“I know my own needs,” said Ricardo Montalban. “And what I need from an automobile, I find in this new Cordoba.” He went on to explain the various virtues of this “small Chrysler” two-door, four-seat personal luxury coupe – which made its debut in 1975. Including (most famously) the “thickly cushioned luxury of seats available even in fine Corinthian leather.”
“Small”?
Well, by the standards of 1975.
By the standards used to classify 2023 model year cars, the Cordoba qualifies as a full-sized car. It was 215.3 inches long, which to convey some sense of that, is about two inches longer than a current-year full-sized luxury car such as a ’23 BMW 7-Series sedan – which is only 212.2 inches long. And that is about as big as “full-size” gets in 2023.
We used to live much larger.
As opposed to just the few of us who still can, as now.
Of course, everything is relative – and by the standards of 1970, the Cordoba was
“small” . . . . compared to the full-sized sedans that were then still available back then. A 1975 Chrysler Newport, for instance, was as long as a ’23 Chevy Suburban.
Both being about a foot longer than a ’75 Cordoba.
But the Cordoba was still a pretty big car for a coupe. There is no modern day comparison because coupes its size are no longer made. Haven’t been made in decades. Because they have been effectively outlawed.
The government never said to Chrysler – and the rest of the car industry: We forbid you to build cars like the Cordoba (which was by the way a very popular car that sold well when Chrysler was still permitted to build cars of that type). Rather – and much more subtly – the government decreed that Chrysler and the rest had to comply with the regulations issued by the government’s regulatory apparat.
The evil genius of this dirty business is that no one can say the government has “outlawed” a particular kind of car. So when cars that can’t comply with the regulations are taken off the market, many people assume it’s because there isn’t a market for those kinds of vehicles.
Vehicles like Cordoba then – and Charger (and Challenger) now. The latter are being taken off the market even though there is a strong market for Chargers and and Challengers.
And now you know why.
It is the oily mechanism by which the government subverts what the market wants without the market recognizing that its preferences have been subverted. We can also see this going on today with regard to electric cars. There is very little real market demand for these things. But they are the only things that can comply with the latest round of regulations issued by the government that effectively outlaw anything that isn’t an electric car by requiring all new cars to be “zero emissions” – or average close to 50 MPG.
So this isn’t new. It has just gotten worse.
But it is the same thing.
Even a “small” Chrysler such as the ’75 Cordoba had trouble complying with the government’s regulatory regime, chiefly on account of the fact that it was originally available with a standard 5.2 liter (318 cubic inch) V8 and offered two larger ones as options – the biggest of them being 400 cubic inches (6.6 liters in metric) which is bigger than the biggest V8 engine available today in any full-sized SUV.
These big V8s were very popular with car buyers back in the ’70s for the same reason they are popular with people who buy big SUVs today: Lots of people like big rather than small things, especially when they can afford them.
Not that there is anything wrong with small things. The point is that – once upon a time – average people could afford big things, including things like big V8 engines in “small” Chryslers like the Cordoba.
And not just the Cordoba, either.
When it came out in 1975, it was one of many such “small” personal luxury coupes that were available. Others included the Chevy Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Regal. All of them would be considered full-size cars by the standards of today’s full-size (and pushing six figure) sedans. And all of them came standard with bigger V8s than are available in any pushing-six-figure sedan you can buy today.
All of these personal luxury coupes (and their V8s) went away.
No, that’s not accurate. All of them were regulated away. The Cordoba’s big V8s could not meet the next round of government fuel economy and emissions regs and so – after just four years of success on the market – Chrysler was forced to redesign it to be more . . . compliant. The second-generation Cordoba that made its debut for the 1980 model year was a smaller Chrysler.
It was now 209.8 inches (still a full-sized car, almost, by our diminished standards) but a much less impressive car than it had been.
Under the hood, especially.
The now-standard six cylinder engine was about two-thirds the size of the previously standard 5.2 liter (318 cubic inch) V8 that powered the first-generation Cordoba. 1980 was also the last year Cordoba could be ordered with what was previously the mid-sized V8 (5.8 liters, 360 cubic inches) that was optional in the original.
