All of those cars bring back a lot of memories. My parents bought their house in 1978 and they still live there 39 years later, the 70s were a fun era.
I called a Dodge dealership and asked if they has any '78 Monaco's. He said they sold out of them about 37 years ago. Damn, I missed out on a great car at a great price.
At 10 years old in ‘78, I remember feeling that the LTD II had the best styling. The Malibu was the most modern, but had odd proportions. The Monaco seemed like a dinosaur! Was a tough time for a kid like me who really loved cars.
In about 1979 or 1980, I use to work for a Dodge Dealer. The biggest in New England, it was factory owned by Chrysler. We use to beat on the Dodge Omni's and sometimes the Aspens....by driving them down in the back of the lot and pulling up the emergency break and making the car spin in a circle.....we use to call it doing "Dukes" lol from the TV show, so I agree, Rosco would be proud. lol
OsbornTramain You Know It's Funny That My Grandmother Bought One In 1977 Brand New & Kept That Car Till 1990 With 32,000 Original Miles On It When She Trade It In For A 1989 Fifth Avenue From A Left Over. I Believe It Had A 318 V-8. Correct Me If I'm Wrong. Wow!!! They Don't Make Cars The Way They've Used To Anymore. LOL!!! Go Figure.
Yeah, it's a beauty. I got my parents to look at 78 Monaco's when My mom wanted to trade in her 75 Hornet, the Hornet was a nice car but too small for the family. We bought instead, a left over 77 Diplomat and got an amazing deal.....but deep down, I really wanted the Monaco, but by then, the Monaco was kind of old looking where the Diplomat was really modern and more luxurious looking.
OsbornTramain Whatever Happened To Good Ole Fashioned American Build Cars? You Know The Ones Where You Can Get Under The Hood And Fix It Yourself (Minor Stuff). My Uncle Had A New 85 Dodge Lancer GTS With A 5 Speed Turbo 4 Cylinder Engine. He Loved That Car & The Price Was Just Right For It's Day. God, Where's A "Lee Iococca" When You Need Him Most? LOL!!!
Bailout because instead of nodding to the downsized Malibu and following, they doubled down and tried to make you feel stupid for buying a smaller car lol
Chrysler did not take any money in the "bail out". The Government basically co-signed the loan, becoming Guarantor in the event Chrysler defaulted on the payments. As it turned out, Chrysler was able to repay the loans ahead of schedule. The US Federal Government did not write a single cheque nor did the pay a single penny
With my 78 Monaco's 225 six, my four door sedan wheezed up a hill. It had four fifty air conditioning, or four windows down at fifty miles per hour. And, the sticky vinyl seats sweated gallons of sweat off me. That feature saved me from expensive spa treatments. What a deal.
Can anybody imagine giving up power steering to save a few bucks? SMH! How times have changed? I can remember when it was a big deal to buy a new car with air conditioning and 4 speaker FM stereo!
I just bought one of these. It was a Detective driven ex-county car. They special ordered it with some of the police stuff. 400 big block police(no lean burn) higher rear axle ratio with traction lock, factory transmission temp gauge, bigger alternator, 140mph speedo, etc. Not the police handling package, but a lot of the other goodies. Dark blue, with a light blue roof and light blue interior, lol. It's too blue. Paint is toast. It is the most rust free original 70's car I have ever seen in my life. Going to give it a matte/satin black paint, very slight tint on the windows, and see about an OD transmission. Rides great, drives nice. Brings back memories of driving stuff like this in the 80's. I think cars had more personality and were more fun back then. Jellybean army of crossovers nowdays is basically the opposite.
Ah, yes! The Great Monaco/Malibu War of 1978! The blood of the Malibuites flowed heavily in the streets! Righteous Monaco partisans led a mighty campaign! General Tom Kite led us to victory with confidence! We raised the holy Pentastar flag above the withered and mangled burning corpses of our enemies! ALL HAIL THE MONACO!!!
the handling issue of the Charger of your friends might have been particular to his car. These Coronets were favored by Police Departments due to their outstanding handling charactoristics over any mid sized car during the 70's. Torsion bars may have been 1950's technology at the time but Chrysler really pioneered their usage.
My Grandparents had an LTD2 and believe me it was much bigger looking outside but inside it was cramped. I remember riding to Indiana where we are from in it and it was small. Before that he had LTD full size . 4 kids and 3 adults (with my Aunt) had plenty of room in the LTDs he had. They only had the LTD 2 a couple of years.
@@kevinwong6588 I remember hearing about the Torino's and Ford LTD's interior room being smaller than the Ford Fairmont's, I can see why Ford Fairmont's were selling like crazy when they first came out, too bad the Chevy Citation stole some of the sales away from the Ford Fairmont although more Fairmont's were on the road after 2000.
The sales techniques actually were quite valid, good ideas, considering what buyers (of what used to be called "personal luxury" cars) were looking for at that time (I wish I could get a '78 Monaco coupe with the 360 V8!). The late 1970's was the end of the line for these large coupes and sedans, though, and Chrysler unfortunately didn't see the market for them drying up in time to avoid needing huge bailouts a couple of years later.
Jorge Rodriguez Sure, but nevertheless today Fwd cars are more secure and use less gas, also more reliable. I love 70s cars because they represent an era of good wealth and good life (at least in my country), spacious and beautiful cars and trucks, not only that, a way of life more relaxed and fun, smoking wasn't a sin-felony like nowadays, life was free of todays excesive technology.
yousef rghebi I'm a witness of that, in my country (Venezuela) many many people still using them, of course because getting a newer car is ridiculously expensive, but thanks to the american engineering we still have these great cars and trucks from the 60's, 70s and 80's.
Jorge Rodriguez Sorry but at least in your country you can find new cars available, here you don't, the newest toyotas (4runners, corollas and land cruisers, and only those 3 models) are imported for the goverment and military institutes, and for highly rich people (from the goverment and military too, and their family and friends) other new cars you could find are chinese dong fengs, and cherys and that shit, also ultra expensive and for relatives from people of the goverment and the military, and if you want to buy one, you have to pay a BIG commission to the guy who hooked you up to be first in the waiting list, making a chinese shitty car as expensive as any luxury car, and that's the point; every car here is a luxury, even old beat down cars, that's why we are like cuba now, almost the 95% of the cars here are from 15 to 60 years old. Venezuela wasn't like this shit like nowadays, but now with all these dictators communist running the goverment, all went to the sewer.
I was a policeman and have been driving for 42 years and we had all these cars in the police versions. The 1978 Ford LTD 2 has to stand out as the worst car I've ever driven in my life; overweight, under powered with a huge hood, small interior and hard seats that made my legs go numb. The 79 Malibu cop car with heavy duty suspension was one of the best for its time, as was the 78 Nova. The Monaco was in the middle, competent but boring.
My grandfather had an LTD 2, and it was like sitting in a bathtub. The seats were so low, it was a really strange feeling. It wasn't one of Ford's better offerings.
78 was the last year you could get a 440 in a Monaco patrol car. Too bad the civilian models didn’t have that option. GM and Ford had nothing to compare to that.
Most Manufacturers offered a 6 in the mid-size class. You could buy a Full Sized Chevy with a 6. AMC had Midsized Matador with the 258 Six. Not everyone wanted a V8. Most people opted for 6's in the 70's. The cars had power because they weren't like todays cars that are weighed down by options like computers, stereos, speakers sound deadeners, etc etc etc....these cars from the 70's may be dimensionally bigger than cars of today, but they were way lighter than today's cars.
