Ahh...Cordoba! I thought it was such a beautiful car in its day. I loved the 1970's 'personal luxury cars' from GM, Chrysler, and Ford. Those were the days!
Not the 70's, but.....CADILLAC "Cimarron".....a warmed-over Cavalier with better interior trim ? Those were the days alright.....of "phoned-in" car design....I'm amazed people paid "premium" prices for the crap they produced. The Europe of the 1970's had close-ratio 5 speed transmissions, while North Americans were still rowing slush-box 3 speeds.🤔
And don't forget the Corinthian leather touted by Ricardo Montalban. We still don't know if that leather was for real. But it sounded great when Ricardo said it.
I started working in the steering and suspension group at the Chrysler Engineering center in Highland Park Michigan in '73. One of the first programs was wrapping up the '75 Cordoba & Charger cars. There were quite a few in the prototype garage and one actually had a 426 Hemi with a 727 Torqueflite. They were a huge sales success and a lot of them had aftermarket wire wheels. Pretty cars.
@@1971cld prototype and test cars had all kinds of leftover or parts bin stuff. like the mercury cyclone supercar that had a boss in it for an executive. there was a dodge diplomat with a turbine engine. mopar had a lot of weird stuff in the back lot, so I would not discount an eyewitness.
I always thought Mopar cars in the Seventies did a much better job at styling the mandated bumpers into their cars, than anyone else in the that era. My Dad bought a 1976 Cordoba. It was a demo, had most all options. I wish he would have let me buy it from him. It was a looker.
I went with my neighbor to the local Chrysler dealer in Long Beach California in 1976. He bought the sales managers triple black sun roof Cordoba with the 400 v8. I think it was around 7700.00. I got to drive it several times and it was quite nice. He traded off his late 60s Cadillac Eldorado for this ride.
My friend drove one back in the late 80's. Someone driving a smaller car pulled out from a parking lot and he T-boned the guy. The smaller car was totaled, while the Cordoba had little damage 😃 That car was a tank!
That happened to my dad with his 76. He t-boned a VW Rabbit that ran a red light, folded the car into a U. The Chrysler? Broken grill and 1 of the signal lenses popped off. Dad drove home after the police report. The VW driver went to the ER.
I hit the front side (his fault) a 90"s Honda with my 76 cordoba, whole front end of his car was damaged. Car was a write off. The Doba, cracked the front fiberglass piece. Backed it up, checked the rad, drove it home. Tank
Chrysler's full size pickups were tanks, too. I had a 1985 three quarter ton pickup that someone in an 80's full size Buick rear-ended at about 20 m/h. We both drove our cars home with my truck having minimal damage and the Buick having cosmetic damage on the grille. I drove that truck for at least another ten years. I don't think a mid size or small car would have survived that crash. I had a similar full size 80's Buick that my brother crashed into someone that ran out in front of him at about 35 m/h but he crashed into a full size van, unfortunately the van's bumper hopped over the frame and pulverized the front end, pushing the engine back several inches. Why my truck didn't hop the frame on the Buick that rear ended me, I don't have a clue.
Say what you will, but this ad campaign is one of the most memorable ever! I always liked these cars, but only rode in one. My buddy had the Dodge version.
Great video. For some reason it reminded me of the Cutlass Supreme Brougham of the same era. The Cutlass had a sweet ride. I’ve never ridden in a Cordoba, but the commercials are classic. Thanks
I remember them well, fine Corinthian leather and all. Some friends of mine had the 1979 model with that exact special appearance package in the photo. I was honestly never much of a Chrysler fan myself, but that was quite an eye-catching car.
I wasnt a fan of old Chrysler products either. But a friend of the family gave us a ride in one as a kid & that Corinthian leather was the best thing I ever sat on. 28 yrs later I havent set on any leather as nice.
@@styldsteel1 A sign of brilliant marketing. I heard somewhere that "Corinthian leather" had its origins in a New Jersey tannery, as opposed to an exotic Mediterranean island.
I remember these cars - and the Dodge Charger cousin - very well. What stands out most in memory is the cars with the Lean Burn system. Very difficult to get them started when cold, stalling at intersections. Hesitation. Engine knocking from running lean. It was the height of early emission controls strangling the otherwise reliable engines, and it's amazing to look back at what people tolerated in their new cars.
I owned TWO '79 Dodge Diplomats ("318" Lean Burn) THEY BOTH WERE AWESOME "COLD WEATHER" STARTERS AND RAN GREAT, WITH BETTER GAS MILEAGE THAN A "SLANT 6"!
@@johnmaki3046 I suspect a LOT of Lean Burn Chryslers that ran like doo-doo were way out of tune. Those who kept the car tuned up found the engines to run as the engineers intended. I think the system was not very tolerant of neglect and likely hated some of the "cheap gas" you could get at some stations back in the 1970s.
I am amazed at what people tolerate in new cars. You couldn't give me a new car if I had to drive it. What do I drive? A 1976 Corvette, a 1975 Camaro Type LT, and a 1979 two door Chevy pickup.
Growning up in Turku, Finland, I often made it a habit to walk past the "boat guy's" 76 triple green Cordoba. His store sold Chrysler boats and outboards. In 1990 I bought a triple green 78 in Oregon at Beaverton Chrysler-Plymouth. A sweet 44K mile one owner car. Still have it 32 years later, now with 52K miles. Fantastic cars!
