Chrysler 180

[sierraman]

These are the almost archetypical Autoshite car, unpopular, uncompetitive irrelevant against the competition. But who has had one or experienced one? I’m fascinated because they’re pretty much forgotten bar the occasional individual in Spain running the barrieros engined diesel. 

[motorpunk]

Christ, I had to really rack my brain to remember what they are. Then gave up, and read the Wikipedia page. What an unloved thing it was. Didn’t know the Lonely Planet founder was one of the designers! 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_180
 

A late, Spanish built, diesel version sounds like sold gold shite to me. I wonder if there are any in the UK?

[Billy - Medhurst]

Sad fact - 1 of the only two cars I know of stolen from my dad in his long motoring career. Other was a Singer Vogue!.

[Spiny Norman]

I remember being maybe about 10 and my Dad had one for a couple of weeks while his Renault 16 was being repaired after an encounter with an errant Post Office van.
I can still see it now, brilliant white with a vinyl roof and the most amazingly fantastic ribbed orange velour upholstery. It was far better equipped than our low spec Renault which was still in the PVC seats and strip speedo era so this felt like a massive step up in the world. It even had a rev counter, what decadence!!

I was sad when it had to go back but Dad didn't like it, said it felt like a tank to drive and he was never one to be swayed by such fripperies as thick plush carpets and wood* trim.  They were never common in this country and I can't remember the last time I saw one.

[Spiny Norman]

70's -tastic!

[Spiny Norman]

They were quite a decent looking car, there must have been a reason they bombed here while the Granada and Victor thrived?

[Faker]

Big avenger on steroids. Used the same doors I believe 

[Braddon81]

5 minutes ago, Faker said:

Big avenger on steroids. Used the same doors I believe 

Same door handles but completely different doors. 

[Skut]

Big Avengers is how I vaguely remember them. They always looked a little narrow relative to their length.

[Amishtat]

This was my friend's example about four years ago, the oldest of the few I've ever seen on a J plate. Alive and well to this day in Kent,although someone fairly local to me has a very smart black one on either an S or a T, I can't remember which and frustratingly don't seem to have a photo of it. 

[UltraWomble]

4 hours ago, Faker said:

Big avenger on steroids. Used the same doors I believe 

This

I always thought it was just a bigger Avenger.

[sierraman]

When you look at the design proposals some of them looked really good. For some reason the French just went roughshod over the project and it looked like that

[Skut]

2 minutes ago, sierraman said:

When you look at the design proposals some of them looked really good. For some reason the French just went roughshod over the project and it looked like that

It was a Ryton design forced down Simcas throat by the American management.  At least that's how I remember Roy Axe putting it in an article about his time at Rootes.  

[eddyramrod]

Look at the Peugeot 405/605, then also look at the Austin 3-litre/1800/Maxi, and even the Ford Sierra/Scorpio.  Will they never learn?  Your range-topping "Big Car" needs to stand out!  That was the 180's problem, it looked too much like an Avenger, which was TWO sizes down.  If they had made it as a new Humber Hawk, with more luxury and standout details such as a Humberish grille, it might have done a lot better over here.  Too late now, of course.

[Six-cylinder]

Being car mad and reaching driving age in the 1970s I was aware of them, but not very interested.

Fast forward to 1982 and my friends girlfriend's father had a 2 Litre. I got asked to move the car across Aylesbury and my memory is while I like driving different cars this one was very dull. I remember being more impressed because out of the group I had been trusted to do the driving on a car that was not an old banger quite yet.

6/10 must do better, enter the Tagora! 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I e always thought it was the lack of a big engine and calling it a Chrysler were what made it unappealing . Pre Oil Crisis Ford sold a lot more V6 Consuls/ Granada’s than V4 , Vauxhall had the Ventora/ 3.3 Victor estate and BL had the 3 Litre and 2200. People liked 6 cylinders or at least 2 litres, ok the 2 litre came along but only as an auto so it was no faster.

Chrysler meant American to British people and more importantly to fleet managers, the only other cars marketed with a Chrysler badge were big Aussie things Chargers , etc.

The 180 should have been the Super Minx. Priced between a Hunter and V4 Consul.

The 2.0 Litre - Singer Vogue - 2000GXL Cortina rival.

Then a range topping Humber , which would need a 6 cylinder engine , if they couldn’t afford one then the smallest V8 Chrysler could ship over- it worked for Rover.

Not to worry the replacement had all this and of course was a raging success, oh wait...

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by NorfolkNWeigh
Because my iPod always changes Ventora to Ventura!