The 400 cubic inch (6.6 liter) V8 was gone for good.
This wasting away for the sake of compliance would continue until – by 1983 – the Cordoba itself was gone for good. In its place, an actually small Chrysler – the K-car based LeBaron – appeared. It didn’t even offer a six. All you could could get was a four less than half the size of the original Cordoba’s base V8.
And the LeBaron, itself, was all of 179.2 inches long. That is about three feet less car than the “small” Chrysler that met all of Ricardo Montalban’s needs – and demands. As well as those of hundreds of thousands of buyers.
Unfortunately, government demanded such cars disappear.
And so, they have – with most people not having the slightest clue as to why.
. . .
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Most any car made after about 72 was a smog dog. Less horsepower and a finicky maintenance nightmare as the industry fumbled around and tried to comply. Like the 240 to 260 to 280 Datsun Z cars. The 318 of those late 70s-mid 80s Chryslers could have been a good engine, but were choked down to a push and wait dog. Unless you “worked” on them.
The surprising engine was the AMC Matador 401 rocket ship. A tire smoking gas hog. Unfortunately you need to bring a parts man and mechanics tool box with you when you took it out.
That’s true, Torino –
But the upside was it was very easy to gut the “smog” equipment and restore everything that had been lost. As a case in point, the 455 in my ’76 Trans-Am was originally rated at 200 pathetic horsepower. But just replacing the enormously restrictive factory exhaust system (which fed into a single catalytic converter) with a duel exhaust – and no cat – plus some tuning of the ignition and carb re-jetting would really wake these things up. Replace the very mild factory cam with a hotter one and add a point or two of compression – both easy to do and not expensive to do – and you had what we used to have, just a few years prior!
It has been a part time wish to find a mid 70s police package Chevy Nova with the 350 V8. Chevy built it to spec with pieces and parts from other models and gave it an X in VIN. In its day it would give any Porsche a hard time on the urban city race track. I can imagine it being even better de-polluted.
Drove a ’78 Dodge Magnum, the sister car to the Cordoba, to my junior prom. Loved the clear headlight covers that lowered when the lights came on.
Thankfully I grew up in the Deep South, so the disco music at the dance was minimized.
A 392 swap into a Cordoba would be a pretty cool project.
Hi Horst,
When I get a few hours to spare, I am planning on visiting the Duncan Car Museum again and hoping they’ll allow me to take some videos of their magnificent Cordoba… as well as some others from that better, vanished time.
The Dodge Charger badged Cordoba is something people think I’m nuts when I mention. Neighbor across the street had one when I was a kid. I remember it. It looked like some 70s faux luxury car, well much like a Cordoba.
I loved the 1977 Dodge Charger Daytona – 400ci Buckets and console with full gauges. Was a Cordoba but with a rock and roll attitude. 🙂
‘“I know my own needs,” said Ricardo Montalban. “And what I need from an automobile, I find in this new Cordoba.” — eric
His charm is so contagious, vaccines have been created for it.
Every time he goes for a swim, dolphins appear.
Alien abductors have asked him to probe them.
His legend precedes him the way lightning precedes thunder.
He is … the most interesting man in the world.
I drive the Cordoba because, I *know*, who I am.
The Cordoba: The car for the man who *knows*, who I am.
The only car dad ever ordered from the factory was the ’76 Charger Daytona. Same car as the Cordoba but with Dodge badging. Two-tone blue, FM radio, cruise control, upgraded wheels and air conditioning! Also first car in the family fleet to run on unleaded. 318 engine had some odd problems with idle before it warmed up. Probably due to all the vaccum lines needed to meet the emissions requirements.
Unfortunately my grandfather died early in ’77, and grandma didn’t drive, so we inherited a 1973 Cornet. Basically the same engine and drive train but 4 doors and about a foot shorter. The Cornet still ran on leaded and did about 5 MPG better on the highway. So the Daytona was relegated to Sunday church duty and eventually sat in the garage. Today it has antique plates and the odometer is still around 6000 miles.