Los automóviles DODGE son los mejores en todos los tiempos, en especial el Royal Monaco tiene un diseño espectacular, muy confortable, potente y seguro, lastima que los autos de hoy no sean como antes.
I like the Malibu's crisp styling. Those downsized cars proved very popular, and to me it looks like history repeating. Take the introduction of smaller cars in the early 60's. What happened in the late 70's was just as sobering.
My first 4 cars were all armstrong equipped steering, it had advantages with no pump, hoses etc and the steering ratio is higher so you really don’t notice much difference until you parallel park - I know quite a few others that prefer non assisted steering. We love our clutch pedals too
In 1978, buyers could choose from so many good-looking coupes that were capable of functioning both as a family car or a personal luxury car. I like the styling of the Ford the best of these three, but a Ford showroom had three cars at the time that "looked like a Thunderbird," the Fairmont Futura, this LTD II and the Thunderbird itself. There were also Granada coupes. PLUS each Ford had a Mercury equivalent. These days, there's nothing like these cars in a Ford showroom.
El que pudo ser mi primer auto fue un Malibú. No tenía todo el dinero para comprarlo y decidí por un Renault finalmente. Era muy Joven. Pasaba a mirarlo cuando podía. Hermoso y nostálgico reportaje.👍👍🇨🇱
I long for someone to build a time machine that could take me back to this time period. So many things I would do while revisiting the late 70's, and one of them would be to stop into every dealership and test drive all the makes and models I can while they're brand new. Of course, I would have been a preschooler the year they filmed this, but it would be marvelous to go back and find out what it was like to live as a middle-class adult at that time.
Ordinarily, I love both cars. Fact: far too many police versions of the Monaco (and its predecessor, the Coronet, and its twin, the Plymouth Fury) had been completely destroyed during filming of many movies and TV crime shows, yet the civilian version had survived the years. By the way, I have several Johnny Lightning versions of both cars.
Awesome video! Although I grew up with Chevy cars, I've always liked Mopar cars. I find all three cars attractive. What I liked about the Monaco are its size, build, and standard equipment vs. Malibu and LTD.
Chrylser was behind in styling and fuel economy at this point, still pushing early 1970's designs with low fuel mileage. GM had just downsized it's entire fleet and Ford had just started to do so. In 1978 Chrysler was on the verge of their first bankruptcy and could ill afford to revamp their product line up and so they resorted to sales videos like this one.
Wrong on a couple of points here. They had one of the Best CAFE scores by 1978. The Omni and Horizon and 024 (all new designs) and Turismo were just released. Aspen and Volare were two years old all new designs again and had extremely good mileage out of the Super6 225. The Monaco wasn't a big seller and didn't effect the CAFE average much. Finally, wrong on "first bankruptcy" they didn't have their first Bankruptcy until a couple years ago. The Government Bailout was a "Loan Guarantee", they avoided bankruptcy, that was the whole point of the Government Program, they co-signned all of Chrysler's loans and Chrysler didn't default on anything. All shareholders retained their shares of stock and ownership in the company, nobody was diluted.
OsbornTramain I may be thinking of pre Omni/ Horizon days. Yes, the first was a loan guarantee, unlike Obama's throwing Chrysler & Dodge dealerships to the wind. Actually I said *on the verge* of bankruptcy.
Ford alsi was in the same boat, The LTD II was a reskinned 72 Torino,And their fullsized cars also were as old a Chrysler's. Only GM had new cars in the mid and full size by 78. OTOH, The Dodge sedan had back windows that opened and a decent (for the age) instrument package. and the excellent torsion bar suspension.
@@OsbornTramain it seems to me where GM stubbed their toes was with the X body cars, citation etc.. the Citation was one of the best packaged cars i had ever seen, but the engineering and build quality were horrible, engines and transmissions were very unreliable. they never got my mothers Citation to run well in temperatures below 60 degrees F. it rode very smooth and quiet, handled pretty well, and had huge room inside for a car it's size, and it was one of the best crash test vehicles available at the time, but build quality and reliability were awful. it seems they re did the Corvair with that with the X bodies, great concept, terrible execution. you are an excellent automotive historian and i would like your take on this!
I saw them all the time as a kid in the 70's. The problem with every one I ever saw were the rear quarters rusting out. Salt on the roads here in the winter. I always loved early to mid seventies Dodges and Plymouths but when I got old enough to drive, most were rusty or disintegrated! Finally had to settle on a 1981 D-150 with a 318. Great vehicle! Easy maintenance, bulletproof engine. I sold it at almost 200k and the guy I sold it to drove it several more years.
@@OsbornTramain In the 80's I desperately wanted an early 70's Mopar and every one I found was rusted out to the point of inoperability. The unibody construction combined with questionable quality control caused these cars to deteriorate quickly should there be salt on the roads. Chrysler engines were still great in this period. I don't remember Fords or GM products rusting out like Chrysler Corp. vehicles in the 70's. I did eventually buy a Dodge D150. It was a great truck. It apparently was built to a completely different standard than the passenger cars.
@dizzyman24, Could be that it's a different platform. The Grand Marquis and the Ford LTD were the full sized cars. The LTD II and Montego/Cougars were the mid sized cars based on the Torino/Montego platform. They were smaller cars. The Grand Marquis and LTD would get new Bodys and be redesigned in 1979.
yes, that would be true. They wrecked a lot of Chargers and a lot of Coronets/Monacos/Furys on that show.....and a number of AMC Matadors too. Most of those cars were always used Police Cars or used Government Vehicles that the studio purchased wholesale.
I grew up in New England trust me everything rots out in New England sooner or later! I got a deal on a Fred Flinstone edition Malibu with the 6 250 in it. The exterior and interior were beautiful. Nice cream yellow colored car. The entire floor pan pretty much gone to the England winter and road salt. The frame was pretty rusty also but thankfully not out. A common issue with the 6 250 is they'd fail emissions tests no matter how good they ran or fresh the tune up. Never had that issue with a Slant Six or a Ford straight six. Ride wise, routine maintenance, and once you stepped up to a V-8 I'd take the Monaco all day long over the Malibu or the LTD! The 318 other than the nylon covered timing gears was pretty indestructible. My personal experience was the 318 was even much tougher than the slant six.
these were films primarily for the salesperson to study the product. Not for the general public. They sometimes were used at the dealer to show a prospect if they wanted to really try to sell a car. They used a devise called a Dodge Demo Screen and played the film on a small projector. These were not TV commercials
man i just love any classic american full size car. they just look like what a car should look like, the distinctive masculine boxy body and sleek lines. large, comfortable and robust. they inspire a great sense of safety at driving. you feel like in a bank safe sitting in a comfy padded throne. thanks for sharing these nice vintage materials. with appreciation and greetings from germany.
What were they thinking. The car is bigger - remind the customer the car is bigger. Did we mention the huge amount of space? Did we mention that the car is huge? It's a mid-size barge...
