M body Newport

[Carmine]

Anybody ever seen one?

The last Newport (in the USA) was the 1981 R body version. Yet the name carried on in Chrysler publications till the end of M body production... well past a one-year mistake like the 1980 300, cancelled at the last minute.

Yet I've never seen even one ad or photo. My guess is they were simply export-market Diplomats with Chrysler Newport badging. Yet still odd to never find even a single mention/photo in this day of the internet.

So now that I'm a member of the world's foremost M body site; I pose the question. What say the group?

 

[Dr Lebaron]

The Newport model name nearly made a comeback in early 1984 as an addition to the M-Body (Dodge Diplomat, Plymouth Gran Fury, Chrysler Fifth Avenue) lines. Orders were taken by Chrysler-Plymouth dealers, but at the last minute, the would-be Newport was marketed as the Dodge Diplomat SE. This model used the same waterfall grille as the Chrysler Fifth Avenue with the exception of a horizontal bar running across the center to mimic the other "crosshair" grilles in the Dodge lineup.

 

[Carmine]

The Newport model name nearly made a comeback in early 1984 as an addition to the M-Body (Dodge Diplomat, Plymouth Gran Fury, Chrysler Fifth Avenue) lines. Orders were taken by Chrysler-Plymouth dealers, but at the last minute, the would-be Newport was marketed as the Dodge Diplomat SE. This model used the same waterfall grille as the Chrysler Fifth Avenue with the exception of a horizontal bar running across the center to mimic the other "crosshair" grilles in the Dodge lineup.

Yes, that I knew. However, the name was kept in official literature, press releases and (as shown) service manuals. If this ended after '84, i'd attribute it to the usual last-minute cancellations.

I did hear, once... forget where, that the nameplate was used in markets outside North America. My guess would be an absolute trickle of vehicles to the middle-east or perhaps Europe; markets where the Dodge name wasn't used during the 80s.