The Dodge Aspen, produced from 1976 to 1980, was a compact car from Chrysler Corporation's Dodge division; its Plymouth-branded counterpart was the Volaré ("volare" is Italian, and it means "fly, soar, fly by, fall off, or pass quickly"). It was launched as a two-door coupe, a four-door sedan, and a unique-for-the-segment station wagon. By the end of their production run, the Aspen and Volaré would be considered intermediate cars.
The Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré were introduced in the fall of 1975 as 1976 models, and were collectively named Motor Trend's "Car of the Year" for 1976. They were the successors to the A-body Plymouth Valiant, Duster, and Dodge Dart. The Dart, Valiant, and Duster were sold alongside the Aspen and Volaré for part of the 1976 model year, then discontinued.
The Aspen and Volaré were produced for 5 model years, 1976 through 1980. For 1981, they were replaced by the smaller front-wheel-drive K-cars — the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant — and the M-body Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury, which were very similar in structure, size, and engineering to the F-body Aspen and Volaré.
The Aspen and Volaré were designed to be somewhat more luxurious than the A-body models, at least in the most expensive models. The new cars also continued the A-body pattern of different wheelbases for coupés versus the sedans and wagons. Aspen and Volaré 2-doors had a 108.7-inch (2,760 mm) wheelbase. Sedans and wagons got a 112.7-inch (2,860 mm) wheelbase.
Read more about Dodge Aspen: Production History, Around The World, After The F-body
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