That's really a ridiculous comment. In 1976, The Aspen/Volare/LeBaron/Diplomat were already on the market. The Omni, was also introduced by Chrysler Corp in 1978 model year. Frankly, GM and Ford were the one's out of touch on small cars. Escort was 1982 and the X body cars were 80. J body was 1981...Chrysler was bringing out the K car by 1981. This Dodge Monaco was Dodge's biggest car in 1978. Just as big as the Chevy Impala and smaller than the Ford LTD. By 1979, the Biggest Dodge was the St Regis which was much more economical than an Impala or LTD. Chyrsler was way ahead of the curve on reducing size. Come on, you need to be honest with your posts instead of cherry picking facts.
OsbornTramain OsbornTramain GM clearly won the downsize game. 77 b and c bodys were as spacious as their huge predecessors being smaller and more economical, Chrysler and Ford mid and full size cars suddenly looked terribly outdated. Ford did an effort in 79, but not as successful as GM. Chrysler, in the verge of bankruptcy reskined a decade old platform and launched the R body's like the st Regis, that were a Jocke vs the competition, terribly outdated and poorly built and sold accordingly. Ford had the grananda and that fairmont, The Volare and aspen had so many bugs that Chrysler was going bankrupt recalling them.
MrTheMiguelox Dodge was making stylish compact cars in 1967 with the Dart. Very small car, even by today's standards, and even with a 383 big block and an automatic transmission, with all the options you can shove into it, the car never weighed more than 3,100, fully loaded with everything you could get. Most of the Darts that rolled off the production line weighed 2,700-2,980lbs. So, Ford and GM were the ones behind the curve, big time.
None of these cars were full sized cars. they were in the mid size category. The full size chyrsler products were the new yorker. Which makes the monaco look small.
lum otaku And also the Newport. The Newport Custon was a lower priced Chrysler model and had different front end and rear end styling than the New Yorker. The New Yorker was actually a Re=badge Imperial Lebaron and the Newport was the rebaged New Yorker, but they also had the lower end Newport (non Custom) which was the old style Newport but with a New Yorker rear end.........*phew* Very Confusing.
If you look at "full size" cars over the whole post-war era, including the 1950s Fords and Chevy's with under-120-inch wheelbases and the GM and Ford downsized full-size cars for '77 and '79 respectively, the 4 door Manaco seems to fit right into that club, but all the other models shown were mid-size.
I've owned many cars & had 2 of the 3 models, sort of. I had a Malibu & will admit that it's a wicked car to beef up. However, my other car was a 1977 Fury Sport with all the toys & opera windows etc....I can honestly say that once I spruced up my Fury with a police interceptor motor, a modified police suspension (as they were designed for 4 door cruisers), a dual Walker exhaust system, trailing out of a set of Headmans meant for a 69 Mopar & a few other tweaks, including connecting the frames properly, that car became my all time favourite ride. That car had more class & presence then almost any other vehicle I've owned (there are plenty heavy hitters in that group) Once considered the 2nd best Fury around, next to a hemi powered version. Not a 1/4 mile car but, top end? Watch out. I know it's a lot in the gearing but, when my Fury passed my 365hp 5.0 liter like it was standing still, my loyalty was set. I'd love to get my hands on it again. It was stolen & have never seen it since. Oh, as for power steering in those cars...driving without it was no big deal. In fact, with power steering, it felt a bit loose & I could drive with my pinky finger. You want to try manual steering that counts? Try driving my 58 Belvedere :)
Thanks for the comment here, particularly in relation to the Power Steering or No Power Steering, people today don't seem to understand that you could drive a car easily with out Power Steering back then. It wasn't a "have to have" option. It's only hard in parking situations.
+Gary Dunn It'ss not that big. 213 inches in length compared to a Dodge Aspen, that was only 206 inches in length. A Chrysler New Yorker was 231 inches in lenght to put things in perspectives. That's a foot and a half shorter than the Big New Yorker....clearly not a Dinosaur.
+OsbornTramain Didn't the Highway Patrol use the 4 door version of thiscar as a police vehicle. I seem to remember seeing these cars quite a loton tv cop shows. I live in the UK, and we never officially got these bigYank cars here. Although, I have books on US cars, and have visited manyUS car shows over here. I have always loved the look of those big old carsfrom the late 60's thru to the late 70's. I have quite a few photo's of them.One of the last big cars I saw was a 76 Cadillac Coupe De-Ville. Wow,what a car, and it was almost the length of a bus, it was huge. How didpeople manage to park these cars, without bumping them.
+copperhead76 Yeah you only have to watch old episodes of theDukes of Hazzard or the A-Team, and these cars were nearly alwaysused as police vehicles. They routinely trashed 2 or 3 in each show.
Nice video of some interesting times in the auto industry. I had a 75 Ford Elite. It had a 351M with I think 135hp. I had a six foot hood but was a gas hog and slow. It got rear end by a turtle, no just kidding. It would cruise the double nickle very nicely. I was so happy when I got the and sold it.
An interesting car, sold at different times as the Coronet 2 dr., base Charger, and finally as the 'downsized' Monaco. There were Plymouth versions as well, about the only difference was the grille, interior trim, and nameplates. Unfortunately the shell game wasn't too successful and none of these cars sold particularly well. This was Chrysler heading to the brink. Except for the Buick/Olds 'Aero' coupes and sedans, the new-for-'78 GM A bodies were runaway successes.
I was able to drive 2 of the Ford's in 1980, one was a 78 Cougar, the other a 77 LTD II. The Cougar was a deluxe model and it drove very nicely, but the LTD II wandered all over the road so badly it scared me. I didn't buy either one...on the other hand I drove 74 and 75 Chevelle Malibu Classics and their handling was light years ahead of the Ford products.
Very strange because that Cougar & LTD II are basically the same car. Something must've been wore out or broken on that LTD II 🤷♂️ I really like GM's mid-size cars from 73-77 as well 👍
Aww, sorry, I really thought it was him. If I find more information, I'll let you know......I do have more (actually 2 more of these) upcoming soon (77 Ramcharger vs Bronco and Blazer and 1977 Dodge Diplomat films).
@Fiskaal Oh, I have to re watch this....I'm thinking that it's comparing the 318 inch engine, not the 400 cubic inch engine. The 400 was very rarely used in this car, usually only in Police Cars. Normally, it was either the 225 slant six or the 318 V8. The 318 vs the 305 of Chevy.
Great ad! Thanks for posting. There is one advantage the Ford LTD II has over the Dodge Monaco. The Ford LTD II had the option of a quadraphonic 8track player. The Dodge only offered stereo 8track as an option. The LTD II also had both driver and passenger side power seats and standard right-side rear-view mirror. I do however love the background music.
The right side mirror was an option that could be had in one of four ways. It could be chrome to match the standard driver's side mirror with or without remote control. The Sport Mirror package included a right side mirror, and again with or without remote control.
@DizzyMan24 just got around to look this up. According to Wikipedia on the Ford LTD II ". Engine choices were all V8s; the 5.0 L 302 Windsor, the 5.8 L 351M, the 5.8 L 351 Windsor, or the 6.6 L 400 Cleveland. The 400 was not available in 1979. The 302 was not available in California." Doesn't say anything about a 460. Was that maybe a police car option only??
The selling point of each of them to me... Dodge Monaco - Demolition Derby Chevrolet Malibu - Short Track Street Stock Racing Ford LTD II - Also Demolition Derby 😂
lol, it's not lying... This was Their Biggest Car (a midsized car). There were much bigger cars being sold that year (Full Sized Cars), Chrysler New Yorker, Ford LTD and Mercury Grand Marquis for example, those were true Full Sized Cars, not midsized, they weren't lying, the Monaco's body was created in 1971 as the Dodge Coronet, a mid-sized car. The LTD II was a mid-size, you said earlier that it was downsized and it wasn't in 78 downsized, it matched the Monaco.