[Rocket88]

I had one back in the eighties, they were just "transport".....and never had anything that made them stand out....next to a Rover P6 they were pretty abysmal

[adw1977]

They were quite cheap, or at least by 1979 they were, even the 2 litre version costing less than the most basic Granada or Carlton.  But were the Chryslers as big?

Within the Chrysler range the 180 looks cheap, roughly the same price as an Alpine 1.4 GL.  Even the 2 litre costs less than a top of the range Alpine.

May 1979 Glass's Guide

[NorfolkNWeigh]

20 minutes ago, colc said:

I had one back in the eighties, they were just "transport".....and never had anything that made them stand out....next to a Rover P6 they were pretty abysmal

I was just thinking that I have no idea where they were in the market,  was the 2 Litre a Rover 2000 competitor? Was the 180 the same price as an Austin 1800 ?

The answer it seems, explains why no bugger bought them, they were very expensive for what they were .

I just managed to cut the 2200 SC off! It was £2532.

If you’d got 180 or 2 Litre money for a 4 door saloon , what would you buy?
i can’t choose but it would be out of a Dolly Sprint, Renault 16 TX or Consul 3000GT for me.

[adw1977]

180/2 litre page from a 1974 range brochure:

 

[adw1977]

3 minutes ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

I was just thinking that I have no idea where they were in the market,  was the 2 Litre a Rover 2000 competitor? Was the 180 the same price as an Austin 1800 ?

The answer it seems, explains why no bugger bought them, they were very expensive for what they were .

I just managed to cut the 2200 SC off! It was £2532.

If you’d got 180 or 2 Litre money for a 4 door saloon , what would you buy?
i can’t choose but it would be out of a Dolly Sprint, Renault 16 TX or Consul 3000GT for me.

What year are those prices from?  It seems Chrysler pricing got more realistic later on!

[sierraman]

I’d get the Consul 3000 GT. To my eyes the 180 looked too high and too narrow. Rectify those and it looks a lot more appealing. 

[lesapandre]

Very popular in Spain amongst taxi drivers - can't remember where they were made. Diesels.

Probably more successful than you might think.

I thing the original plan was to give it a Humber badge.

[lesapandre]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

I’d get the Consul 3000 GT. To my eyes the 180 looked too high and too narrow. Rectify those and it looks a lot more appealing. 

Some of this may have be predecated by the production line width and use of existing rear axle. Just a theory.

[lesapandre]

For Sale

!Mira lo que acabo de encontrar! - CHRYSLER 180 2.0 AUTOMATICO

https://www.milanuncios.com/venta-de-coches-clasicos/chrysler-180-2-0-automatico-368818257.htm?stc=em-product-android-send_friend

[martc]

1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

Very popular in Spain amongst taxi drivers - can't remember where they were made. Diesels.

Probably more successful than you might think.

I thing the original plan was to give it a Humber badge.

Up to 1975 they were made in France, at the SIMCA factory in Poissy, (which still makes Peugeots and Citroens). Production was then transferred to the Barrieos Diesel factory in Madrid. The Spanish built them up to 1982, the last ones were sold as Talbot 180's. The Made in Spain aspect was probably behind the wide spread use of 180's as taxis in Spain.

'In the asphalt jungle only the strong survive, like the Talbot 150 and 180 taxis'

[lesapandre]

Yea I can remember trips round Barcelona in them. Black and yellow and stinking of fags and hot plastic - not me...the taxi.

[ProgRocker]

Relatively bland, 4 doors with decent ride comfort. One of these would have fit the bill as our family car 35-40 years ago. My dad had a few Rootes-mobiles pre 1970 but by the mid 1970s he was loyal to Ford. 

My dad did actually consider a Tagora when it was time to get a nicer* car in 1988.👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

[ProgRocker]

From the 4 minute mark: presenter Shaw Taylor and his design expert guest examining the big Chrysler in 1972.

https://youtu.be/c13-Q3TbIHg

[155V6]

4 hours ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

I was just thinking that I have no idea where they were in the market,  was the 2 Litre a Rover 2000 competitor? Was the 180 the same price as an Austin 1800 ?

The answer it seems, explains why no bugger bought them, they were very expensive for what they were .

I just managed to cut the 2200 SC off! It was £2532.

If you’d got 180 or 2 Litre money for a 4 door saloon , what would you buy?
i can’t choose but it would be out of a Dolly Sprint, Renault 16 TX or Consul 3000GT for me.

What's the Uren Savage GT,a Cortina?

Hopefully a 2-door GT with the 3.0 V6😎