My mom bought a new Cordoba in '76 with the 360 when my brother totaled her '72 Grand Marquis. It was white with gold landau top and interior. For some reason my dad didn't like the 360, and she got an identical '77 with the 400, and dad got a yellow with gold '77 New Yorker. He traded his '73 Grand Marquis Brougham coupe 460 interceptor. As a ten year old it was pretty cool having all these huge new Chryslers to explore. Even stranger in '78 mom got an absolutely loaded, every option (including fake wood paneling) Dodge Omni.
My grandfather had a 1978 Omni. That car was so uncomfortable for him (and I had trouble fitting my very large body into it as well) that he traded it in on a 1979 Dodge D-250 less than a year later (I bought a similar Dodge truck months before he bought his and he liked it).
Recollections of Ricardo Montalban in the Chrysler commercials talking about it's rich Corrrrrrinthian leather. 😄 I have memories of this car. My mother's 1st cousin, a prominent historian and genealogical researcher, bought a new Cordoba in 75. White with a white Landau top and white leather interior. She ordered the car and got every available option offered. It was a beautiful car which her gardener and maintenance man kept in perfectly polished condition at all times. She was a tall distinguished lady with a thick head of white hair who looked quite frankly intimidating driving that car. She was an intimidating person. She drove the car for 4 years. She bought new every 4 years. My dad offered to buy it from her, but she said no. She always traded for new.
I had a 69 Ford F-250. It was one rugged truck that took whatever abuse you gave it. Mine saw a lot of firewood hauling service, I filled the bed full of firewood and towed a small trailer with more firewood at the same time and still got close to 200K miles out of it (I did have to have one transmission put in it but three speed Ford transmissions were dirt cheap in the mid to late 80's, at the time my father replaced the transmission for me he converted it to a three on the floor, it was originally a three on the tree -- conversion and all it cost me less than $200).
It may have been the malaise era, and while it’s true no Cordoba on the road could stay with my ‘Cuda if being tested, I loved the Cordoba and got exceptional reliability and service out of this platform going well over 150,000 miles in a little under 4 years time. I was in Sales and was always hurriedly running between various points every single day and it never left me wanting. The a/c was cold enough to hang fresh meat in during the hottest of July and August summers imaginable, despite the black paint and vinyl top on the car. The seats and ride were very comfortable even on long stretches of roadway, or on those occasions when a nap was needed. The power options were wonderful and always worked fine, and the sound system with 8-track was far more adequate than I’d anticipated so I never felt the need to modify the system. The only failure when I had it was a blown ballast resistor occurring one time. I ran the living hell out of it as hard as anyone ever ran a car I promise you. If you were on the road ahead of me, you wouldn’t remain ahead of me for very long. I was on a mission to get to the next client pronto, and nobody was going to delay me for very long. I kept clean oil in it, good tires and brakes on it, and washed and waxed it often. That was it. I’d buy another today and run the snot out if it again if I needed to without blinking an eye.
@Lurch7861 my cars, including this one, are all always maintained to the highest standard. Every service is performed long before scheduled. Potential problems are identified and corrected before becoming bigger problems. And as I learned many years ago, this car was always run carefully while warming up but once warm, was allowed to run very spiritedly, and rarely at a constant speed. Luckily I didn’t live in the city or go there to work very often, so I wasn’t constantly sitting in traffic idling and gumming up engine parts. This engine’s “gunk” was blown out everyday. All fluids and filters (including trans fluid and filter) and other wear parts, were replaced regularly. Lastly the car was kept clean and polished all the time. If driven in snow/salt, it was washed and rinsed completely afterward - especially underneath. This car was run moderately hard but well respected and treated. That’s why it was “a good one”. Cheers!
My first car at age 16 in 1975 was a pristine 4-year-old ‘71 Plymouth Barracuda in B5 (medium) Blue with white vinyl top, blue interior. It was powered by the ever-reliable 318 V8. I traded it a year later (1976) for a very nice 2-year-old FINAL EDITION ‘74 Plymouth ‘Cuda 360-4 barrel in Yellow with black vinyl top, black longitudinal stripes along both sides, black interior. Wishin’ I had ‘em both back.
Great video and memories! My parents bought new a '75 year model. It was yellow over black leather bench bucket interior, column shift, black vinyl top, and the 400 V-8 with I believe the ThermaQuad 4bbl carb. They kept the car until early '79 until my mother traded it in on a new Buick Regal. The Buick was cool, but I really missed the old Cordoba, well as much as a 13 year old could anyway, lol!
i was also 13 when my parents bought a white one with beige vinyl top it had the beige velour interior. My first car l drove,I loved it.My mom traded it for a 1978 one this time brown with brown leather loved it as well
A friend of mine bought a brand new one in 1977, burgundy with a white Landau vinyl top and the most beautiful burgundy interior with the softest leather seats I've ever seen, a beautiful car that rode like a dream
A close friend owned two (a '77 &'78) at different times in the late 80s. The '77 had the 318 whose performance could best be described as anemic. The '78 however, was equipped with the 360 combined with a factory trailer towing package. The level of performance was outstanding for that era. The engine was repurposed and now resides in his '69 Barracuda coupe. Thanks for these videos and your superb attention to detail...
We had a 77 Fury Sport. Nearly did buy the Cordoba, but the Vintage red Sunfire color won out. Those cars though, were comfortable on the inside, had great lines, and without a doubt the best standard sound system and best AC and heat of any car before or since. Great video. Thanks for keeping the Cordoba memories alive.
