For our area (Nepean, Ontario) this car had a relatively long life. It belonged to friends of ours from 1989 until I bought it in April '99 for parts when the frame rotted out.
Introduced along with the Chrysler LeBaron and Dodge Diplomat in 1977, the Plymouth Caravelle was only sold in Canada. Still can't figure out why, but up until 1981 all three models were sold in Canada while only the Chrysler and Dodge were available in the US. Starting in 1982 the M-bodied Plymouth was made available in the US, but under the Gran Fury nameplate.
This one had more options than most, it had the 60/40 power split-bench
seat in the front and was finihsed in crushed velour instead of the regular
cloth or vinyl.
The rear seat even had a fold down armrest! Other options included
leather wrapped tilt steering wheel, cruse, delayed wipers, a/c, power
windows and locks, power trunk release, AM-FM Stereo w/8-track player,
chrome pedal dress-up, full-size spare tire and aluminum rims.
The dashboard layout is identical to the newer M-bodies, these pictures show the older style steering wheel, 8-track stereo and the digital clock, which was mounted in the front of the glovebox.
One of the options package this car had also included the Heavy-Duty drivetrain. Nestled under the hood was a facotry 2bbl 360, behind it was an 8 1/2 sure-grip rear and originally an automatic 727 transmission.
Today the car is gone, although quite a bit of it's remains will live
on. The rims are now on my '84 5th Ave, the 360 in the '88, and all the other parts that
can be used in a Fifth Avenue are in storage for future use.
e-mail: 5thAve@ottawa.com
