The images of this Mopar trio are courtesy of Hyperpack, and were recently uploaded to the Cohort. As someone put it, it’s quite an overdose of cream-colored Aspen/Volarés. The vehicles are part of a collection that’s currently being shipped out, discarded, and more (Update: These three will remain in the family).
In case you wonder, the sticker in the Volaré’s back window reads “All I got is a slant six.” It’s far easier to read in the original Cohort image, and yes, there are more of these Pentastar products up there. Quite a catch of Mopar goods in the family lot. At least until they’re all gone.
But let’s enjoy this trio for the time being, as they’re quite the time-warp machine when seen together.
Further reading:
Curbside Classic: 1978 Dodge Aspen – Defying Expectations Since The Carter Administration
CC Capsule 1980 Dodge Aspen – Say Goodbye, For Now
If you watch Bob’ Burgers there wagon is drawn very accurate in the newer ones so of the older there drawings are not as good Nice collection here / pics I had a 78 wagon with the 6 auto. it was Very underpowered ! I think the factory blocked off so you could not manually shift / hold first ! but I always liked wagons grew-up with a 58 Plymouth then a 61 Chrysler Now at 70 a 2000 Taurus wag with the DOHC so at least its got guts
Like the GM fwd X-Cars, the great initial popularity of these, significantly amplified the public relations damage from their record recalls. And poor build quality. In their first year, the F-body wagons replaced the Pinto wagon, as the top selling wagon in the US.
The inside tops of the front fenders was probably the highest profile area, where rust started on these. The primary source of rust perforation in the FTC action against Chrysler, to pay for replacement fenders. Another source of more superficial body rust, was the mounting drill holes for the Custom exterior package. The chrome and vinyl bodyside trim, seen on the two Aspens here. You can see all the clips, and necessary drill holes, below. I thought the F-Bodies looked far tidier without this dated looking trim.
Other than the transverse torsion bar front suspension layout, itself quite conventional, the technology in these was very traditional. Another reason why, the poor build quality, and recalls were especially embarrassing. And a major black eye for Chrysler.
The basic ruggedness of the Slant Six, and 318, helped many of these last a long time, even as their bodies were rusting badly.
Mounting clips, requiring drill holes.
All of these are 1978-79 models. It’s impossible to pin the wagon down more than that due to a lack of changes at the rear but it has the ’78-9 grille. The sedan is a ’78, the only year for amber rear turn signals, while the coupe’s a ’79 with its’ late-style taillights modified with the backup lights where the amber signals had been on ’78 Volares and the former backup light spots filled with extra reflectors.
The owner has made some edits of their own to the trim on these. The Aspen wagon appears to have ‘Special Edition’ badges adhered above both rear side marker lights.
A 1979 Aspen Special Edition wagon appears in the ’79 brochure, with the widely-spaced ‘D O D G E’ lettering, on the tailgate. I’ve seen most ’79 wagons, without it. All the ’76 through ’78 wagons I recall, had the widely-spaced lettering. Why, I think that would identify this, as a ’79 wagon. It is possible, Chrysler used earlier rear views of Aspen wagons, perhaps explaining the ’79 Aspen Special Edition wagon, seen in promotional material with the lettering. Owner could have removed that rear ‘Dodge’ lettering as well.
I also think the concentric line tape trim seen between the taillights on coupes, was new for 1979.
Bumpers look much less stark, with the rub strips, and bumper guards added.
The “Aspen sdn” was my aunt/uncles car. Drove pretty nice, had covered parking so it stayed fresh longer. Was a low mileage car too, both were older by then.
My uncle had an accident in “81”; totaled it.
They look pretty nice to me .
I hope someone takes good care of them .
-Nate
A local family that run an evening car cruise own a similar wagon with a hopped up v8. Worst color ever but cool cars anyway. Had my share of slant mopars, 69 gt convertible, 71 valiant sedan and 73 Plymouth scamp hardtop… Great cars, My 69 dart gt vert…
I remember a “copperish” color, one of these used to be parked in the “intermediate school” lot.’ Top was black.
Don’t recall if I knew who drove it.
Teachers/adm/ support staff, all parked in the lot.
Like the Mustang II and Monza, many performance, appearance, and trim packages, were offered on these. The Sport Wagon appearance package offered in 1979 and 1980, was one of the rarer appearance packages. With flares and front spoiler, a look that very much says, ‘1979’. lol
Hello All, and thank you Rich for sharing my MoPar madness with other readers of the Curbside Classic Site.
In this trio, the ’79 Coupe is Actually a Volare’ with the factory Duster Package which means nothing except for 2 tone paint, in this case Light Cashmere and Medium Cashmere Metallic, Groovy Plaid Seats, and of course the window Louvers. It acquired it in 1996 through the car lot where I worked for my dad. It was a kidney foundation car that was donated and came through th auction. My dad paid $400 1996 dollars for it. It had 73,000 Miles then. It now has over 238,000 Miles.These are my cars and not my fathers’ so they are not going anywhere, I plan to keep on driving and enjoying the Pair of ’79’s
The wagon is a ’79 Aspen Special Edition from the San Fransisco Bay Area where is resided until about 1999 or 2000. It came to me via a dedicated MoPar F body collector in mid Michigan. It is all original, a true survivor- paint, interior mechanicals – everything. It had Just a skosh over 100,000 miles when I purchased it in August of ’03 and now, it sports 123,000 miles. We Just took it on a fall family trip to Maryland in October 2023.
There are a lot of pictures of all of these on the albums under my Flickr page under the user hyperpack.