My mom’s friend Sally had a gorgeous 76 Cordoba in dark blue with a white landau top, light blue velour interior, and road wheels. How I loved that car! Sally did too and drove it until it topped 150,000 miles in the mid-80s.
My first car was a 1975 Cordoba, I inherited it at 17 in 1984 from my grandfather. It had 34,000 miles, 400 4 barrel, turbine rims, dual chrome sport mirrors, blue velour interior. It was a dark blue with a rare white halo full vinyl top. A beautiful car in it’s day that when floored, would hit 95 mph in second gear before shifting. We called them highway gears at the time. And did it ever roar with the breather flipped. Although its been gone for many years it’s still my favourite car.
I owned a 1975 Cordoba with the 400. It was one of the best looking cars I have owned. The different compounds of round and straight angles of the hood looked fantastic, and felt great when waxing. The ride was so much better than the Monte Carlo I had right before it. It just road and handled so much better. The seats felt great, and were only surpassed by my 1985 Buick Park Avenue.
The rectangular headlights on the restyled version look ugly now, but I can understand why they became popular so quickly in the late '70s, because U.S. automakers had been forced to only use round headlights since sealed beams became mandatory in the 1940s, so of course they were going to jump on the chance to use something different as soon as it was allowed, especially since car design was moving in a more boxy direction anyway at the time.
Sealed beams didn't actually become mandatory until the 1968 model year. Despite people complaining about it, the reason for this was that UNsealed beams had reflectors that would tarnish, diminishing the light output of the lamps, versus sealed-envelope lamps, which stayed shiny over their entire lifespan.
@@jamesw1659 And now modern vehicles have easily scratched plastic headlight housings with replaceable bulbs that can wiggle around if they're not installed properly. The housings can also crack and yellow with age. Progress, huh? Sounds like we've come full circle. ;)
My parents owned one of these when I came of age and got a DL. so I learned to drive with a Cordoba. Only car I've ever driven that had opera lights. The 2 barrel 360 had a lot of power for the time and if you flipped the air filter lid the car would sound like a 4 barrel sucking wind. I miss the hood blinker reminders. I thought the one on driver's side was broken it keep comming on solid and not when you had a blinker on. Dang thing came on all the time. Found out it was some kind of reminder you were wasting fuel. Lol apparently it was linked to intake vacuum. It would come on when intake vacuum dropped. Which when I was driving was every time I took off lol. Nice car though I would drive one today if they still made it
At last you've done a video on the Cordoba! I had a 78, maroon with white vinyl landau roof. No "Corinthian leather" though, sorry Ricardo. Cloth seats with the arm rest in the middle. Just a 318, but it wasn't a race car anyway. Probably my favorite car I've ever owned. I felt like the coolest guy on the street in my Cordoba. Some like the older style round headlights, but I really liked the dual square headlights.
To me, the rear end is reminiscent of a 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix. .....and the older front ends are definitely like that of the Monte Carlo. Pretty neat how they used to do things.
I had the 79 with that special appearance package in navy blue with dove grey. The 1980's had been out for months and the dealer had 8 leftover 79's. MSRP was a little over 10 grand and I got mine for 7700. That discount never made up for the horrible 360 lean burn engine. Only kept it for 18 months.
Corinthian leather is, of course, made with hydes sourced from that most rare and elusive animal, the Corinthian nauga. What's especially hilarious to me about that commercial is that, being a native Spanish-speaker, Ricardo Montalbán had to know darn well that it's pronounced "Córdoba", with the emphasis on the first syllable--but Chrysler didn't, and they were paying for the ad, so he said it their way. A true professional. :)
Ricardo and his wife both drove Chryslers during his endorsement stint...I give him props for that when he could have afforded better/more expensive cars.
I always liked the first Cordoba with the round lights. Very pretty front end styling. Not so much from the B pilar back. I always thought the opera window was too small and the tailights would have been better if they were horizontal. It would have made the car look wider from the rear. I think when it went to stacked square headlights they looked better than the GM versions. Of course the problem was the lean burn fuel system and not having a more fuel efficient V6 option. The slant 6 just didn't have it. Another great video.
The slant 6 with lean burn was horrible. I had one in an almost new '79 Aspen and it ran worse than any car I've ever owned and I've owned a lot of cars. Mom owned a '76 Buick with a V6 which was slow and vibrated a lot at idle, but at least it started when cold and didn't stall so frequently.
Have driven several different Cordoba's specifically the 78-79 years. My favorite one was a 78 Dove Gray that had a California emissions 360 4bbl in it, no Lean Burn, it had over 160,000 miles on it and would start even at -15 Fahrenheit. The worst one performance wise was my dad's 78 400, despite the advertised 190 HP, it was a dog, mostly because of the tight lock up torque convertor and 2.45 rear gear. Currently own a 79 45,000 mile survivor w/a 318, two-tone gray, console shift, leather AND working AM/FM 8-Track player. The 318 is OK, it's a cruiser, not a race car, it moves the car down the road and will cruise easily 70MPH all day.
I had a 1985 Dodge D-150 that started up reliably even at 270K miles, I started it cold at -36 degrees after sitting all night more than once, it cranked slow but it started right up. I finally dumped it when the transmission went to hell on it and I didn't think it worth putting $1500 into a new one on a truck that was rusted out badly.
