Fleet Use
After 1979, the bulk of St. Regis sales were for fleet use. The St. Regis, along with the Plymouth Gran Fury and even the Chrysler Newport, did sell as a police car during the early 1980s, although it is generally accepted that the cars were not as good—or as fast—as previous Chrysler Corporation police cars. Despite this, the 1979 St Regis, when equipped with the 360 cu in (E58 option) and 49-state police specification package, is considered one of the all-around, best performing and handling, police cars of the century. Most perceptions that the St. Regis was slower comes from police officers moving out of 440-powered cruisers. Using the same final drive ratio, the Michigan State Police tests found the 1979 St. Regis to be a superior performer to the 400 powered 1978 Monaco, in all areas except gas consumption, though performance definitely dropped as drive ratio and engine sizes went down.
| Performance comparison | 78 Fury | 78 Monaco | 79 St. Regis | 80 St. Regis | 81 St. Regis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine (cid) | 440 | 400 | 360 | 360 | 318 |
| HP, SAE | 255 bhp | 190 bhp | 195 bhp | 185 bhp | 165 bhp |
| Axle ratio | 2.71:1 | 3.21:1 | 3.21:1 | 2.94:1 | 2.94:1 |
| Weight (lbs) | 4,413 | 4,369 | 4,530 | 4,100 | 4,086 |
| Wheelbase (in) | 117.4 | 117.4 | 118.5 | 118.5 | 118.5 |
| Road course lap time | 91.1 | 93.6 | 91.65 | 91.8 | 93.93 |
| 0–60 mph | NA | NA | 10.1 | 11.3 | 12.76 |
| 0–100 mph | 24.8 | 34.4 | 30.2 | 36.7 | 45.72 |
| Top Speed, mph | 133 | 117 | 122.9 | 122.7 | 114.7 |
| Braking, ft/sec2 | 23.3 | 22.6 | 21.4 | 23.5 | 23.67 |
| 1/4 mi. time | NA | NA | NA | 18.4 | 19.63 |
| 1/4 mi speed | NA | NA | NA | 77.5 | 74.50 |
| Fuel, EPA city | 10 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 15.5 |
Read more about this topic: Dodge St. Regis
Famous quotes containing the word fleet:
“They ... fleet the time carelessly, as they did in the golden world.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“On the middle of that quiet floor
sits a fleet of small black ships,
square-rigged, sails furled, motionless,
their spars like burned matchsticks.”
—Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979)