The last one of the trio is another Light cashmere beauty, the 1978 Aspen Custom Sedan. I have since sold this one and it was by far the most original car I have ever owned. 24,000 Miles when I bought it, Original everything, interior, paint, exhaust, factory Muffler and Resonator with the pentastar stamped on it. I bought it from used car lot in McClendandtown, PA. It seems to have spent most of it’s life probably sitting somewhere in West Virginia before I acquired it. Cold R-12 AC worked fantastic and the lean burn fired off 318. It was fresh and ready for a trip any time. I liked to keep the miles low so I never drove it much.
My Goal was to have 3 F bodies in the same color and with all 3 body styles. I achieved that and downsized a bit so that I could focus on other projects. These F bodies can be quirky at the beginning of the malaise era they are not performance cars, heavy, etc. But I like them and they are simple and don’t fuss too much for me. I drove the ’79 Duster to work yesterday as I often do.
Have a great holiday season everyone!
Love them all! Thank you for preserving and letting them be shared with us CC readers.
I think the ’78 restyle was most effective on the Aspen, where the grille now had a more logical rectangular shape, versus the more horizontal placement of the 1976 and ’77 models, with the turn signals in the bumper.
Always liked that the Duster returned as an option package for ’79. Your cars are all nice, but the Volaré coupe would be my personal pick of I could have only one. Also enjoyed reading the backstory.
I do like your collecting strategy, and those are 3 nice cars. I too am particularly partial to the Aspen wagon. At the time it was new, I disparaged these small wagons…but 40+ years later, I think they’re pretty much the perfect size and would welcome one as a regular driver.
It’s always good to see cars being collected that used to be so very common but nowadays are quite rare to find.
On the increasingly rare occasions when I see an F body wagon, I am reminded of how much I always liked them. My dilemma is finding the sweet spot. I like the trim details on the 76-77 best, but those tended to be the most problematic on many fronts. The 80s were probably the best, but they always seemed cheapened and dumbed-down a bit. Sadly, these bold grilles from 78-79 were my least favorites of the run, but other details were pretty good. Maybe I would need to stick with an early Diplomat or LeBaron. 🙂
It is good to see someone who has cared for these very unloved cars for all these years. I hope the sedan found a good home.
What a strange choice for a collection! In 100 years of Chrysler products, the Aspen was the only serious engineering error. Chrysler made styling and marketing errors every year, but never failed in drivetrains or suspensions. Until the Aspen.
The Aspen/Volare weren’t engineering failures. The engineering was very conventional. And considered sound in that regard. They were production and build quality near disasters. At least for the ’76 and ’77 model years.
That’s why I would name it The ASSpen! L0L
I wouldn’t drive anything after 1972, bc I do NOT need a railroad tie strapped on my car’s front and back! If I owned one of these I would REMOVE the ‘ties’… at least the front one!
Well, that would be interesting, given that by 1979 these cars were designed fully with that front bumper in mind.
Most of the “second generation” cars with the 5mph bumpers handled them better than the cars converted to use them, and the F bodies are no exception. When I think of the faults of these I think lean burn, rust and torsion bar failure well before those.
I’ll also add while I think the law was stupid I wouldn’t turn down a car on principal for having them, I always wondered to the people who hate 5mph bumpers have a problem with bumper designs from the 1950s and earlier where they were often equally large and protruding but more functional as bumpers.
At least at Chrysler in ’73 it was just blocks of rubber.
I always wondered why Chrysler changed the name of 2 successful names Dart/Valiant.
The Aspen/Volare was essentially Chrysler’s Granada/Monarch, not so much replacing the predecessors of the same size but providing an economical alternative for buyers typically seeking intermediates (which outside the PLCs had lost favor with families with their thirsty ponderous dimensions and weight). The F bodies were in many ways all new cars, both physically and in mission from the previous A/B/Cs, so the new names were merited.
Nothing’s sacred, especially back then. Nova did Chevrolet well through the 70s, and it likewise filled a similar role for Chevrolet in the later half of the decade as a better equipped “small” car, yet the name was thrown out in favor of the Citation in 1980.
Handsome cars these, shame about the problematic introduction, make mine a plain coupe with Rallye wheels a 318 and hold the quarter window louvres.
Even the low-end beige cream is not cheap https://www.kijiji.ca/v-voiture-collection/ouest-de-lile-qc/1973-dodge-dart-fully-restored-a-c-south-carolina-car-i6-eco/m6160925
*Very* pretty but nowhere near restored .
-Nate
I grew up in Valiant / Dart family. My first car was a well worn 70 Dart. When we moved onto Aspens they seemed so much better. The ride was smoother, the cars were quieter, modern inside, and overall there was the sense of a more sophisticated car. My parents had the usual problems with theirs but a 79 I had in college was a reliable car. I still think they look great and would love a clean survivor. A Volare Premiere or Aspen SE sedan with the 2bl super six or 318 would be a treat, especially with velour and AC.
What these F-J-M body mopars lack in power or simple sheer performance from the pre ’74 mopars is made up by multiple facets of convenience options, decor options and better basic features as compared to the A body platform. I have 5 A Body MoPars as well and I love them too. The F body’s have the 5×4.5″ bolt pattern standard, disc brakes standard, and front sway bars standard on evey one made.
Build quality can be sketchy as Chrysler was in dire straights at this pre-Iacocca time. Other than the Omni/Horizon or Mitsubishi derived colt, this was the basic compact car of the day. Quality control as well as fit and finish was much better on big Chrysler’s at the time, not the lower price point basic Dodges or Plymouths.
Seemingly thousands were used as squad cars on lots of police shows, as well as shows like the A team along with the full size crown victorias and LTD’s from ford and the caprices from GM. Why were there so many F-M platform cars used in the movies? Maybe price, availability, maybe even reliability? Who knows.
One of my favorite scenes featuring an F Body car chase is the french film, Le Marginal.. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/nX4owURuSaI?si=o3TWc-kZ9uYVq-jn