I had a white with red interior 78' Cordoba with the 360 4bbl, it was a joy to drive and ride in. I could kick the last two barrels into play going up hill and the car took off like a rocket.
Thanks for posting. I was 16 in 1981 and bought my 1st car. As a Mopar kid, I loved the look of the early Cordoba. I found a '76 with a 400 ci, with the lean burn system. Sucked gas, but to this date I have yet found a better riding car!!! I remember going over railroad tracks every day driving to HS, never felt them!!!
in Highschool ('88) I upgraded from the lovely Pinto Station Wagon to a 79 Cordoba. Had the best time in this car. Mine was different. It had a 400 big block with a thermoquad 4 barrel, they didn't offer the 400 in 79 only the SB360, mine was factory. Buying plugs and rotor/cap--I had to order the '76 440 items.... Fanbelt and hoses came from a 78 360... but didn't matter, loved this car. I remember taking a trip with my friends and it was the smoothest driving car, didn't know I had it around 100. thanks for the vid...
Thank you for sharing Adam. I thought it was interesting . I was shocked you did not mention the Dodge Charger clone from that era. You covered everything else. You know I heard that wanted to bring this nameplate back over the years. The 1980's Le Baron coupe was that car they were thinking about using the nameplate Cordoba.
I test drove one in 76, but I never bought. Nice handling, pretty car. Do you plan to do a review on your 70 plymouth sport fury GT? I would love to see that! Keep up the excellent work.
OMG. He's got a 70 Sport Fury GT? My dad had the regular Sport Fury even though I begged him to get the GT. They also made an S23 model but it had a really small engine as I recall
When I was a very young kid my parents had a silver 1976 Cordoba which they traded it on a 1984 Voyager. They only had the Voyager about 3 months it was unfortunately a lemon and traded that for a 1984 Cavalier wagon which they had for 9 years.
I bought my 76 right off the showroom floor. It was red with a white leather interior and white vinyl top. It also had the 400 ci engine and sunroof, am/fm stereo tape, power everything. Best car I ever owned, miss having it still to this day.
I had a 76 Cordoba, white, with white fine Corinthian leather seats and black carpet. It has a 400 big block with the lean burn system. A very nice car. I always kept a spare ballast resistor and lean burn spark control computer. I also has a 75, red with white leather seats. It was fairly well used, over 110,000 miles, when I bought it for $200. I had to replace the timing chain before I could drive it home.
My Mother-in-law had a brand new 1976 Cordoba...it was a beautiful car inside and out, rode well, had rear sway bar and I think dual exhaust tips and handled very well!
While in theory the Cordoba has the same under pinnings as a 62 Dodge, it is different. The K frame was "isolated" and had bushings between the frame rail and K member. Also the rear leaf springs were also the isolated type for the mounting brackets to the rear axle. It gave for a smoother ride but the handling was not the best. The 300 was not a standard engine car. The 300 came with the HP 360 4 bbl E58 Police and little red express engine. Also it was one of the last Chrysler Products to come with true dual exhaust. If I recall correctly, you could not get a power seat option on the 300 due to floor pan modifications for dual exhaust and the catalytic converters. Awesome job on documenting these vehicles and always look forward to your videos.
I purchased a new 76 Charger SE. In the brochure, dual exhaust were available on the 360 4 bbl and the 400. The gas tank was narrowed from the 19 gal to 16 gal to allow the exhaust pipe on the drivers side to go between the frame rail and the tank. I was not able to order dual exhaust in Nov 75 in Canada. Perhaps it was more a 75 model year available option. I did buy the narrow tank and installed factory duals on my 360 2 bbl (no factory cats). In 1977 they modified torsion bar anchor crossmember under the driver's seat by eliminating the kickup space for the driver's side exhaust pipe. This change eliminated the ability for factory style duals.
I remember vividly the Cordoba ads from the 2970s. To my eye, the tail lights that appear in 1978, along with the special two tone paint scheme on the 1979 mirror the Pontiac Gran Prix of 1975-1977.
I do remember this car very well.Aunt Barb had one: Black over tan with the 400ci mill under the hood.Alot of great childhood memories so thank you Adam and if course thank you also Ricardo.
Yes Chrysler commercial stuck in your head. Early 70's was Chrysler / Plymouth coming through . Ricardo and the Cordoba , and 1977 New Yorker with Jack Jones , what a beautiful New Yorker the talk of the town.
My brother bought a triple black ‘75 with leather buckets/console/floor shift, 400 lean burn & just about every option. It was a very nice car but typical mid ‘70’s quality. On the way home from the dealership, he got cut off by another car and he tried to honk his horn but it didn’t work. He removed the horn pad only to discover it was never plugged in. As soon as he plugged in the horn pad, the horn wouldn’t stop beeping. That’s why it was unplugged…
I've always liked the look of the Cordoba. I think the 77 is the best of all. That 63 Dodge Custom 880 is an interesting car seldom seen today. I had a 63 convertible in the late 60's.
Great review, thanks Adam! We considered these far more tasteful and attractive than the Monte Carlo. Resplendent in earth-tone bronze and brown colors, with Spanish-inspired trim inside, these were truly an icon of the times. We heard the coin insignia, was actually inspired by an Argentinian coin.
I finished 2nd in an 18 car demo derby at Humberstone Speedway in a 78 Cordoba, could not believe the beating it took and drove off the track after and on to the trailer.