The Comet is a Mercury. Mercury’s version of the Ford Maverick in 1973. If it had a V8 it would be the 302cid ford small block V8. The platform of the Maverick/Comet is nearly identical to the Mustang but narrower. A four door would have 109″ wheel base. The two door shorter than a mustang, not sure how the 4 door compared.
I think he means Dodge Coronet (which became the Monaco around 1976 or 1977)
Yep. Dyslexic former brass instrument player, so no chance of spelling it correctly. 😀
He does. My mom drove a Dodge Coronet. They traded in her Studebaker for it. My dad at that time still drove his 1963 Chrysler.
One of the first cars I ever drove was my Dad’s 1972 Pontiac Catalina coupe with a 455 4bbl. I was younger then, but that thing felt HUGE. Good times in that car.
“Good times in that car.”
What was her name?
Jeanette. lol.
Cordoba’s were absolute garbage. And that “fine Corinthian leather” was made in New Jersey and lasted about 20,000 miles before it cracked all over the place.
If you are making lots of money because of your importance, skill, knowledge, then gas mileage is not your concern as much as safety, and having 8 feet of Detroit iron in front of you and 12′ behind you may be the best car for you. So who are these government creeps who tell us what is best for us? Only you know what is best for you, not some third party with some commie agenda. Behind every law is an arrogant bastard with a supremacy complex.
Back when I was a kid we would go the demolition derby, and those Chrysler station wagons would win, the driver would take out his competition by backing up at a high rate of speed and smash the other cars. All that rear end metal made a good battering ram.
Is anyone on here familiar with the Pogue carburator? The claim was that this fuel vaporization carb would give a big heavy car 200 mpg. Debunkers claim that a modern ICE car is burning all of the fuel efficiently and such claims are impossible.
One of the big problems with an ICE vehicle burning gasoline, is only 25% of the fuel’s heat value is turned into work.
Demolition derbies – those are just one form of entertainment that will go away if EVs take over. Imagine a Tesla in a derby. The heavier weight would initially be helpful but it wouldn’t be long until a gargantuan multi-vehicle battery fire would erupt! And then, of course, one would have to disable or turn off all of those idiotic crash avoidance detectors. Otherwise, it would be a derby without any demolition!
Growing up I would listen to adults talking about this or that country doing this or that. The I would hear “Those bastards better not try that shit here”.
Today government parasites push regulation in areas one would assume they have no business in. While governments are blowing shit up in Ukraine creating millions of tons of CO2 they are regulating dishwashers, washing machines, air conditioners, generators, etc to the point they can not do their jobs,,, all in the name of bs global warming and CO2. Today add methane and carbon monoxide to their list of dangerous gasses to shut down farming. Soon maybe oxygen?
I live in a hurricane area and they are telling me I cannot buy a generator because of safety,,, because some moron put a generator in his/her living room and killed their family. Eliminating people that stupid might be a good thing which is why I don’t mind the present democide going on.
Only one thing worse than a stupid government and that is a stupid population.
The constitution states the clowngress can regulate commerce,,, not products. It is NOT the same. Also no branch of government has any authority to delegate authority. Clowngress is given the authority to regulate commerce,,, not some POS alphabet agency in the Executive Branch or worse some acting clown president that cannot remember his name. This same clowngress gave the president the power to wage war. Show me where that is constitutional. They are all psycho’s. The inmates are in charge of the asylum.
The best government is no government.
No government could hardly be worse than the bankrupt psychopathic immoral government we have.
“Only one thing worse than a stupid government and that is a stupid population.”
You said a mouthful there, ken. The one always seems to lead to the other, in both directions at once.
RE: they are telling me I cannot buy a generator because of safety,,, ”
I’m sure you & everyone else is noticing the trend: can’t have a: gas water heater, or a gas/propane oven, or run a wood stove, or own an ICE vehicle… ya gotta get an iris scan & own a sthmart-phone in order to get on the internet?…. It’s ALL about centralized Power & Control.
Plain & simple.
I’m dealing with a letter from my insurance company, they wanted to drop me for “ineligible farming” … whatever the heck that means. My agent contacted them & said it was a snafu or something based upon a “survey”. Wtf does that mean? Said they’d send a copy of the policy so I’d know everything was A-ok.
