Summary
Harwood Motors is an automotive make based out of Montreal, Canada. In its origins, the company was a heavy industries company, producing various utilitarian equipment, and, during WW2, was building vehicles for the Allied war effort. In the postwar years, the company shifted focus to rivaling the United States’s Automotive industry, with the production of diverse variety of cars, ranging from typical fleet and family cars to comfortable cruisers and roaring muscle cars. Over the years, the company grew to become an important cornerstone of the North American car market, producing various performance and luxury icons, as well as the everyday cars you see on the streets of the American continent.
Over the decades, various cars have come and gone, however the most iconic models of the company include:
Harwood Chieftain - A mid-size car from 1967 to 1989, and then a full size from 1990 to 2011
Harwood Tomahawk - A compact-based performance coupe
Harwood H-series - A dependable truck range
Harwood Montérégien (Monteregian) - A full size luxury oriented car from 1967 to 1989. Became a luxury trim level on 1990 and newer Chieftains
Harwood Caravelle - A pure V8 sports car like no other
Harwood Lakota - An affordable compact option
Harwood Champlain - A newer mid-size design from 1990, meant to take the Chieftain’s old position
Harwood Comanche - An SUV, with the ruggedness of a truck and the practicality of a wagon
Harwood Apache - A crossover, practical, safe family car
Harwood Maori - A mid-size Ute based off the Chieftain
Harwood Blackmore - A prestigious sporty luxury coupe of the 90’s
The cars themselves will be discussed in detail further in this thread (note - a lot of these cars are not yet done, I’ll progressively add on to this topic as more cars are finished)
The most notable car of the company, the Harwood Chieftain, ran from 1967 to 2006, to replace the company’s previous mid-size cars. These cars eventually became an iconic piece of Americana (or Canadiana?) thanks to their widespread use by police and taxi fleets, popularity among buyers looking for well sized family cars, and performance enthusiasts looking to burn tires and listen to some V8 roars.
First Generation (E10) - 1967 to 1971
Based on the new E-body platform, the first generation Chieftain was built on a newly designed ladder frame, riding on front independent suspension (double wishbone) and rear dependent suspension (solid axle with leaf springs), with a 3.0 meter wheelbase (118 in). This new setup acted as a compromise allowing for fairly comfortable and sporty rides while keeping costs affordable. This resulted in the vehicle becoming popular among police and taxi fleets.
The car was available in three body styles - 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon, and 2-door coupe. These cars were available with a multitude of engine and transmission options. These options are:
232 C.I. (3.8 L) “Reliant 6” I6 engine with a twin barrel carburetor (125 hp)
305 C.I. (5.0 L) “Comet V8” small block V8 engine with a twin barrel carburetor (150 hp)
365 C.I. (6.0 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a twin or quad barrel carburetor (185 hp, 209 hp)
410 C.I. (6.7 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a quad barrel carburetor (255 hp)
435 C.I. (7.1 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a quad barrel carburetor, or the “Supersport” package with dual quad-barrel carburetors and a performance intake (265 hp, 363 hp)
Transmission includes:
3 speed Econo-shift manual transmission (3MT)
4 speed Sport-shift manual transmission (4MT)
2 speed or 3 speed Auto-shift automatic transmissions (2AT, 3AT)
The car was sold with many trim options, configured for various buyer demographics. Not all trims were sold with all body styles.
232 Base - Sedan, Wagon - 232 ci I6, 3MT, basic interior, basic AM radio
305 V8 - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 305 ci V8, 2AT, standard interior, basic AM radio
365 V8 - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 365 ci V8 (2BRL), 2AT, standard interior, basic AM radio
365 Premium - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 365 ci V8 (4BRL), 3AT, standard interior, standard AM radio
410 Deluxe - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 410 ci V8, 3AT, premium interior, standard AM radio
435 Executive - Sedan, Coupe - 435 ci V8, 3AT, premium interior, premium AM radio
435 Stormbringer - Coupe - 435 ci V8, 4MT, premium interior, premium AM radio, radial sport tires
Second Generation (EA20) - 1972 to 1979
Based on a tweaked version of the E-body platform (EA-body), the second generation Chieftain was the most iconic generation of the Chieftain. Built on a ladder frame, riding on front independent suspension (double wishbone) and revised rear dependent suspension (solid axle with coil springs), with a 3.0 meter wheelbase (118 in). The Chieftain retained its cheapness and simplicity while improving in performance and comfort with the implementation of coil springs in the rear suspension. This generation existed in two cycles, an early cycle (1972 to 1974), and a revised cycle (1975 to 1979). The revision was done due to evolving regulations of the time, in order to reduce pollution, improve fuel economy, implement tougher bumper designs (known as 5 mile per hour bumpers), and evolving design changes.