I have owned 3 '79 300 Cordobas. Still have 1.Cool thing about those were they coupled all the B body police items, with loads of luxury appointments, all std. My dad special ordered a 76 with the P code 400 4bbl non ELB and it was fairly quick for it's time. We had the wire wheel covers stolen 3 times..We had it until '88. Rust is the #1 killer of these cars. You can still get good examples on the cheap from out west.
I currently own a 1975 Cordoba with leather bucket seats and the 360, I also have a 1977 Buick Electra 225 & '77 Cadillac Coupe Deville - the Cordoba is hands down my favourite.
Another wonderful car nicely highlighted, I bought a 75 used that was identical to the white one at approx 1:00 in the video, mine had the 400 4 barrel with all the smog controls removed and a Edelbrock intake and carb, ran great handled nice and really had a lot of top end with the freeway gearing it came with to get good mpg and for the day the mpg was over 15 so not bad, by the way the 400"s were underated and never appreciated enough
I was 17 in 1989 when I saw it: a 1979 Cordoba in black with a black landau vinyl top, red pinstriping, blood red cloth interior and the moon caps w/ center spinner that was in the "special package" portion of the video. Just a gorgeous car with only 55,000 miles for $1500! Love at first sight. It had issues with that dang 2 bbl miser carb on the 318ci engine, so it never ran great. But it was a stunning car, no doubt (until I smashed the front end up in a snow storm...a sad day).
I remember the commercial very well. I think for the first season of "Fantasy Island" the show used Jeep CJs for transport vehicles from the plane. Later seasons used Plymouth Volares with the doors removed and even later (when Mr. Belvedere replaced Tattoo) Mr. Roarke used a K-based Chrysler New Yorker limousine with the roof removed to ride in to meet the guests. I had a boss and co-workers that had a 1977, 1978 and 1979. While these cars rode and handled VERY well that lean-burn system was terrible. They would backfire and stall repeatedly. The 1979 didn't ever run correctly. Incredibly, my boss traded the 1979 for a 1983 J-body Cordoba and it was no better and had a 318 that was anemic at best. Great video!
The Córdoba reminded me more of a Pontiac Grand Prix especially the tail lights. Just seems it was a copy of a variety of cars. Very informative and I truly enjoyed.
My Dad (God bless him!) fell in LOVE with the '75 Cordoba the first time that he saw our neighbors! BEAUTIFUL CAR, with the ALWAYS GREAT "318" UNDERHOOD! MANY YEARS LATER, I owned a BADLY BEATEN '78 Cordoba ("400 Lean Burn)! I can really see that these were GREAT RIDES!
In 1977, my boss had a 1975 or 1976, I can’t remember which, Cordoba. It was well equipped with a 400, power windows, locks, seat, antenna, local/distant radio, auto temp A/C. I rode in it once, the left turn signal monitor at the edge of the fender would intermittently light. I asked about that. He said it was a fuel economy reminder. If you were on the accelerator hard, it would light up to remind you to back off a bit. It must have been very sensitive, I don’t remember him hammering it.
Those economy reminders always struck me as annoying, but the first car I owned with one is actually a 2010 Hyundai. The Hyundai version lights up green when you are driving in a relatively economical mode. I have to admit that when I see it, I go out of my way to keep it on.
@@pcno2832 I had one on a vehicle, it was a needle that pointed to either minimum or maximum, with gradients in between. Like you, I’d try to keep it closer to maximum.
Another awesome great cruiser from the big three especially when you add all the bells and whistles I mean fully loaded the way it should be which is all cool in the Gang in my book 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎 Ivan J
Great video Adam! You nailed it all. One thing, the same year Monte Carlo rode much more comfortably. While the torsion bar and leaf springs were comfortable enough in Chrysler’s full sized cars, with more crispness, the Monte handled similarly but rode way more comfortably (coil springs). I have taken long trips in both and the difference is huge. You can watch videos of both cars driving along and see the Monte’s wheels adjusting to the road 10 times a second whereas the cordoba’s wheels just plow ahead, (relatively) like a 62 valiant. (Sophisticated vs. crude) Also the gm seats were way better ergonomically.
@@rightlanehog3151 I agree, the Monte was also way more enjoyable to own. The Chrysler may have had a slightly sturdier transmission and a/c, but it was a pleasure to drive the Monte. I used to drive both and other peoples’ and the difference was huge.
@@new2000car My uncle's 76 Monte Carlo was a very nice driving and riding car. His wife (my aunt) bought a 78 Monte Carlo (after it was downsized), it also drove and rode nice but it was a bit small for my taste.
My father bought a very nice triple black ‘78 Chrysler Cordoba back in ‘84. It was a very loaded model with PW, PL, tilt wheel, rear window defroster, “fine corinthian leather”, an AM-FM digital radio with levers and buttons, ínstead of knobs, among some other amenities. Except for very good mechanical maintenance since he traveled in the car a lot, my father wasn’t too good paying attention to the cosmetics or other needs of the Cordoba. I got to drive it the last year we had it in the family. It wasn’t in very good shape anymore, but I really loved driving it. Car felt heavy, close to the ground but at the same time easy to handle. We got rid of it when the new dynamometer smog test became standard in California and turned out impossible to pass the test.
You completely leave out the fact that the Chevrolet Monte Carlo had stacked rectangular headlights in '76 and '77. That Cordoba with the vertically stacked headlights looks so much like the Monte! Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the video. As always, keep up the great content!
