The P-bodies were also engineered to offer a more rewarding, “fun-to-drive” experience than previous compact Chryslers. With a strong target market of both first-time new car and females buyers, the Sundance/Shadow sought to offer higher levels of content and refinement than the Mopars they replaced. Reportedly costing some $600 million to develop, the Sundance and nearly identical Dodge Shadow were Chrysler’s answer to cars such as the Ford Escort, GM J-cars, and less realistically, the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. Riding on a shortened version of the K body, originally designated the “P-platform” (called the “AP” from 1989-onward), the Sundance coupe and sedan were actually 3- and 5-door hatchbacks (or “liftbacks” the official marketing term varied by model year), cleverly disguised by the car’s notchback design.
Sold for the 1987 through 1994 model years, the Sundance was Plymouth’s compact sedan and coupe, which would collectively replace the Horizon, Turismo, and Reliant, as these vehicles were phased out between 1987-1990. Throughout history, the names of related Dodge and Plymouth models generally shared little to no relation with one another, until this Dodge-Plymouth duo of compacts, which coincidently was the last not to share a common name. Although they aren’t exactly opposites, “Sundance” tends to evoke jovial images of light and cheeriness while “Shadow” tends to elicit a darker and gloomier state of mind. It’s also interesting to note that “Sundance” was the Plymouth version, as by the end of this car’s run it was the Plymouth brand in a very gloomy state, and Dodge was dancing closer to the sun with rising sales and popularity.
So while the article mainly covers the Sundance, my official “Curbside Classic” is a Shadow.
#Planeshift price list full
Full Disclosure: I completed this article on the Plymouth Sundance for CJCZ92’s Cohort photos, only to find this black cherry pearl 1990 Dodge Shadow I couldn’t pass up using.
0 kommentar(er)