…I’m still waiting, weeks later. The thing is, I imagine this is happening to many others.
A new trend?
A narrative about EVs that the media is endlessly pounding is that electric vehicles are “the future” and that the market is dictating that. However, as evidenced by all the new car dealerships that just have unsold EVs sitting in lots, that’s NOT true at all; instead, we have unelected bureaucrats dictating that, and like their attempts at diktats for everyone to get COVID jabs, it won’t end well. I suppose next, they’ll be saying that mRNA jabs are the “Vaccines of the future”, and to avoid a tripledemic this fall, “Be sure to get your vaccines for COVID, flu, and RSV”.
Buy stock in Briggs & Stratton. You may soon start seeing their engines in micro-mandated gov’t shitboxes.
Yeah, no…
Small gas engines are going to be the *first* to be outlawed.
… not that any other “stonks” would be better.
> Briggs & Stratton
BTDT:
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a31667259/briggs-and-stratton-hybrid-jay-lenos-garage/
Regulated away and regulated in. Based on Eric’s review of the Cadillac CT4, I went out to my local Cadillac dealer to look at and possible drive one. They don’t have any. Nor does any of the other Cadillac dealers in my area. But they said I could order one. Sure. I did find a used CT4V and drove the car. It looked good, I thought, but when attempting to drive it I discovered that the car couldn’t get out of its own way. There was some sort of bullseye thing in the center of the instrument cluster that kept pulsating and changing shape, there was something projected on the windshield, the car kept dinging and vibrating and flashing things all around me. How can you dive a thing like that. It was total distraction all the time. It had to be one of the most unsafe driving experiences I’ve ever had. Not to mention that I felt like I was sitting in a hole with the high belt line and felt claustrophobic by all of the various elements infringing on the already limited amount of vision glass. After the drive, I almost lost it because I asked the salesman if any of the “safety” features could be turned off and was told that they could not and that it was a good thing that the government mandated features were keeping me safe. I expressed my opinion about that and our discussion became a bit heated. I left the dealership cursing the idiot salesman and, worse, without an option for a new car.
Seems like Tattoo (Herve’ Villechaize) should be sitting in the passenger seat saying “Let’s go boss!”
Check out IMDB, lotta big stars on that show, lots of memories.
Da plane! Da plane!
Who’s to blame for the demise of the Cordoba, et al –
Chrysler or “the government”? I choose Chrysler,
and other car companies.
With their teams of lawyers, they would have had
a chance to stop the illegitimate juggernaut. Probably
the majority of folks on this forum didn’t comply with
illegal demands for the clot shot, but company “suits”
didn’t defend auto company rights, of a free market?
Sorry, but I’ll have little compassion if any of the
companies go bankrupt (again) or worse. I bought
my last vehicles over twelve years ago, and decline to
purchase anymore. All together now – EVs… über alles
“A society of sheep must in time beget
a government of wolves.”
Bertrand de Jouvenel
You’re right, libertyx –
And so was Lenin, who rightly observed that capitalists will sell (the communists) the very rope that the communists will use to hang them with. The obsequiousness of the businessman was laid out perfectly in Babbitt.
Also soon to disappear:
gas generators
dishwashers
water heaters
clothes washers
refrigerators
air conditioners
https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-admin-cracks-down-another-140234355.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9jaXRpemVuZnJlZXByZXNzLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAD3-NGkRUzJxDHEq7kOXRo7Kur4EBywFy0aR1QreBQ77BVczzrRT-a-t5OnEPOQg-7BKEqbe3jQId85eZBGGamy-uyk-xR0q5D2RtUo4Izt3C9qIlzzUGuXZfUz44t6mHLkBrSlAOsfs0bAzNJUDGGfVVcGcR-tIF86_gVQGCcm6
Hi Dan,
Yup. And – don’t you loathe the language? The government is going to “crack down” on these appliances. And the media uses the same language, without comment, thereby giving it legitimacy.