A car I really miss, I had a beautiful new 77 Cordoba. It was a luxury car back then, right up there with some Cad's and Buick models. The interior was plush and it was a smooth cool ride. Loved the unique flow design of the Cordoba.
As a teenager, I purchased a 1978 Cordoba off the side of the road for $500 bucks. It did have the 400 cid and was super hard on the gas and really did not have the power to justify the cubes. About once a year I had to replace the Thermoquad carburator with a rebuilt one as one backfire and the carburetor was destroyed and these cars loved to backfire. The car did have a nice ride but I disagree that it handled well. I felt that it was way too loose in the rear. I had it for about 4 years and sold it off. I do remember that Chrysler flooded the market with these cars and sold them for dirt cheap at dealers.
In 1982 I bought a '76 Cordoba, with the 318, in Dallas, TX. I loved it! One Friday night, after parking it on the street in front our house (rental house full of young, stupid roommates working at Texas Instruments), a drunk driver hit is so hard, he knocked it completely out of the street and up into the yard. It was totaled. He was able to drive his '75 Chevy C10 pickup a few blocks to get home (before radiator and transmission expired). Cops couldn't bust him because they didn't catch him in the act, but he did fork over enough dinero (if you get my drift) to settle the debt.
My Dad bought a new 1976 Cordoba and when I was a senior in high school (79-80) my parents bought me a new 1979 Chrysler 300 as a gift. I wish I would’ve appreciated it more at the time.
Adam, If I was shopping for a Chrysler in 1975 I would have purchased a Newport!! The Newport 2:53 was the poor man's New Yorker. My top end Chrysler choice would have been the Town and Country wagon. At the end of the day, the Cordoba advertising campaign had a far more glorious legacy than the car itself. The fact you don't have one in your vast collection speaks volumes 😉
This is so much fun, Adam! Please, make more, and soon 🙏 Your work goes from strength to strength 💪 and it's all due to your passion for cars! Thank you 🖖🙏🇨🇦
I had a 1975 Chrysler Cordoba after I got out of the Navy. Incredible ride, smooth shifting transmission, and look good no matter where you pulled up. I put 290,000 mi on that gray car. Everyone who wrote in it loved it. Just like the white one with the dark burgundy interior and half final top, towards the beginning of this video. 👍🏻
My first Car was a 1983 Cordoba (fully loaded, silver, 318). I bought it in 1993. It was nearly mint. Probably in 8/10 condition. One thing I remember was the steering and handling were exceptionally good. I was 18 years old at the time and I eventually sold it and bought a 1986 Dodge Ram. Selling that Car was one of the dumbest things I've ever done. I now find myself REALLY wanting to find one that's been restored or one that's in decent shape so I can restore it.
I did like the older Cordoba's more. Cuz of the front end. We loved to laugh at the Corinthian leather TV ads. Thanks for featuring the leather seat adverts.
As a young guy who was a car nut I thought the original Cordoba was so much better looking than the obese, overdone Monte Carlo of the same year. Whether 1962-based or not, and despite my distaste for opera windows, I liked that XJ6-looking front end. That later back end reminded me of the latter years of the Grand Prix. I liked the looks and of course that Montalban ad would become a real object of ridicule.
My dad had a 78 Cordoba he used to drive back and forth to work. Despite having a 360 with Lean Burn the car went well over 100K with no major engine problems. It wasn't a bad car for the period. He had it until the early 2000s when he got rid of it and got a Durango.
Ahh...Cordoba! I thought it was such a beautiful car in its day. I loved the 1970's 'personal luxury cars' from GM, Chrysler, and Ford. Those were the days!
Not the 70's, but.....CADILLAC "Cimarron".....a warmed-over Cavalier with better interior trim ?
Those were the days alright.....of "phoned-in" car design....I'm amazed people paid "premium" prices for the crap they produced.
The Europe of the 1970's had close-ratio 5 speed transmissions, while North Americans were still rowing slush-box 3 speeds.🤔
@@CannonFodder873 ugh. The Cimarron was an embarrassment for everybody.
And don't forget the Corinthian leather touted by Ricardo Montalban. We still don't know if that leather was for real. But it sounded great when Ricardo said it.
I started working in the steering and suspension group at the Chrysler Engineering center in Highland Park Michigan in '73. One of the first programs was wrapping up the '75 Cordoba & Charger cars. There were quite a few in the prototype garage and one actually had a 426 Hemi with a 727 Torqueflite. They were a huge sales success and a lot of them had aftermarket wire wheels. Pretty cars.
@Lurch7861 ok but the 426 Hemi was gone after 1971 so….
@@1971cld prototype and test cars had all kinds of leftover or parts bin stuff. like the mercury cyclone supercar that had a boss in it for an executive. there was a dodge diplomat with a turbine engine. mopar had a lot of weird stuff in the back lot, so I would not discount an eyewitness.
@@deanmoore1752 yes, I agree. I think my comment was actually replying to a remark from someone called Lurch7861, which he seems to have deleted.
So cool!
I always thought Mopar cars in the Seventies did a much better job at styling the mandated bumpers into their cars, than anyone else in the that era. My Dad bought a 1976 Cordoba. It was a demo, had most all options. I wish he would have let me buy it from him. It was a looker.