To Correct the lunacy of Jim Garrison, to be Clear, Dodge didn’t make a full sized car in 1978. The Ford LTD II and Dodge Monaco were Midsized cars, Wheelbase and length were respectably, 118. And 117.4, 219.5 and 218 inches, making the Monaco the smaller car. MOPARs only Full sized car was the Chrysler Newport vs., the Ford LTD and Grand Marquis. The sizes were, Wheelbase and length, Newport, 123.9 and 224 inches, LTD, 121 and 224 inches making them basically the same size, Full Sized Cars
72Disco1998 Trash Cans in this case......but I buy them from sales, estate sales, auctions. etc etc...more uploads in the next few weeks and I have dozens' of more films to convert to digital format. Thanks for watching!
Look if anything I am a Mopar guy folks. My 1st car was a Duster and my most favorite car of all times is the 68-73 Dodge Charger. The 73 Charger being my second car. The Monaco was one ugly ass car but the interior was pretty damn impressive and unbelievably comfortable. I know because my dad had a 78 Monaco and I loved the plush interior when I was a kid. Yes it seems a little unfair to compare it with the much smaller Malibu of the day but having said that. The LTD II kind of spanked both of them in stylishness and looks no matter what package you got.
Sorry for taking so long to reply. I don't have an official answer to this. But I would suspect Alan Hawkshaw was the originator of the music.....this is a guess....but much of the music that was used by Roy Ross production for Chrysler Products was Hawkshaws music. .... from Wikipedia...Alan Hawkshaw is a British composer and performerHe worked extensively for the KPM production music Co. in the 1960s and 1970s, composing many stock tracks that have been used extensively in film and TV.
Now, looking back at this nice promo film. How often do you see one of those Mabilus on the road (and especially on the drag strip), often. When was the last time you saw a Monaco or LTD II???????....Hmmmm...
Yo boy a comprar un malibu y es de echo por los comentarios contrarios de este video, su espacio, su bajo consumo a comparación de otros y su espacio es un auto mediano y es uno de mis favoritos :)
You can tell these ad copy writers aren't real car guys, as they mention "the extra trailer towing horsepower of the 400ci V8". :) The real pertinent #'s for towing would be the torque #'s which the 400 would really outshine the 305ci Chevy engine in. Had I been an adult in 1978, I'd probably buy a Monaco wagon with the 318 though the slant 6 would be tempting.
+krazi77 Here we go again, you're wrong.....The Monaco was the mid-sized car. This b body platform was in production from 1971 thru 1978. It's a midsize car....the issue is that 1977 and 1978 are years where GM used different terminology to say what class of car they had.....different from the industry standard....so a Malibu is a mid sized car in GM's eyes, but to the rest of the industry, a Monaco was a mid-sized car.....The federal government would get involve years later and create a new system....based on interior volume capacity.
exactly, correct.....vega vs. the Omni, Aspen vs. the Nova, Monaco vs. the Malibu and Dodge didn't have full sized car, but you could say, the Chrysler Newport vs. the Chevy Caprice
My sister bought a Malibu, and the thing I hated the most was those back windows that did not open. Such a stupid idea. Must have been the bean counters who told management look we can save money by not offering opening windows and they said what a great idea.
All of those cars bring back a lot of memories. My parents bought their house in 1978 and they still live there 39 years later, the 70s were a fun era.
I called a Dodge dealership and asked if they has any '78 Monaco's. He said they sold out of them about 37 years ago. Damn, I missed out on a great car at a great price.
Nice one
Did you really call a Dodge dealer?? lol
What do you think?
I ordered one 37 years ago and am still waiting for it to arrive
+Checkm8king2 Well u got scammed
A buddy of mine had an ex-CHP Monaco with the 440 in it. That thing flew for a big car.
This audio quality makes me so nostalgic.
Huhhhhhh.. did you say soooouuund?
The free bumper guards sold me!!!
At 10 years old in ‘78, I remember feeling that the LTD II had the best styling. The Malibu was the most modern, but had odd proportions. The Monaco seemed like a dinosaur! Was a tough time for a kid like me who really loved cars.
Sheriff Rosco P. Cotrain Would Be Proud. LOL!!!
In about 1979 or 1980, I use to work for a Dodge Dealer. The biggest in New England, it was factory owned by Chrysler. We use to beat on the Dodge Omni's and sometimes the Aspens....by driving them down in the back of the lot and pulling up the emergency break and making the car spin in a circle.....we use to call it doing "Dukes" lol from the TV show, so I agree, Rosco would be proud. lol
OsbornTramain You Know It's Funny That My Grandmother Bought One In 1977 Brand New & Kept That Car Till 1990 With 32,000 Original Miles On It When She Trade It In For A 1989 Fifth Avenue From A Left Over. I Believe It Had A 318 V-8. Correct Me If I'm Wrong. Wow!!! They Don't Make Cars The Way They've Used To Anymore. LOL!!! Go Figure.
Yeah, it's a beauty. I got my parents to look at 78 Monaco's when My mom wanted to trade in her 75 Hornet, the Hornet was a nice car but too small for the family. We bought instead, a left over 77 Diplomat and got an amazing deal.....but deep down, I really wanted the Monaco, but by then, the Monaco was kind of old looking where the Diplomat was really modern and more luxurious looking.
OsbornTramain Whatever Happened To Good Ole Fashioned American Build Cars? You Know The Ones Where You Can Get Under The Hood And Fix It Yourself (Minor Stuff). My Uncle Had A New 85 Dodge Lancer GTS With A 5 Speed Turbo 4 Cylinder Engine. He Loved That Car & The Price Was Just Right For It's Day. God, Where's A "Lee Iococca" When You Need Him Most? LOL!!!
Well, for me, I know where they are, they are in my garage! I drove my 1980 Oldsmoibile Toronado today to work! In January in Maine!
I think these Monacos were nice looking cars. I believe this was the last year of this body style. Next year......BAILOUT!
The difference between then and in the 2000's is that Chrysler paid it back! How times have changed.
It's a B-body which dates back to 1962, with an isolated K-frame in '71+
You guessed it.
Bailout because instead of nodding to the downsized Malibu and following, they doubled down and tried to make you feel stupid for buying a smaller car lol
Chrysler did not take any money in the "bail out". The Government basically co-signed the loan, becoming Guarantor in the event Chrysler defaulted on the payments. As it turned out, Chrysler was able to repay the loans ahead of schedule. The US Federal Government did not write a single cheque nor did the pay a single penny
You could tell what kind of an Era we were living in by the way that people were acting...yes, back then!
the 78 Monaco looks like the 77 Monte Carlo
R.J Savage That’s so true. Especially on the front end
@@superbird4351 Yep
You're NUTS.
This body style came out in 1974 for the 1975 Dodge/Plymouth models (e.g. new "downsized Fury" etc which took over the Belvedere/Satellite role)
I had a 78 Dodge Monaco as my first car. 1988 when I was 21
With my 78 Monaco's 225 six, my four door sedan wheezed up a hill.