In this neck of the woods the tree huggers are wanting to shut down our coal power plant. The electric company is having a meeting about it next week. If they are successful, I hope they do not have the balls to wonder why they have no lights this Winter (through all 9 months of darkness), why their electric bill suddenly tripled, or why their electric powered heater (forced air, radiant floor heat, etc, or monitored heater stove) does not work. Dumb fools, every last one of them. And you know they are not going to use that “evil” form of wood stove heat to keep warm. I swear, their insanity gets worse with each passing year. Even worse, they want to drag the rest of us down with them.
Up in Fairbanks they have a fully laden coal train arriving every single day. If I remember correct, it is were the city gets most of its power from, burning that coal. It’ll suck to be them in February if that gets taken away.
Yep, that is my neck of the woods. “The Interior” as it is called, gets colder than Anchorage or other parts of the state. You can sure as hell bet that wood burning is going to grow exponentially if that Healy power plant shuts down. And then again, the Russian Duma is threatening to nuke us off the map up here, so we may not have to worry about winter at all if that is our future.
That ‘nine months of darkness’ is really surreal. Not just the cold, but the light depravation would be tough on me. Don’t know how you deal with it. You know about Gnome? 23+ hrs of darkness, That is positively crazy. Don’t think I could even do a month up there. I’m extremely addicted to sunshine. My Kid left Fairbanks after a couple years. He likes the climate around Anchorage much better. Seems a lot happier further south.
I don’t think Russia would ever nuke Alaska. To many Russians, plus they have historic connections. Down on the Kenai I saw lots of orthodox Russian women in Homer. The area between Soldotna and Homer, seems like lots of little Amish type communities made up of Russians.
Aaah yes, the old saying is, if you have died & gone to hell, you are probably in Nome-ha ha! I can imagine the wind blowing from the ocean up there. Yeah, the darkness can be a bit much, but that is when you see the northern lights the best. When BB King came up, it was damned near -70 below (and he was really good, too!). Those lights were awesome, but yeah, that is when hell froze over that night. We want to hibernate more in the Winter. On the other hand, this time of year, who wants to work for a living or sleep? Just give me the pay check, so I can play for three months-ha ha. I guess I will have to settle for sleep deprivation and coffee. It is just the damned mosquitoes that will get you. And the stupid drivers, for which there are plenty. I always figured the Russians would just come in and take us over again. Not that they would need our oil or anything, but we DID used to be their territory. It certainly takes the movie, “Red Dawn” to a whole new level, that is for sure. Hell, maybe we would have cheaper gas if they took over, ’cause with Joe and Heels-Up Harris being in control, we are paying double for everything. It is one thing when it is the food, but the heating fuel and gasoline? Please…this is ridiculous. We are sitting on the source, and have the pipeline literally in our back yard.
The Northern lights are really something. Saw them in Feb a few years back in Fairbanks. Cant imagine what a trip it would be seeing them for the first time, and not knowing what they were.
When I was on the Kenai Peninsula earlier this summer the place seemed full of FSA types. Empirically, the point was made to me about the high cost of food when I saw a woman bolt out of the Safeway in Soldotna with a cart full of stuff. Maybe a hard winter or two will send those who don’t add value back to where they came from. Hopefully, the same folks who forced house prices into nosebleed territory will be first to flee .
I’ve yet to experience these giant mosquitos everyone talks about up there. Maybe I’m immune. We have a problem w/ them down here along the swampy sloughs feeding our creek. Yet I never seem to get more than a bite or two
We’re heading to Juneau in September. Would be nice if the place isn’t full of climate alarmists, Vaxxtards, maskholes, and mosquitos.
You got lucky with the mosquitoes. They are pretty thick especially if you live out of town. Bug dope is essential if you want to spent time outdoors and not get eaten alive. I have never been to Juneau but hear that it is a nice area. The legislature is finished for the year so you would not have to deal with those fools as they meet from January through March. The Kenai is beautiful but they had bad fires few summers ago. LOL I remember reading an article where some southern state had a rare aurora display, such as what you would see up here. Guess it freaked them out cause they didn’t know what it was. In a note of irony the colder it is the better the lights display. When BB King came up and played years go…after the concert it was -70 below or so. Truly freezing your butt off weather. And yet the skies were exploding with green and turquoise colored lights…Truly worth pulling over and watching.