I went with my neighbor to the local Chrysler dealer in Long Beach California in 1976. He bought the sales managers triple black sun roof Cordoba with the 400 v8. I think it was around 7700.00. I got to drive it several times and it was quite nice. He traded off his late 60s Cadillac Eldorado for this ride.
Interesting change down - so that was a reflection of the oil crisis and the high consumption of the Eldorado?
Wow that's expensive,mom paid like 7100 for a new 81 rabbit Diesel and that was high by 600-800$ because of the demand.
He shoulda kept the Eldo.
The Eldorado got 8 mpg. I'd bet you could get 12-13 out of the Cordoba. It was by no means a Cadillac but they were nicely styled and equipped.
I remember that dealership in Long Beach.
It is nice to see the wrath of Khan quelled by the thickly cushioned luxury of seats available even in soft Corinthian leather.
My friend drove one back in the late 80's. Someone driving a smaller car pulled out from a parking lot and he T-boned the guy.
The smaller car was totaled, while the Cordoba had little damage 😃
That car was a tank!
That happened to my dad with his 76. He t-boned a VW Rabbit that ran a red light, folded the car into a U. The Chrysler? Broken grill and 1 of the signal lenses popped off. Dad drove home after the police report. The VW driver went to the ER.
I hit the front side (his fault) a 90"s Honda with my 76 cordoba, whole front end of his car was damaged. Car was a write off.
The Doba, cracked the front fiberglass piece. Backed it up, checked the rad, drove it home.
Tank
A VERY NICE "TANK", THOUGH!
Chrysler's full size pickups were tanks, too. I had a 1985 three quarter ton pickup that someone in an 80's full size Buick rear-ended at about 20 m/h. We both drove our cars home with my truck having minimal damage and the Buick having cosmetic damage on the grille. I drove that truck for at least another ten years. I don't think a mid size or small car would have survived that crash. I had a similar full size 80's Buick that my brother crashed into someone that ran out in front of him at about 35 m/h but he crashed into a full size van, unfortunately the van's bumper hopped over the frame and pulverized the front end, pushing the engine back several inches. Why my truck didn't hop the frame on the Buick that rear ended me, I don't have a clue.
My buddy has one he nicknamed the battledoba.
The interior on these were bad ass! EXTRA NICE!
Say what you will, but this ad campaign is one of the most memorable ever! I always liked these cars, but only rode in one. My buddy had the Dodge version.
Yes, the ad campaign has far outlived the car itself.
Oh yes the dodge charger, those are pretty rare
@@kellismith4329 It was a beautiful car, deep red inside and out with leather buckets and interior.
Great video. For some reason it reminded me of the Cutlass Supreme Brougham of the same era. The Cutlass had a sweet ride. I’ve never ridden in a Cordoba, but the commercials are classic. Thanks
I remember them well, fine Corinthian leather and all. Some friends of mine had the 1979 model with that exact special appearance package in the photo. I was honestly never much of a Chrysler fan myself, but that was quite an eye-catching car.
Same here, I didn't like Mopar at all, however this vehicle impressed me.
I wasnt a fan of old Chrysler products either. But a friend of the family gave us a ride in one as a kid & that Corinthian leather was the best thing I ever sat on. 28 yrs later I havent set on any leather as nice.
I see the name "Corinthian" leather is ingrained in your memory aye? Lol
@@styldsteel1 A sign of brilliant marketing.
I heard somewhere that "Corinthian leather" had its origins in a New Jersey tannery, as opposed to an exotic Mediterranean island.
@@martinliehs2513 it's true. It's just a private brand of leather that Chrysler made up. But it worked.
I enjoy all your videos, it's nice to hear someone who's knowledgeable about the product.
I remember these cars - and the Dodge Charger cousin - very well. What stands out most in memory is the cars with the Lean Burn system. Very difficult to get them started when cold, stalling at intersections. Hesitation. Engine knocking from running lean. It was the height of early emission controls strangling the otherwise reliable engines, and it's amazing to look back at what people tolerated in their new cars.
Yes, Adam did a whole video on the Lean Burn debacle.
The few that are left are apt candidates for a crate-motor transplant to ditch that "lean-burn" crap.
I owned TWO '79 Dodge Diplomats ("318" Lean Burn) THEY BOTH WERE AWESOME "COLD WEATHER" STARTERS AND RAN GREAT, WITH BETTER GAS MILEAGE THAN A "SLANT 6"!
@@johnmaki3046 I suspect a LOT of Lean Burn Chryslers that ran like doo-doo were way out of tune. Those who kept the car tuned up found the engines to run as the engineers intended. I think the system was not very tolerant of neglect and likely hated some of the "cheap gas" you could get at some stations back in the 1970s.
I am amazed at what people tolerate in new cars. You couldn't give me a new car if I had to drive it. What do I drive? A 1976 Corvette, a 1975 Camaro Type LT, and a 1979 two door Chevy pickup.
Growning up in Turku, Finland, I often made it a habit to walk past the "boat guy's" 76 triple green Cordoba. His store sold Chrysler boats and outboards. In 1990 I bought a triple green 78 in Oregon at Beaverton Chrysler-Plymouth. A sweet 44K mile one owner car. Still have it 32 years later, now with 52K miles. Fantastic cars!
I am a car guy that knows next to nothing about malaise era American cars. Thank you for putting these together, it really broadens my horizons.