It had four fifty air conditioning, or four windows down at fifty miles per hour. And,
the sticky vinyl seats sweated gallons of sweat off me. That feature saved me from expensive
spa treatments. What a deal.
But it was advertised as a Super Six! I thought it would have flattened hills without a hitch!
I drove a 78 Malibu every day until 2005 had over 350,000 mikes on it before It finally rusted out. It was a great car.
I'll have one with rich Corinthian leather!!!
Lol
Sorry, you're going to have to step up the luxurious Cordoba in order to get those amenities.
You have a Cordoba not a Monaco but yeah same basic car
Can I really downgrade my radial tires to bias-plys just to save a few bucks on my new Monaco??!!
No wonder most of these had major whiskey dents...
Pha Q yes you can even downgrade to manual steering in a close to 4000 ibs car!
Can anybody imagine giving up power steering to save a few bucks? SMH!
How times have changed?
I can remember when it was a big deal to buy a new car with air conditioning and 4 speaker FM stereo!
I just bought one of these. It was a Detective driven ex-county car. They special ordered it with some of the police stuff. 400 big block police(no lean burn) higher rear axle ratio with traction lock, factory transmission temp gauge, bigger alternator, 140mph speedo, etc. Not the police handling package, but a lot of the other goodies. Dark blue, with a light blue roof and light blue interior, lol. It's too blue. Paint is toast. It is the most rust free original 70's car I have ever seen in my life.
Going to give it a matte/satin black paint, very slight tint on the windows, and see about an OD transmission.
Rides great, drives nice. Brings back memories of driving stuff like this in the 80's. I think cars had more personality and were more fun back then. Jellybean army of crossovers nowdays is basically the opposite.
Dodge/Chrysler had more cars than Samsung had smartphone's. I like it.
Redundancy when Mopar could least afford it!
4 Door 1978 Dodge Monaco is the main (Unmarked Police) Car drove by Fred Dryer in the 1980s Police Drama "Hunter"
Enjoyed the old sales video. Go Dodge.
Ah, yes! The Great Monaco/Malibu War of 1978! The blood of the Malibuites flowed heavily in the streets! Righteous Monaco partisans led a mighty campaign! General Tom Kite led us to victory with confidence! We raised the holy Pentastar flag above the withered and mangled burning corpses of our enemies! ALL HAIL THE MONACO!!!
March on, dear Monaco!
Dauntless, true, and brave!
From the grille bars,
To the deck lid,
Our nation you did save!
the handling issue of the Charger of your friends might have been particular to his car. These Coronets were favored by Police Departments due to their outstanding handling charactoristics over any mid sized car during the 70's. Torsion bars may have been 1950's technology at the time but Chrysler really pioneered their usage.
That and solid strong powertrains.
Tom Kite later did the advertising campaign for the 1994 LHS (launched May 1993).
I can't believe that the Ford LTD II was actually a midsized car instead of a full size car.
The inside was very mid-sized while the exterior was almost as big as the truly-full-sized LTD. It was a mid-sized car in a clown suit.
It was a restyled Torino.
My Grandparents had an LTD2 and believe me it was much bigger looking outside but inside it was cramped. I remember riding to Indiana where we are from in it and it was small. Before that he had LTD full size . 4 kids and 3 adults (with my Aunt) had plenty of room in the LTDs he had. They only had the LTD 2 a couple of years.
Interior volume was comparable or smaller than Fairmont.
@@kevinwong6588 I remember hearing about the Torino's and Ford LTD's interior room being smaller than the Ford Fairmont's, I can see why Ford Fairmont's were selling like crazy when they first came out, too bad the Chevy Citation stole some of the sales away from the Ford Fairmont although more Fairmont's were on the road after 2000.
The sales techniques actually were quite valid, good ideas, considering what buyers (of what used to be called "personal luxury" cars) were looking for at that time (I wish I could get a '78 Monaco coupe with the 360 V8!). The late 1970's was the end of the line for these large coupes and sedans, though, and Chrysler unfortunately didn't see the market for them drying up in time to avoid needing huge bailouts a couple of years later.
Nothing can compete with the Wagon Queen Family Truckster!
oh man, those were the best cars, space and comfort! thanks for this time machine kind of videos.. love 70s cars :D
Jorge Rodriguez
Sure, but nevertheless today Fwd cars are more secure and use less gas, also more reliable. I love 70s cars because they represent an era of good wealth and good life (at least in my country), spacious and beautiful cars and trucks, not only that, a way of life more relaxed and fun, smoking wasn't a sin-felony like nowadays, life was free of todays excesive technology.
+Leonardo i can tell you newer cars are no where near the reliability of the cars you see in the video.
yousef rghebi
I'm a witness of that, in my country (Venezuela) many many people still using them, of course because getting a newer car is ridiculously expensive, but thanks to the american engineering we still have these great cars and trucks from the 60's, 70s and 80's.
Jorge Rodriguez
Sorry but at least in your country you can find new cars available, here you don't, the newest toyotas (4runners, corollas and land cruisers, and only those 3 models) are imported for the goverment and military institutes, and for highly rich people (from the goverment and military too, and their family and friends) other new cars you could find are chinese dong fengs, and cherys and that shit, also ultra expensive and for relatives from people of the goverment and the military, and if you want to buy one, you have to pay a BIG commission to the guy who hooked you up to be first in the waiting list, making a chinese shitty car as expensive as any luxury car, and that's the point; every car here is a luxury, even old beat down cars, that's why we are like cuba now, almost the 95% of the cars here are from 15 to 60 years old. Venezuela wasn't like this shit like nowadays, but now with all these dictators communist running the goverment, all went to the sewer.
Jorge Rodriguez
De nada mi pana, que estes bien
I was a policeman and have been driving for 42 years and we had all these cars in the police versions. The 1978 Ford LTD 2 has to stand out as the worst car I've ever driven in my life; overweight, under powered with a huge hood, small interior and hard seats that made my legs go numb. The 79 Malibu cop car with heavy duty suspension was one of the best for its time, as was the 78 Nova. The Monaco was in the middle, competent but boring.
PP? what's that?
Thank you for your service officer
Boring? Rick Hunter didn't think so.
My grandfather had an LTD 2, and it was like sitting in a bathtub. The seats were so low, it was a really strange feeling. It wasn't one of Ford's better offerings.
78 was the last year you could get a 440 in a Monaco patrol car. Too bad the civilian models didn’t have that option. GM and Ford had nothing to compare to that.
Most Manufacturers offered a 6 in the mid-size class. You could buy a Full Sized Chevy with a 6. AMC had Midsized Matador with the 258 Six. Not everyone wanted a V8. Most people opted for 6's in the 70's. The cars had power because they weren't like todays cars that are weighed down by options like computers, stereos, speakers sound deadeners, etc etc etc....these cars from the 70's may be dimensionally bigger than cars of today, but they were way lighter than today's cars.
Dodge Monaco, official car of the Bushwood Country Club............
With the dodge you have the option to get a slant six, tiny self shredding tires, and manual steering. WOW sounds like an awesome vehicle.
Super Six. 2 barrel carburetor.
This was worth it just for the pro golf tip.
The ultra smooth track that starts at about 3:10 is "Silk Stream" by David Gold, available on UA-cam. (Thanks to the Shazam app courtesy of a friend.)
