existing Chrysler B platform was modified to improve fuel efficiency through a number of weight saving measures. Examples include plastic brake wheel cylinder pistons, which tended to swell and bind up the brakes after a some years in service. Chrome-plated aluminum bumpers were another innovation, but were replaced in 1980 with a stronger steel rear bumper. The large displacement V8 engines were dropped. Initial 1979 sales were strong (with a large portion of Newport sales going for fleet use), but Chrysler's unsteady financial condition, combined with the 1980 addition of the Plymouth Gran Fury, tightening oil and gasoline supplies hurt sales of the redesigned vehicle, and all of the R-body models were discontinued after a short run of 1981 models, as Chrysler began its shift toward smaller front-wheel drive cars. During this time the Early 1980s recession in the United States began to take effect and impact sales. Cancelled revival, 1984 The Newport model name nearly made a comeback in early 1984 as a more affordable version of the Fifth Avenue, but at the last minute, the would-be Newport was marketed as the Dodge Diplomat SE, a premium version of that line. This model used the same waterfall grille as the Fifth Avenue with the exception of a horizontal bar running across the center to mimic the other "crosshair" grilles in the Dodge lineup. References External links Information on the Newport Phaeton Allpar.com page on the Chrysler C-body 1969–1973 Chrysler Newport at Fuselage.de site Chrysler Newport at The Crittenden Automotive Library Newport Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Police vehicles Full-size vehicles Convertibles Coupés Sedans Station wagons 1960s cars 1970s cars 1980s cars