Seeing BB King anywhere would be cool. Of all the places I’ve seen so far in Alaska, I like Homer best. The fishing there is truly world class. A nice little drinking town with a fishing problem, good vibes there.
Grrr, Eric!! Do I fuckin’ HATE that term! “Crackdown!” Also, “Background check!”. Patronizingly repugnant and arrogant terminology making it clear that you bad little boys and girls will feel the back-hand of daddy government until you do what you are told.
The work still needs to get done. If these appliances don’t work then people will be forced to return to the way it was done before. Missing the whole point, that these “labor saving” devices were more efficient than their manual counterparts. Not only time savers, but water and energy too. And if/when people are forced to give up their labor savers, the labor won’t be evenly distrubuted, it will return to the half of the population that allegedly earns 75¢ of what the other half of the population allegedly earns. Because again, people are going to optimize for efficiency anyway.
Of course the view from an administrative building in DC is that manufacturers will engineer a more effiicent solution that doesn’t compromise function. By attempting to force innovation they really risk destroying the gains society has already achieved. And if the manufacturer cannot meet the mandate they disappear completely.
“Now I am become death, destroyer of industry.” – Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm
RK,
The reason these a’hole, DC bureaucrats think that manufacturers will engineer a more efficient solution is because they’ve COMPLIED so often before! Just look at cars for an example. They not only complied with the previous emissions regs; they built a more powerful car. SO! The bureaucrats and tree huggers will say, “See, they didn’t want to make things better! They were dragging their feet when they could’ve made X cleaner.” Because businesses have successfully complied before, they gave the bureaucrats the idea that they could do so again.
Found this gem in thee WA State Dept of Commerce “Appliance Standards” took effect this year if I’m reading their stuff correctly:
“ The appliance standards implemented by Commerce include a requirement that electric storage (tank) water heaters have a specific modular communications port to help utilities manage electricity demand for water heating. ”
Details in their PDF “guidebook”. I may be moving to another state sooner than expected.
Don’t forget wood-burning stoves and charcoal BBQ grills. You name it, Too-Big Brother has his squinty little eyes on it.
Morning Eric!
You concentrate on length. How do the old sedans and coupes compare to today’s SUVs in weight, height, and tire size? When I park next to some of these monsters, I’m astounded at how huge the tires are. They look bigger than what’s on my ’95 Dodge-Cummins truck.
Hi Roland,
Interesting, by modern standards, even those old “boats” were light! A ’76 Cordoba – body-on-frame. rear-drive, with a cast iron V8 engine – weighed about 3,700 lbs. About the same as my ’76 Trans-Am, which is laid out similarly. Today, a mid-sized (and front-wheel-drive, four cylinder-powered, unibody) sedan such as a Camry weighs 3,310 lbs.
You’re absolutely right about height, though. And these imbecile “rims” – which are a manifestation of “ghetto culture” that has gone mainstream. Even minivans have 17 and 18 inch tall “rims.” Many SUVs and trucks ride on “twennies.”
My wife’s nephew is talking about getting his Maverick lifted aftermarket after spending way above MSRP to buy the truck in a private sale from a dealership employee with closing taking place in the F&I room.
I looked up the Chevy Tahoe:
Wheelbase: 120.9 in
Length: 210.7 in
Width: 81.0 in
Height: 75.9 in
Curb weight: 5866 lb
Tires: 275/60R-20
Hi Roland,
Yup! A Tahoe – a full-size SUV – is about five inches shorter than a Cordoba and weighs about a ton more. If I remember correctly, the Cordoba came with 15 inch wheels and was likely sporting a tire in the 225/70-15 range.
The larger diameter rims with the wide profile tires are for the increased weight.
2023 Toyota Corolla and a 1964 Chevelle with a small block weigh the same.
Hi Horst,
“2023 Toyota Corolla and a 1964 Chevelle with a small block weigh the same.”