The saving grace for the 1978 Malibu that it was the platform that would eventually be used on the 1984-87 Buick Grand National
the tint is so red in this film makes eveyrthing look really radiocative
Los automóviles DODGE son los mejores en todos los tiempos, en especial el Royal Monaco tiene un diseño espectacular, muy confortable, potente y seguro, lastima que los autos de hoy no sean como antes.
I like the Malibu's crisp styling. Those downsized cars proved very popular, and to me it looks like history repeating. Take the introduction of smaller cars in the early 60's. What happened in the late 70's was just as sobering.
Also available in a special Hazzard County Sheriff's edition.
I own a 1975 fury ( same body ) . With a 225ci and manual steering surprising choice of the original buyer :) .
My first 4 cars were all armstrong equipped steering, it had advantages with no pump, hoses etc and the steering ratio is higher so you really don’t notice much difference until you parallel park - I know quite a few others that prefer non assisted steering. We love our clutch pedals too
Those were nice cars, the Monaco 2 door coupe back then...
I never had problems parking my 1998 Buick Park Avenue when I lived in Zurich for 5 years.
In 1978, buyers could choose from so many good-looking coupes that were capable of functioning both as a family car or a personal luxury car.
I like the styling of the Ford the best of these three, but a Ford showroom had three cars at the time that "looked like a Thunderbird," the Fairmont Futura, this LTD II and the Thunderbird itself.
There were also Granada coupes. PLUS each Ford had a Mercury equivalent.
These days, there's nothing like these cars in a Ford showroom.
Their Torino looked like a damn T-bird too at that time
El que pudo ser mi primer auto fue un Malibú. No tenía todo el dinero para comprarlo y decidí por un Renault finalmente. Era muy Joven. Pasaba a mirarlo cuando podía.
Hermoso y nostálgico reportaje.👍👍🇨🇱
I long for someone to build a time machine that could take me back to this time period. So many things I would do while revisiting the late 70's, and one of them would be to stop into every dealership and test drive all the makes and models I can while they're brand new. Of course, I would have been a preschooler the year they filmed this, but it would be marvelous to go back and find out what it was like to live as a middle-class adult at that time.
Seriously give me a time machine and first of all I’ll be winning the lotto‘s and then I’ll be heading to all my old girlfriends homes! Lol
The Dodge Monaco was the poor man's Chrysler Cordoba...
No that was the 75 Dodge Charger
No Corinthian leather haha! Mom had a 76 Cordoba
@@nickrustyson8124 the Cordobacharger!
Ordinarily, I love both cars.
Fact: far too many police versions of the Monaco (and its predecessor, the Coronet, and its twin, the Plymouth Fury) had been completely destroyed during filming of many movies and TV crime shows, yet the civilian version had survived the years.
By the way, I have several Johnny Lightning versions of both cars.
Awesome video! Although I grew up with Chevy cars, I've always liked Mopar cars. I find all three cars attractive. What I liked about the Monaco are its size, build, and standard equipment vs. Malibu and LTD.
Chrylser was behind in styling and fuel economy at this point, still pushing early 1970's designs with low fuel mileage. GM had just downsized it's entire fleet and Ford had just started to do so. In 1978 Chrysler was on the verge of their first bankruptcy and could ill afford to revamp their product line up and so they resorted to sales videos like this one.
Wrong on a couple of points here. They had one of the Best CAFE scores by 1978. The Omni and Horizon and 024 (all new designs) and Turismo were just released. Aspen and Volare were two years old all new designs again and had extremely good mileage out of the Super6 225. The Monaco wasn't a big seller and didn't effect the CAFE average much. Finally, wrong on "first bankruptcy" they didn't have their first Bankruptcy until a couple years ago. The Government Bailout was a "Loan Guarantee", they avoided bankruptcy, that was the whole point of the Government Program, they co-signned all of Chrysler's loans and Chrysler didn't default on anything. All shareholders retained their shares of stock and ownership in the company, nobody was diluted.
OsbornTramain
I may be thinking of pre Omni/ Horizon days. Yes, the first was a loan guarantee, unlike Obama's throwing Chrysler & Dodge dealerships to the wind. Actually I said *on the verge* of bankruptcy.
OsbornTramain
In those days, Chrysler should have dropped all their C and B bodies. Then upgrade and improve their A body and similar M body cars.
Ford alsi was in the same boat, The LTD II was a reskinned 72 Torino,And their fullsized cars also were as old a Chrysler's. Only GM had new cars in the mid and full size by 78. OTOH, The Dodge sedan had back windows that opened and a decent (for the age) instrument package. and the excellent torsion bar suspension.
@@OsbornTramain it seems to me where GM stubbed their toes was with the X body cars, citation etc.. the Citation was one of the best packaged cars i had ever seen, but the engineering and build quality were horrible, engines and transmissions were very unreliable. they never got my mothers Citation to run well in temperatures below 60 degrees F. it rode very smooth and quiet, handled pretty well, and had huge room inside for a car it's size, and it was one of the best crash test vehicles available at the time, but build quality and reliability were awful.
it seems they re did the Corvair with that with the X bodies, great concept, terrible execution.
you are an excellent automotive historian and i would like your take on this!
I saw them all the time as a kid in the 70's. The problem with every one I ever saw were the rear quarters rusting out. Salt on the roads here in the winter. I always loved early to mid seventies Dodges and Plymouths but when I got old enough to drive, most were rusty or disintegrated! Finally had to settle on a 1981 D-150 with a 318. Great vehicle! Easy maintenance, bulletproof engine. I sold it at almost 200k and the guy I sold it to drove it several more years.
all cars rust from this time period, it's just how it was, cars from the 50's thru the70's rotted away...things changed in the 80's
@@OsbornTramain In the 80's I desperately wanted an early 70's Mopar and every one I found was rusted out to the point of inoperability. The unibody construction combined with questionable quality control caused these cars to deteriorate quickly should there be salt on the roads. Chrysler engines were still great in this period. I don't remember Fords or GM products rusting out like Chrysler Corp. vehicles in the 70's. I did eventually buy a Dodge D150. It was a great truck. It apparently was built to a completely different standard than the passenger cars.
@dizzyman24, Could be that it's a different platform. The Grand Marquis and the Ford LTD were the full sized cars. The LTD II and Montego/Cougars were the mid sized cars based on the Torino/Montego platform. They were smaller cars. The Grand Marquis and LTD would get new Bodys and be redesigned in 1979.
yes, that would be true. They wrecked a lot of Chargers and a lot of Coronets/Monacos/Furys on that show.....and a number of AMC Matadors too. Most of those cars were always used Police Cars or used Government Vehicles that the studio purchased wholesale.
That back seat in the Monaco looks like a great place to make out in.
I grew up in New England trust me everything rots out in New England sooner or later! I got a deal on a Fred Flinstone edition Malibu with the 6 250 in it. The exterior and interior were beautiful. Nice cream yellow colored car. The entire floor pan pretty much gone to the England winter and road salt. The frame was pretty rusty also but thankfully not out.
A common issue with the 6 250 is they'd fail emissions tests no matter how good they ran or fresh the tune up.
Never had that issue with a Slant Six or a Ford straight six.
Ride wise, routine maintenance, and once you stepped up to a V-8 I'd take the Monaco all day long over the Malibu or the LTD! The 318 other than the nylon covered timing gears was pretty indestructible. My personal experience was the 318 was even much tougher than the slant six.
