uplevel trim package on the 1956 New Yorker hardtop coupe and again on the 1974–78 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham coupe. Offered only as a four-door notchback sedan, the St. Regis was styled with frameless door glass (the rear quarter glass was fixed). To further distinguish the model line from its Plymouth Gran Fury, Chrysler Newport, and Chrysler New Yorker counterparts, the front fascia was styled with transparent retractable headlamp covers (introduced on the 1978 Dodge Magnum). Market timing The Chrysler R-body cars (like their 1974–78 predecessors) arrived at precisely the wrong time, as a second gasoline crisis hit the U.S. in 1979. In contrast to the clean-sheet Ford and GM designs, the dire financial situation of Chrysler relegated the company to retool an existing chassis. While shifting to an intermediate chassis allowed the St. Regis a smaller exterior footprint over the 1974-1977 Monaco, it remained far larger than its Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice competitors (at 220.2 inches long, an inch shorter than a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham). Coinciding with the 1979 fuel crisis, high interest rates and the uncertain future of the company forced Chrysler into a high proportion of fleet sales for its full-size sedans. Despite being an introductory model, nearly 30% of St. Regis production was dedicated for police/law enforcement use. For 1979, Chrysler withdrew Plymouth entirely from the full-size segment (making the Volare the largest Plymouth that year); for 1980, a R-body Gran Fury was reinstated, nearly exclusively for fleet sales. Discontinuation The Chrysler R platform was dropped during the middle of the 1981 model year, with the Dodge St. Regis ending its product run; to reduce model overlap, Chrysler ended sales of the Newport. For 1982, Dodge began marketing the Diplomat as its largest four-door sedan; nearly 16 inches shorter than the St. Regis, the mid-size Diplomat was the final rear-wheel drive sedan marketed by Dodge during the 1980s. For 1990, the Dodge brand re-entered the full-size segment with the fifth-generation Dodge Monaco. A rebranded version of the Eagle Premier (adapted from the Renault 25), the 1990 Monaco was the first version produced with front-wheel drive, slotted above the Dodge Dynasty in size. For 1993, Dodge introduced its first Chrysler-developed full-size sedan with front-wheel drive, the Dodge Intrepid. While closer in exterior size to the Diplomat, the Intrepid nearly matches the St. Regis in interior room. Production Engine comparison Use in law enforcement Following its introduction,