Basically, what Lee Iacocca did was stretch the company’s K-cars to create the new E-Series sedans, the Dodge 600/600-ES and the Chrysler E-Class/New Yorker.
Stretches represented a common practice in the day: normal chassis and badge engineering. All major American carmakers did it. GM expanded its X-cars to make the A-body, Ford conjured the Tempo/Topaz from the Escort, VW pulled the Jetta out of the Rabbit.
In Chrysler’s case, the E made a logical extension of the K. Both used the same engines, fwd transaxles, chassis platforms and basic bodies. Yet the E body cars changed enough to satisfy a different set of buyers.
What Junkies are Saying