Australia's first Dodge Phoenix wasn't really Australian, or even really a Dodge interior-wise: it was a Canadian-built Dodge fitted with a Plymouth dashboard, shipped out in CKD kits and bolted together in Adelaide.
Lead trim: Phoenix 318 cu in V8 (RD4, 1961)
Dodge Phoenix PD4 / RD4PD4/RD4 · 1960–1961
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Dodge Phoenix PD4 / RD4 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactAustralia's first Dodge Phoenix wasn't really Australian, or even really a Dodge interior-wise: it was a Canadian-built Dodge fitted with a Plymouth dashboard, shipped out in CKD kits and bolted together in Adelaide.
The Dodge Phoenix is an automobile produced by Chrysler Australia from 1960 to 1972, introduced in May 1960 as an Australian-assembled version of the American Dodge Dart and positioned above the locally developed Chrysler Royal as Chrysler Australia's luxury model. It borrowed its name from the top Dart, the Dodge Dart Phoenix, but unlike its American namesake it was offered only as a four-door sedan and only with a 318 cubic inch V8 engine; all Phoenixes for Australia had right-hand drive. The first, coded PD4, was released in May 1960: a Canadian Dodge with a Plymouth dashboard, imported in CKD packs and assembled at Chrysler Australia's Mile End, South Australia facility, in De Luxe and Luxury Liner trim levels on a 118-inch wheelbase with a 318 cubic inch OHV V8. The RD4 of 1961 used the cabin section of the PD4 with new front and rear bodywork; dimensions and mechanical specifications were unchanged, again based on the North American Dodge Dart. Variants of the slightly longer US station wagon were sold from the beginning for duty as hearses.
Collectors Spotted in the Dodge Phoenix Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Dodge Phoenix yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix 318 cu in V8 (PD4, 1960) | 1960–1960 | 5.2 L V8 | 230 hp | 340 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Phoenix 318 cu in V8 (RD4, 1961) | 1961–1961 | 5.2 L V8 | 230 hp | 340 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Phoenix 400 badge promised numbered exclusivity, but Chrysler Australia never actually built 400 of either body style.
Built in Australia and badged a Dodge, this Phoenix still wore a Plymouth hood ornament — with the Dodge 'Fratzog' emblem simply stamped over the Plymouth outline.
Some Dodge Phoenix wagons built in Australia ended up as hearses — stretched, converted to two doors, and fitted with oversized rear quarter windows in the British funeral-car tradition.
Australia's 1962 Dodge Phoenix SD2 went against the usual trend — it actually shrank, riding on a shorter, narrower body borrowed from the newly downsized US Dodge Dart.
Australia's first Dodge Phoenix wasn't really Australian, or even really a Dodge interior-wise: it was a Canadian-built Dodge fitted with a Plymouth dashboard, shipped out in CKD kits and bolted together in Adelaide.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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