Just like the previous generation, three body styles were offered - 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon, and 2-door coupe. Engine options remained the same as the last generation, with each engine updated for 1972 and 1975.
1972 engines:
232 C.I. (3.8 L) “Reliant 6” I6 engine with a twin barrel carburetor (127 hp)
305 C.I. (5.0 L) “Comet V8” small block V8 engine with a twin barrel carburetor (152 hp)
365 C.I. (6.0 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a twin or quad barrel carburetor (188 hp, 209 hp)
410 C.I. (6.7 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a quad barrel carburetor (259 hp)
435 C.I. (7.1 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a quad barrel carburetor, or the “Supersport” package with dual quad-barrel carburetors and a performance intake (270 hp, 382 hp)
1975 engines (all are equipped with catalytic converters):
232 C.I. (3.8 L) “Reliant 6” I6 engine with a twin barrel carburetor (116 hp)
305 C.I. (5.0 L) “Comet V8” small block V8 engine with a twin barrel carburetor (138 hp)
365 C.I. (6.0 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a twin barrel carburetor (165 hp)
410 C.I. (6.7 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a quad barrel carburetor (215 hp)
435 C.I. (7.1 L) “Fireball V8” big block V8 engine with a quad barrel carburetor (237 hp)
Various trim options were available depending on body style and year. Due to shifts in market demands and the recent fuel crisis, performance options were cut in the 1975 refresh.
1972 Trims:
232 Base - Sedan, Wagon - 232 ci I6, 3MT, basic interior, basic AM radio
305 V8 - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 305 ci V8, 2AT, standard interior, basic AM radio
365 V8 - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 365 ci V8 (2BRL), 3AT, standard interior, basic AM radio
365 Premium - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 365 ci V8 (4BRL), 3AT, standard interior, standard AM radio
410 Deluxe - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 410 ci V8, 3AT, premium interior, standard AM radio
435 Executive - Sedan, Coupe - 435 ci V8, 3AT, premium interior, premium AM radio
435 GT - Sedan - 435 ci V8 (SS), 3AT, premium interior, premium radio, radial sport tires
435 Highway Star - Coupe - 435 ci V8 (SS), 3AT, premium interior, premium radio, radial sport tires, special appearance package which swapped chrome plated steel bumpers with body color composite bumpers
435 Stormbringer - Coupe - 435 ci V8 (SS), 4MT, premium interior, premium AM radio, radial sport tires
1975 Trims:
232 Base - Sedan, Wagon - 232 ci I6, 4MT, basic interior, basic AM radio
305 V8 - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 305 ci V8, 2AT, standard interior, basic AM radio
365 V8 - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 365 ci V8 (2BRL) 3AT, standard interior, basic AM radio
410 Premium - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 410 ci V8, 3AT, standard interior, standard AM radio
410 Deluxe - Sedan, Wagon, Coupe - 410 ci V8, 3AT, premium interior, standard AM radio
435 Executive - Sedan, Coupe - 435 ci V8, 3AT, premium interior, premium AM radio
Third Generation (ES30) - 1980 to 1984
With the recent passing of the fuel crisises of the 1970’s, and the current trend of downsizing, the Chieftain was now moved to a smaller platform, a shrunken variant of the E-body platform, with a new 2.8 meter wheelbase (111 in). With the smaller body, the car became lighter and more fuel efficient, while retaining the interior volume of a mid-size car. With the fall of the muscle car, this generation of Chieftain abandoned performance in pursuit of a more luxurious mid-size vehicle. Unlike the previous Chieftains, the big block Fireball V8 was dropped, in favor of using the Comet small block V8 and two of its V6 variants - Comet V6 and Ceres V6.
