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Dodge Monaco
Manufacturer	Chrysler Corporation
Production	1965–1978 1990–1992
Predecessor	Dodge Polara 500 (For 1965) Dodge Diplomat (For 1990)
Successor	Dodge St. Regis (for 1979) Dodge Intrepid (for 1993)

First generation
Production	1965–1977
Class	Full-size
Body style	2-door hardtop 4-door sedan 4-door hardtop 2-door convertible 4-door station wagon
Layout	FR layout
Platform	C-body
Engine	225 in³ Slant 6 I6 318 in³ LA V8 360 in³ LA V8 383 in³ B V8 400 in³ B V8 440 in³ RB V8
Wheelbase	121 in
Length	213.3 in
Width	80 in
Height	29.5 in
Similar	Ford LTD Pontiac Catalina

Second generation
Production	1977–1978
Class	Mid-size
Body style	4-door sedan 2-door hardtop 4-door station wagon
Layout	FR layout
Platform	B-body
Engine	225 in³ Slant 6 I6 318 in³ LA V8 400 in³ B V8
Similar	Datsun 810 Ford LTD II

Third generation
Production	1990–1992
Assembly	Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Class	Full-size
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FF layout
Platform	B-body
Engine	3.0 L PRV V6
Transmission	4-speed automatic
Wheelbase	106.0 in
Length	192.8 in
Width	70.0 in
Height	54.7 in
Related	Eagle Premier
Similar	Chevrolet Lumina Ford Taurus

The Dodge Monaco was a full-size automobile built and sold by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation (now DaimlerChrysler) between 1965 to 1978 and 1990 to 1992.

The Dodge Monaco was originally designed to compete with Pontiac's Grand Prix model in what came to be known as the personal luxury market. Introduced in 1965 as a hardtop coupe, the Monaco was based on the Dodge Polara two door hardtop coupe. The Monaco received special badging, different taillight and grille treatment, and a center console.

In Canada, the Monaco was Dodge's version of the Sport Fury, available in hardtop or convertible body styles. Unlike the American Monaco, the Canadian Monaco could be had with the 318 in³ V8 or even the slant six.

For 1966 the American Custom 880 series became the Monaco and the former Monaco became the Monaco 500. The Canadian Dodge hung onto the "Monaco" name for the Sport Fury equivalent and Polara 880 for the Fury III competitor.

In 1967, the Monaco name was applied to all premium trim level, full-sized Dodge products (sedans, coupes, and station wagons) in Canada, replacing the Polara 880 at the top of the Dodge line. Taking the Monaco's place as a premium full-size model was the Monaco 500, which was available only as a two-door hardtop and convertible. Dodge terminated the Monaco 500 at the end of the 1968 model run in the United States and 1970 in Canada.

Chrysler Canada Ltd. fielded a Dodge Monaco in Canada, which was also available as a convertible. However, Canadian Monacos were equipped with Plymouth dashboards in 1965 and 1966.

In 1969 Dodge Monaco and Polara models offered the "Super-Lite" option, which placed a quartz road lamp on the driver side grille for better visibility. Despite the fanfare, Dodge dropped the light option at the end of the year because of lack of consumer interest and various challenges to its legality in certain states.

As a result of the 1970s' energy crisis, Chrysler shifted the Monaco nameplate to the midsize B platform in 1977, retiring the Coronet name. For 1977, the older, larger Monaco remained available and was called the Dodge Royal Monaco. The nameplate disappeared at the end of the 1977 model year and was reincarnated as the Dodge St. Regis for 1979. The St. Regis was gone at the end of 1981.

Contents 1 1990-1992 2 Trivia 3 See also 4 Sources 5 External links

For 1987, Chrysler had bought the assets of American Motors, mostly for the Jeep brand. During 1990, Chrysler needed a way to sell the required amount of the newly introduced Renault-based Eagle Premiers. The Monaco name was briefly revived for a rebadged version of the Premier, differing only in a crosshair grille, different taillights and badging, as Dodge's top-of-the-line model.

Despite Dodge's larger dealer network, even fewer Monacos were sold than Eagles. The slightly smaller, if less technically advanced Dynasty was already a known entity and by far the more popular among Dodge buyers. The latter-day Monaco failed to gain wide acceptance from a public that was already wary of the reliability of previous French-designed AMC cars. Although it was built at the Brampton, Ontario plant in Canada, the new Monaco was never sold in Canada, because the Mitsubishi Galant-based 2000GTX was Dodge's top-line sedan in the early 1990s. The Monaco (and, for that matter, the Dynasty as well) was discontinued and dismissed as a market failure.

That would not be the end, however. The French-designed platform, its state of the art manufacturing plant, and the key executive from American Motors behind the Monaco's design would be the starting point to what many assumed was a completely new design, the very successful and highly rated "cab-forward" Dodge Intrepid in late 1992 when production resumed at Brampton Assembly.

Monacos were popular as police cars and a 1974 police model nicknamed "The Bluesmobile" appears as the vehicle purchased by Elwood Blues in the 1980 comedy film The Blues Brothers.

Many of these police car Monacos of the 1970s (and its sister car, the Plymouth Fury) were torpedoed in the air or destroyed in Hollywood car stunt scenes in that decade and in the 1980s. The Dukes of Hazzard was infamous for the use (and destruction) of mid to late-1970s Dodge Monacos and Plymouth Furys.

A 1977 Royal Monaco is the Police cruiser seen exiting the station behind the title in every episode of Hill Street Blues.

• Plodge

• Burness, Tad, American Car Spotter's Guide (Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1978 & 1981)

• 1969 - 1973 Dodge Monaco at Fuselage.de site
• 1969 Dodge Monaco "Super-Lite" Ad (jpg format)

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