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Junkyard Gem: 1988 Dodge Aries America LE Station Wagon

During the late 1970s, Chrysler appeared doomed as outdated car designs and a second catastrophic oil crisis caused by Middle Eastern conflict hammered sales. Chrysler had some successful economy cars made by Mitsubishi or based on Simca designs, but the need for an efficient, modern front-wheel-drive platform grew desperate. After a government bailout in 1979 bought some time, CEO Lee Iacocca masterminded the creation of the all-new K Platform, which hit showrooms for the 1981 model year. The first two K-Cars, the Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries, were big sales successes, and Chrysler went on building vehicles based on the platform through 1995. Here's an example of the later Aries wagon, found in a Phoenix self-service wrecking yard. The "true" K-Cars were the Aries, the Plymouth Reliant, the Chrysler LeBaron, and the Dodge 400. They have become very rare in wrecking yards today, so I honor their historical significance by documenting the ones I find. During my junkyard expeditions, I have photographed this '81 Aries wagon, this '81 Reliant wagon, this '82 Aries wagon, this '82 400 coupe, this '82 LeBaron convertible, this '83 Aries sedan, this '83 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, this '85 LeBaron woodie convertible, this '86 Aries sedan, this '86 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, this '86 Reliant wagon, and this '89 Reliant coupe. The early K-Cars could be purchased with optional Mitsubishi Astron 2.6-liter four-cylinder (complete with "HEMI 2.6" badging), but in 1988, the choices were down to a 93-horsepower 2.2-liter Chrysler-built four-cylinder or a 2.5-liter version of the same engine rated at 96 horses and 13 extra pound-feet of torque. This car has the 2.2. The "America LE" trim level was the only one available for the 1988 Aries, and it resulted in a fairly Spartan car. Tough, scratchy cloth upholstery and lots of hard plastic were the order of the day. The MSRP on this car started at $7,695, or about $16,770 in 2018 dollars. That's a lot of car for that kind of money. For comparison, the rear-wheel-drive (and much bigger) 1988 Pontiac Safari wagon went for nearly twice that price. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. By 1988, the Aries wagon was looking pretty old, but it was a bargain.

Happy Halloween, cats and kittens!

Happy Halloween, everybody. There's no real Hellcat news in this post. No growl of the second-scariest Dodge Challenger SRT's 707-horsepower engine, no shriek of its supercharger. Just a Hellcat on a photo shoot. A little eye candy on Halloween. In a graveyard. With a black cat. (No cats were doomed to hell in the making of this feature.) But a Hellcat is a good kind of scary, so here are some of our previous galleries. And may a Hellcat cross your path soon. View 18 Photos View 17 Photos View 80 Photos Related Video:

Dodge Durango gets performance Mopar options for R/T, SRT

Fiat Chrysler is showing new performance add-ons for the 2018 Dodge Durango R/T and SRT models at the Chicago Auto Show, including the familiar Dodge dual center stripes and a new Mopar exhaust system. The 475-horsepower SRT model, which is powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi V8, will also offer a lowering spring kit and a carbon-fiber instrument panel. The signature two-stripe treatment blankets the three-row SUV from the front to rear fascia and is tailored to the signature NACA duct-hood vent. It'll come in five different colors — bright blue, flame red, gunmetal low gloss (metallic finish), low-gloss black and sterling silver — and retail for $1,195 starting in March. View 7 Photos Mopar developed its new bolt-on performance exhaust systems with Dodge SRT engineers and designers to improve flow and achieve that sweet sound. It features a chromium 304 stainless steel construction to make it more resistant to corrosion, with stainless steel band-style clamps and welded and polished 4-inch tips. It costs $1,595 for the Durango R/T and is available now. On the SRT, the price goes up to $1,850, with the package available in the second quarter. New Mopar springs improve the Durango SRT's high-speed cornering stability and consistency by lowering the SUV an average of 15 millimeters, or 0.6 inches. They were developed with proprietary Dodge SRT data not available to the aftermarket to tune the lowering springs to the factory dampers, giving the vehicle less rear-end squat during acceleration, less nose dive while braking and reduced body roll on corners. MSRP on the package, which is available now, is $325. For just under $2,500 you can get the SRT Interior Appearance Group package, which adds a premium-wrapped carbon-fiber instrument panel and door bezels, Dinamica soft-touch headliner and accent paint on speaker trim rings. The Chicago Auto Show is open to the public Feb. 10-19. Related Gallery 2018 Dodge Durango R/T, SRT Mopar performance options Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Chicago Auto Show Dodge SUV Performance tuning sport utility vehicle