Crazy, isn’t it? The Corolla is a compact-sized economy car; FWD with a small (and aluminum) four cylinder engine. Unibody construction. The Chevelle is a full-sized (by current standards) rear-drive performance coupe with a cast iron V8 and body-on-frame construction. An economy car ought to weigh around 2,200 pounds; less, ideally. In order to be – you know – economical…
Funny you should mention those two, Horst. My first car was a ’67 Malibu with a 283, and our latest one is a ’23 Corolla hybrid. We’ve had a couple of older Ford Foci, plus the 2015 version. The older ones were light, efficient little buzz-boxes. The 2015 was a completely different car. Much heavier and solid-feeling. The Corolla seems to have followed the same path. The ’23 feels like a big car to me.
The 1975-1979 Chrysler Cordobas were 2 door hardtops that used the well-worn Chrysler Corporation “B” body, which was a UNIT body type, at least A-pillar on back. The front frame bolted to the unibody, same as the other Mopar lines. They were the first Chrysler-branded cars to use the “LA” 318 and 360s, (the latter being standard in the 49 states and Canada, the 318 in CA but as a four barrel only), and also came with a “B” block 400 2 barrel (standard engine for “high altitude”) or 4 barrel. This was the same car, just more luxurious interior and trim, as the Dodge Charger SE coupe and the Plymouth Fury (back to a B-body after 10 years as a full-sized “C” body) for 1975-1977 and Gran Fury (which was Plymouth’s C body model fron 75 to 77) for 1978. I had a 78 Gran Fury with a 360 and the Carter Thermoquad.
For 1980 to 1983, as part of Chrysler actually putting out “downsized” lines, the Cordoba, along with Dodge Mirada and the Imperial with the electronic fuel injection was on the “J” platform, sort of either a lengthened “M” body (Dodge Diplomat, Chrysler 5th Avenue, Plymouth Gran Fury) or a shortened 2-door version of that ill-fated R-body. There’d also been a proposed Plymouth Caravelle that Lee Iaccoca had axed, he also wanted to kill the Gran Fury until advised that its fleet sales were actually profitable. Plymouth was to be only small cars, hence why the Volare was discontinued after 1980. Since the J body was actually rather light, it was felt that the 225 Slant Six would suffice as a base engine. But even the “Super Six” version with a Carter BBD “put out” but 95 ponies, and only 88 in CA. This was the first Chrysler that came with a Six since the Cranbrook had that 251 Flathead Six, with but 108 horsepower, in 1954. They didn’t call this the “Malaise Era” just because of Jimmy Carter!
The Cordoba -70s version- is a nice looking car. Boy that guy was great in Star Trek 2 – Wrath of Khan.
A 76 Cordoba was the first brand new car that I ever bought. Rust orange exterior with the saddle color leather interior, and the 400 motor. All the goodies, power windows, locks, cruise. Those were unusual back then, unlike today, most cars didn’t have that stuff. I’ve owned a lot of cars in my lifetime, but that’s one of the few I’d love to get back. Unbelievably smooth and powerful cruising machine.
Khan! Khan! Khaaaaaaam!
Nothing like a half-Jewish actor to supply the “ham”!!
It’s the smarmy dishonesty of bureaucrats and social reformers that is infuriating. The don’t have the integrity to just stand up and say, “No soup, FOR YOU!” They just use that passive-aggressive attitude to say, “Oh, it’s doesn’t meet the new standards.” Standards set by whom? To what end?
You see it at all levels of GovCo. Long lines at the DMV. Slow walking prosecutions of the Grifters in Charge. Never “seeing” what is obvious to Stevie Wonder. Never doing anything for themselves. They are always doing it “for the children” or “saving the planet”.
Not all GovCo employees (note I didn’t say worker) are self-serving, authoritarian, tyrannical, sociopaths but, it’s a great career move for people that are.
Which means the vast majority are exactly that. A sane moral person could not stay in such a “job”, constantly inflicting intentional harm on other people.
The latest spectacle? After regulating generating and grid capacity to a barely useful level, they are going to outlaw hydrocarbon powered generators. So, the grid crashes where you are. You aren’t allowed to own a generator. And your EV won’t get you out of the impact zone. Who needs enemies with “friends” like these?