@2000hpeds wow, thanks so much...will change the details so that it's listed. I thought this was in Palm Springs!!
these were films primarily for the salesperson to study the product. Not for the general public. They sometimes were used at the dealer to show a prospect if they wanted to really try to sell a car. They used a devise called a Dodge Demo Screen and played the film on a small projector. These were not TV commercials
I was 18 years old in 1978.
man i just love any classic american full size car. they just look like what a car should look like, the distinctive masculine boxy body and sleek lines. large, comfortable and robust. they inspire a great sense of safety at driving. you feel like in a bank safe sitting in a comfy padded throne.
thanks for sharing these nice vintage materials.
with appreciation and greetings from germany.
I built two models of these. I wanted one of these soo bad, when I was a kid.
What were they thinking. The car is bigger - remind the customer the car is bigger. Did we mention the huge amount of space? Did we mention that the car is huge? It's a mid-size barge...
Yup, just shows how out of touch Chrysler was when the Fairmont and Malibu were being built.
That's really a ridiculous comment. In 1976, The Aspen/Volare/LeBaron/Diplomat were already on the market. The Omni, was also introduced by Chrysler Corp in 1978 model year. Frankly, GM and Ford were the one's out of touch on small cars. Escort was 1982 and the X body cars were 80. J body was 1981...Chrysler was bringing out the K car by 1981. This Dodge Monaco was Dodge's biggest car in 1978. Just as big as the Chevy Impala and smaller than the Ford LTD. By 1979, the Biggest Dodge was the St Regis which was much more economical than an Impala or LTD. Chyrsler was way ahead of the curve on reducing size. Come on, you need to be honest with your posts instead of cherry picking facts.
OsbornTramain OsbornTramain GM clearly won the downsize game. 77 b and c bodys were as spacious as their huge predecessors being smaller and more economical, Chrysler and Ford mid and full size cars suddenly looked terribly outdated. Ford did an effort in 79, but not as successful as GM. Chrysler, in the verge of bankruptcy reskined a decade old platform and launched the R body's like the st Regis, that were a Jocke vs the competition, terribly outdated and poorly built and sold accordingly.
Ford had the grananda and that fairmont, The Volare and aspen had so many bugs that Chrysler was going bankrupt recalling them.
MrTheMiguelox Dodge was making stylish compact cars in 1967 with the Dart. Very small car, even by today's standards, and even with a 383 big block and an automatic transmission, with all the options you can shove into it, the car never weighed more than 3,100, fully loaded with everything you could get. Most of the Darts that rolled off the production line weighed 2,700-2,980lbs.
So, Ford and GM were the ones behind the curve, big time.
@@OsbornTramain No, in 78 the C-bodies were it's biggest cars.
Looks like a Roscoe P Coletrane Hazzard County Police car.
They were actually talking fuel economy?
None of these cars were full sized cars. they were in the mid size category. The full size chyrsler products were the new yorker. Which makes the monaco look small.
lum otaku And also the Newport. The Newport Custon was a lower priced Chrysler model and had different front end and rear end styling than the New Yorker. The New Yorker was actually a Re=badge Imperial Lebaron and the Newport was the rebaged New Yorker, but they also had the lower end Newport (non Custom) which was the old style Newport but with a New Yorker rear end.........*phew* Very Confusing.
If you look at "full size" cars over the whole post-war era, including the 1950s Fords and Chevy's with under-120-inch wheelbases and the GM and Ford downsized full-size cars for '77 and '79 respectively, the 4 door Manaco seems to fit right into that club, but all the other models shown were mid-size.
I've owned many cars & had 2 of the 3 models, sort of. I had a Malibu & will admit that it's a wicked car to beef up. However, my other car was a 1977 Fury Sport with all the toys & opera windows etc....I can honestly say that once I spruced up my Fury with a police interceptor motor, a modified police suspension (as they were designed for 4 door cruisers), a dual Walker exhaust system, trailing out of a set of Headmans meant for a 69 Mopar & a few other tweaks, including connecting the frames properly, that car became my all time favourite ride. That car had more class & presence then almost any other vehicle I've owned (there are plenty heavy hitters in that group) Once considered the 2nd best Fury around, next to a hemi powered version. Not a 1/4 mile car but, top end? Watch out. I know it's a lot in the gearing but, when my Fury passed my 365hp 5.0 liter like it was standing still, my loyalty was set. I'd love to get my hands on it again. It was stolen & have never seen it since. Oh, as for power steering in those cars...driving without it was no big deal. In fact, with power steering, it felt a bit loose & I could drive with my pinky finger. You want to try manual steering that counts? Try driving my 58 Belvedere :)
Thanks for the comment here, particularly in relation to the Power Steering or No Power Steering, people today don't seem to understand that you could drive a car easily with out Power Steering back then. It wasn't a "have to have" option. It's only hard in parking situations.
Funny how the Cordoba, fury and Monaco are so much alike. Don't of uncanny.
Omg you have a 58 Belvedere 🥰
This was one of the last of the big dinosaurs. From 1979 onwards, most US cars beganto get seriously down sized.
+Gary Dunn It'ss not that big. 213 inches in length compared to a Dodge Aspen, that was only 206 inches in length. A Chrysler New Yorker was 231 inches in lenght to put things in perspectives. That's a foot and a half shorter than the Big New Yorker....clearly not a Dinosaur.
+OsbornTramain Didn't the Highway Patrol use the 4 door version of thiscar as a police vehicle. I seem to remember seeing these cars quite a loton tv cop shows. I live in the UK, and we never officially got these bigYank cars here. Although, I have books on US cars, and have visited manyUS car shows over here. I have always loved the look of those big old carsfrom the late 60's thru to the late 70's. I have quite a few photo's of them.One of the last big cars I saw was a 76 Cadillac Coupe De-Ville. Wow,what a car, and it was almost the length of a bus, it was huge. How didpeople manage to park these cars, without bumping them.
+copperhead76 Yeah you only have to watch old episodes of theDukes of Hazzard or the A-Team, and these cars were nearly alwaysused as police vehicles. They routinely trashed 2 or 3 in each show.
Nice video of some interesting times in the auto industry. I had a 75 Ford Elite. It had a 351M with I think 135hp. I had a six foot hood but was a gas hog and slow. It got rear end by a turtle, no just kidding. It would cruise the double nickle very nicely. I was so happy when I got the and sold it.
+DYNO DON The 351M was a huge POS.Could not keep bottom ends in them and this includes the 400.My dad remembers replacing crankshafts in these
+wafrederick You are correct, those 351Ms were worse than a POS, I wish now I would have gotten the 460.
Again, my father got over 500,000 documented miles out of his 1977 351M in a LTD II wagon. I guess you have to know how to maintain them.
The 351M and 400s had bottom end problems even maintained.
I wish that I could get a Malibu 2 door now. I love that car.
optional manual steering on a car that size! They considered that an advantage?
An interesting car, sold at different times as the Coronet 2 dr., base Charger, and finally as the 'downsized' Monaco. There were Plymouth versions as well, about the only difference was the grille, interior trim, and nameplates. Unfortunately the shell game wasn't too successful and none of these cars sold particularly well. This was Chrysler heading to the brink. Except for the Buick/Olds 'Aero' coupes and sedans, the new-for-'78 GM A bodies were runaway successes.
