9. Dodge 400
Chrysler had a near-death experience in the late 70’s and early 80’s, but made a miraculous recovery. In fact, they have redesigned all their model lineups according to current trends in the car industry. That meant switching to front-wheel drive platforms, smaller, four-cylinder engines and downsizing their offerings. The success of the compact Dodge Omni showed the way.
For the 1981 model year, Dodge presented the 400. It came in a two-door coupe or four-door sedan, and for the first time after 1976, a convertible. The 400 convertible was the first domestically-produced convertible after Cadillac discontinued the 1976 Eldorado convertible.
It was an upscale compact model featuring two four-cylinder engines, a 2.2 liter and 2.6 liter that Mitsubishi produced in partnership with Chrysler. Even though the Dodge 400 was the right car for the time, sales were disappointing. The model lasted just two years and in 1984, they merged it with the Dodge 600 series.