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1978-1980 Dodge Aspen

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Please note - the Dodge Aspen was available as a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, and 4-door station wagon. Unless mentioned otherwise, all information on this page, including production information, refers to the 2-door coupe only.

 

1978  A slight restyling brought a new 5-horizontal slat grill, new square parking lights, and new rear taillamps. The weight of the Aspen was reduced in areas such as the windshield, inner body panels, moldings, headliner, and brakes. The three separate Aspen models of the past - Coupe, Custom, and Special Edition, became just separate exterior and interior trim levels in 1978. This was just as well, as the options list for each model in the past was so extensive, that a base Aspen could easily be optioned up to a Special Edition model level anyway. The vinyl bucket seats were restyled, including a new "Spectrum" cloth and vinyl bucket seat which was colored white, yellow, orange, red, and black! The TorqueFlite automatic transmission now had a lock-up torque converter for increased gas mileage. The 318 cid V-8 now came with the electronic "Lean Burn" system.

 

For the enthusiast, all of the R/T packages returned, including the Decor and Sport Pak (previously known as the Super Pak) packages. One change in the R/T package was that the Sport Pak package was now available in black or white, instead of the mandatory black of the past.

 

The biggest debuts this year were the introduction of the Aspen "Super Coupe" and "Street Kit Car" packages. The Super Coupe included the 360 cid V-8, heavy-duty suspension, black dual racing mirrors, 15 X 8-inch GT wheels on GR60 X 15 raised white letter Aramid radial tires, black urethane painted front and rear bumpers, rear antisway bar, special black and dark brown paint treatment, wheel opening flares, front and rear spoilers, quarter window louvers, and special striping and insignia. The Street Kit Car package was Dodge's attempt at capitalizing on Richard Petty's racing efforts. The package included wheel opening flares, front and rear spoilers, side window louvers, #43 door and roof decals (which were delivered in the trunk to be added by the dealer), special two-tone red paint, and various stripes to try and make the car look like a race car. Power brakes, steering, and automatic transmission were required additional options with the Street Kit Car package. Unfortunately for Dodge, Richard Petty jumped ship and began racing GM cars by the time the Street Kit Car package became available, resulting in very few being sold. However, both the Super Coupes and Street Kit Cars were mean, powerful looking machines, and are highly prized by Mopar collectors today.

 

Sadly, this was also the most infamous year of the Aspen (and Plymouth Volare's ) existence. Due to inadequate rustproofing at the factory, Aspen and Volare front quarters were prone to premature rusting problems. Due to this, the largest recall in automotive history (up to that time) was initiated by Chrysler in 1978. Every 1976 and 1977 Aspen and Volare was recalled for possible replacement of the front quarters panels, costing the company millions of dollars. Beginning in 1978, all Aspens would be built with galvanized sheet metal and plastic splash shields for the front wheel wells to prevent further rust problems. Although future Aspens and Volares would not have the same rusting issues, the damage to their reputations was already done. From this point on, they would forever be known as rustbucket vehicles, a reputation that was not entirely accurate or fair.

 

 

 

 

1979  Sadly, the one-year only Super Coupe and Street Kit Car packages were gone in 1979. The R/T and Sport Pak packages were now combined into one R/T package. This package now included a 3-piece rear spoiler, quarter window louvers, cloth and vinyl bench seat, new hot-looking argent or gold-painted cast aluminum wheels on ER78 X 14-inch radial tires, heavy duty suspension, "Tuff" steering wheel, black painted grill, strobe body-side and rear tape stripes, and dual racing mirrors. Unfortunately, the great looking wheel well flares were no longer available. However, an additional R/T Handling Performance package was now available, which included extra heavy duty suspension, heavy duty shocks, a rear sway bar (an R/T first), and FR70 X 14 raised white letter tires. To get the R/T Handling Performance package, you had to get the R/T package and a V-8 engine.

 

A New "Sunrise" package became available on the Aspen this year (although oddly, The Standard Catalog of Chrysler lists 3,623 Sunrise Aspens being sold in 1978). This package included side window louvers, special strobe tape stripes and decals, D78 X 14-inch polyester tires, belt moldings, and high back plaid cloth and vinyl bucket seats with a plaid rear bench seat. A special Sunrise "Decor" package, available only with the Sunrise package, added 5-spoke road wheels with trim rings, two-tone paint, and special striping.

 

 

  

 

1980  The Aspen received another facelift this year, including a new grill with 3-horizontal dividers, rectangular front parking lights, new taillights, and new square headlights, now with halogen headlamps optional. The hood was smoothed out, giving the car a more high-end, upscale look. A new AM/FM cassette player with Dolby noise reduction became available this year. The 2-barrel "Super Six" and 360 cid V-8 engines were gone, leaving only the 225 cid 1-barrel slant six and 318 cid V-8 as the only available engines.

 

The Aspen Sunrise package returned, but without the extra Decor package option or the side window louvers. The R/T package also returned, now with vinyl bucket seats included with the package instead of the bench seats of the past. Also, Dodge saw fit to add another Aspen package, to complement the Custom and Special Edition packages. Called the "Special", this package included automatic transmission, power steering, cloth and vinyl bench seat, white sidewall radial tires with deluxe wheel covers, wheel opening moldings and body-side tape stripes. Like the other packages, all of these options could be added to any other Aspen as separate items.