I was able to drive 2 of the Ford's in 1980, one was a 78 Cougar, the other a 77 LTD II. The Cougar was a deluxe model and it drove very nicely, but the LTD II wandered all over the road so badly it scared me. I didn't buy either one...on the other hand I drove 74 and 75 Chevelle Malibu Classics and their handling was light years ahead of the Ford products.
Very strange because that Cougar & LTD II are basically the same car. Something must've been wore out or broken on that LTD II 🤷♂️
I really like GM's mid-size cars from 73-77 as well 👍
I miss all the old cars.
It’s like Dodge owned Ford since their vehicles were almost identical to each other with differences in comparison
I cannot look at this car without remembering the Duke of Hazard and A-Team police car chases, usually ending in a ridiculous crash or rollover.
Aww, sorry, I really thought it was him. If I find more information, I'll let you know......I do have more (actually 2 more of these) upcoming soon (77 Ramcharger vs Bronco and Blazer and 1977 Dodge Diplomat films).
The Oodie Brothers drove a Monaco in the badass movie Baytown Outlaws!
Give me the malibu with a 383 stroker swapped in.
A 572 cubic inch v8 can fit under the Malibu hood.
In other words, size matters! 😄😄
Not many folks ordered the slant 6.
@Fiskaal Oh, I have to re watch this....I'm thinking that it's comparing the 318 inch engine, not the 400 cubic inch engine. The 400 was very rarely used in this car, usually only in Police Cars. Normally, it was either the 225 slant six or the 318 V8. The 318 vs the 305 of Chevy.
Great ad! Thanks for posting. There is one advantage the Ford LTD II has over the Dodge Monaco. The Ford LTD II had the option of a quadraphonic 8track player. The Dodge only offered stereo 8track as an option. The LTD II also had both driver and passenger side power seats and standard right-side rear-view mirror. I do however love the background music.
The right side mirror was an option that could be had in one of four ways. It could be chrome to match the standard driver's side mirror with or without remote control. The Sport Mirror package included a right side mirror, and again with or without remote control.
@DizzyMan24 just got around to look this up. According to Wikipedia on the Ford LTD II ".
Engine choices were all V8s; the 5.0 L 302 Windsor, the 5.8 L 351M, the 5.8 L 351 Windsor, or the 6.6 L 400 Cleveland. The 400 was not available in 1979. The 302 was not available in California." Doesn't say anything about a 460. Was that maybe a police car option only??
The selling point of each of them to me...
Dodge Monaco - Demolition Derby
Chevrolet Malibu - Short Track Street Stock Racing
Ford LTD II - Also Demolition Derby
😂
lol, it's not lying... This was Their Biggest Car (a midsized car). There were much bigger cars being sold that year (Full Sized Cars), Chrysler New Yorker, Ford LTD and Mercury Grand Marquis for example, those were true Full Sized Cars, not midsized, they weren't lying, the Monaco's body was created in 1971 as the Dodge Coronet, a mid-sized car. The LTD II was a mid-size, you said earlier that it was downsized and it wasn't in 78 downsized, it matched the Monaco.
They pop up on Ebay.com regularly. There are none today on ebay, but keep checking
its really just a Plymouth Fury
To Correct the lunacy of Jim Garrison, to be Clear, Dodge didn’t make a full sized car in 1978. The Ford LTD II and Dodge Monaco were Midsized cars, Wheelbase and length were respectably, 118. And 117.4, 219.5 and 218 inches, making the Monaco the smaller car. MOPARs only Full sized car was the Chrysler Newport vs., the Ford LTD and Grand Marquis. The sizes were, Wheelbase and length, Newport, 123.9 and 224 inches, LTD, 121 and 224 inches making them basically the same size, Full Sized Cars
Monaco comes standard with an engine. It’s an extra cost item on Malibu.
Great videos, where do you find these?
72Disco1998 Trash Cans in this case......but I buy them from sales, estate sales, auctions. etc etc...more uploads in the next few weeks and I have dozens' of more films to convert to digital format. Thanks for watching!
Love that Monaco..roomy interiors and rich fabrics..plenty of cargo space..by a Monaco friends
Look if anything I am a Mopar guy folks. My 1st car was a Duster and my most favorite car of all times is the 68-73 Dodge Charger. The 73 Charger being my second car. The Monaco was one ugly ass car but the interior was pretty damn impressive and unbelievably comfortable. I know because my dad had a 78 Monaco and I loved the plush interior when I was a kid. Yes it seems a little unfair to compare it with the much smaller Malibu of the day but having said that. The LTD II kind of spanked both of them in stylishness and looks no matter what package you got.
+lcar4000 I miss the 60's & 70's car days. The 64 Fairlane that you see in my profile pic is my everyday driver. 3 on the tree and everything! haha
the torque converter lock-up really hooks the Alpha m.
@DizzyMan24 The LTD II was only available with a 302, a 351M and a 400M which was a stroked 351W. The 460 was not an option on the beautiful LTD II :D
Sorry for taking so long to reply. I don't have an official answer to this. But I would suspect Alan Hawkshaw was the originator of the music.....this is a guess....but much of the music that was used by Roy Ross production for Chrysler Products was Hawkshaws music. .... from Wikipedia...Alan Hawkshaw is a British composer and performerHe worked extensively for the KPM production music Co. in the 1960s and 1970s, composing many stock tracks that have been used extensively in film and TV.
As I said, it's country specific, in North America, parking spaces are designed for large cars, we don't have small spaces like Europe.
Now, looking back at this nice promo film. How often do you see one of those Mabilus on the road (and especially on the drag strip), often. When was the last time you saw a Monaco or LTD II???????....Hmmmm...
Yo boy a comprar un malibu y es de echo por los comentarios contrarios de este video, su espacio, su bajo consumo a comparación de otros y su espacio es un auto mediano y es uno de mis favoritos :)
You can tell these ad copy writers aren't real car guys, as they mention "the extra trailer towing horsepower of the 400ci V8". :) The real pertinent #'s for towing would be the torque #'s which the 400 would really outshine the 305ci Chevy engine in. Had I been an adult in 1978, I'd probably buy a Monaco wagon with the 318 though the slant 6 would be tempting.
The LTD II actually looks more modern than the Monaco.
Vs? Monacos the shit. My dream car ever since TJHooker
here we go again. full size Monaco versus compact Malibu. the dodge would be more comparable to the caprice or impala of the day.
+krazi77 Here we go again, you're wrong.....The Monaco was the mid-sized car. This b body platform was in production from 1971 thru 1978. It's a midsize car....the issue is that 1977 and 1978 are years where GM used different terminology to say what class of car they had.....different from the industry standard....so a Malibu is a mid sized car in GM's eyes, but to the rest of the industry, a Monaco was a mid-sized car.....The federal government would get involve years later and create a new system....based on interior volume capacity.
You're right, the Malibu should've been compared to the Dodge Aspen or the Plymouth Valiant.
+soulflower666 ...or rather the Plymouth Volare if this is 1978.
exactly, correct.....vega vs. the Omni, Aspen vs. the Nova, Monaco vs. the Malibu and Dodge didn't have full sized car, but you could say, the Chrysler Newport vs. the Chevy Caprice
My sister bought a Malibu, and the thing I hated the most was those back windows that did not open. Such a stupid idea. Must have been the bean counters who told management look we can save money by not offering opening windows and they said what a great idea.