Chrysler AP3 Royal |
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| Manufacturer | Chrysler Australia |
|---|---|
| Production | 1957-1964 |
| Assembly | Mile End, South Australia [1] |
| Class | Full-size |
| Body style | Chrysler Royal 4-door sedan Chrysler Plainsman 5-door station wagon Chrysler Wayfarer 2-door coupe utility Chrysler Panel Van 2-door panel van |
The Chrysler Royal is an automobile which was produced by Chrysler Australia from 1957 to 1964.
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The first version of the Chrysler Royal, the AP1, was introduced in February 1957.[2] It was a development of the American Plymouth P25 design of 1953 which had itself been produced by Chrysler Australia, marketed as the Plymouth Cranbrook, the Dodge Kingsway and the Desoto Diplomat.[2] Plans to market the updated version under these three names were dropped late in the development program and the new model would be sold only as the Chrysler Royal[2] thus revising a name used by Chrysler in the US market [2] from 1937 to 1950.
The Royal differed from the P25 in using front and rear mudguards similar to those on the 1956 US Plymouth and a rear window which was larger than that of the P25.[2] The AP1 Royal was produced only as a four-door sedan and was offered with two versions of Chrysler's valve-in-block straight-6 engine: a 230.2 cu in (3.8 L) with manual transmission and a 250.6 cu in (4.1 L) with the Powerflite 2-speed automatic. Chrysler's 313 cu in (5.1 L) polyspherical-head V8 was introduced as an option during the AP1 model run.[2]
A revised Royal, the AP2 was introduced in late 1958.[2] This series featured a new grille and unusual rear styling with additional “saddle fins” grafted on to the exiting tailfins.[2]
The final version of the Royal was the AP3 which was introduced during 1960.[2] The new series was easily distinguished from its predecessors by its vertically stacked quad headlamps and triple tail lights similar to those of the 1959 US Desoto models.[2] Chrysler's 3-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission replaced the 2-speed PowerFlite automatic of the AP2.[2] Production ceased in 1964.[2]
In addition to the Royal sedan, Chrysler Australia also produced the following Royal based derivatives:
