-size), 1977–1978 (intermediate) , 1990–1992 (full-size)
Predecessor: Full-size:, Dodge 880 (1965), Intermediate:, Dodge Coronet (1976), 5th-Gen:, Dodge Diplomat (1982–1989)
Successor: Full-size:, Dodge St. Regis (1979–1981), 5th-Gen:, Dodge Intrepid (1993)

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.