Harwood Chieftain
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