My mom bought a new Cordoba in '76 with the 360 when my brother totaled her '72 Grand Marquis. It was white with gold landau top and interior. For some reason my dad didn't like the 360, and she got an identical '77 with the 400, and dad got a yellow with gold '77 New Yorker. He traded his '73 Grand Marquis Brougham coupe 460 interceptor. As a ten year old it was pretty cool having all these huge new Chryslers to explore. Even stranger in '78 mom got an absolutely loaded, every option (including fake wood paneling) Dodge Omni.
My grandfather had a 1978 Omni. That car was so uncomfortable for him (and I had trouble fitting my very large body into it as well) that he traded it in on a 1979 Dodge D-250 less than a year later (I bought a similar Dodge truck months before he bought his and he liked it).
Recollections of Ricardo Montalban in the Chrysler commercials talking about it's rich Corrrrrrinthian leather. 😄
I have memories of this car. My mother's 1st cousin, a prominent historian and genealogical researcher, bought a new Cordoba in 75. White with a white Landau top and white leather interior. She ordered the car and got every available option offered. It was a beautiful car which her gardener and maintenance man kept in perfectly polished condition at all times. She was a tall distinguished lady with a thick head of white hair who looked quite frankly intimidating driving that car. She was an intimidating person. She drove the car for 4 years. She bought new every 4 years. My dad offered to buy it from her, but she said no. She always traded for new.
See the SCTV parodies!
KHAN! Your Fantasy is over.
Overall it is a classic car.
We had a 76 Cordoba. Carmel metal flake brown. It was awesome. My dad unfortunately traded even for a 70 F250.
Must have been his mid-life crisis 🙃😉
I had a 69 Ford F-250. It was one rugged truck that took whatever abuse you gave it. Mine saw a lot of firewood hauling service, I filled the bed full of firewood and towed a small trailer with more firewood at the same time and still got close to 200K miles out of it (I did have to have one transmission put in it but three speed Ford transmissions were dirt cheap in the mid to late 80's, at the time my father replaced the transmission for me he converted it to a three on the floor, it was originally a three on the tree -- conversion and all it cost me less than $200).
Probably the best of the competition in that segment
It may have been the malaise era, and while it’s true no Cordoba on the road could stay with my ‘Cuda if being tested, I loved the Cordoba and got exceptional reliability and service out of this platform going well over 150,000 miles in a little under 4 years time. I was in Sales and was always hurriedly running between various points every single day and it never left me wanting. The a/c was cold enough to hang fresh meat in during the hottest of July and August summers imaginable, despite the black paint and vinyl top on the car. The seats and ride were very comfortable even on long stretches of roadway, or on those occasions when a nap was needed. The power options were wonderful and always worked fine, and the sound system with 8-track was far more adequate than I’d anticipated so I never felt the need to modify the system. The only failure when I had it was a blown ballast resistor occurring one time. I ran the living hell out of it as hard as anyone ever ran a car I promise you. If you were on the road ahead of me, you wouldn’t remain ahead of me for very long. I was on a mission to get to the next client pronto, and nobody was going to delay me for very long. I kept clean oil in it, good tires and brakes on it, and washed and waxed it often. That was it. I’d buy another today and run the snot out if it again if I needed to without blinking an eye.
The late '70s MoPars had "workmanship issues", BUT THEY WERE AWESOME COMPARED TO THE CRAP WE ARE STUCK WITH NOW!
@Lurch7861 my cars, including this one, are all always maintained to the highest standard. Every service is performed long before scheduled. Potential problems are identified and corrected before becoming bigger problems. And as I learned many years ago, this car was always run carefully while warming up but once warm, was allowed to run very spiritedly, and rarely at a constant speed. Luckily I didn’t live in the city or go there to work very often, so I wasn’t constantly sitting in traffic idling and gumming up engine parts. This engine’s “gunk” was blown out everyday. All fluids and filters (including trans fluid and filter) and other wear parts, were replaced regularly. Lastly the car was kept clean and polished all the time. If driven in snow/salt, it was washed and rinsed completely afterward - especially underneath. This car was run moderately hard but well respected and treated. That’s why it was “a good one”. Cheers!
My first car at age 16 in 1975 was a pristine 4-year-old ‘71 Plymouth Barracuda in B5 (medium) Blue with white vinyl top, blue interior. It was powered by the ever-reliable 318 V8.
I traded it a year later (1976) for a very nice 2-year-old FINAL EDITION ‘74 Plymouth ‘Cuda 360-4 barrel in Yellow with black vinyl top, black longitudinal stripes along both sides, black interior.
Wishin’ I had ‘em both back.
Great memories with this one Adam. Thanks for sharing!
Great video and memories! My parents bought new a '75 year model. It was yellow over black leather bench bucket interior, column shift, black vinyl top, and the 400 V-8 with I believe the ThermaQuad 4bbl carb. They kept the car until early '79 until my mother traded it in on a new Buick Regal. The Buick was cool, but I really missed the old Cordoba, well as much as a 13 year old could anyway, lol!
i was also 13 when my parents bought a white one with beige vinyl top it had the beige velour interior. My first car l drove,I loved it.My mom traded it for a 1978 one this time brown with brown leather loved it as well
My mom had one, 1977, she loved it..thanks for the video..brings back memories (and memories of it being in the shop for lean burn issues)
A friend of mine bought a brand new one in 1977, burgundy with a white Landau vinyl top and the most beautiful burgundy interior with the softest leather seats I've ever seen, a beautiful car that rode like a dream
A close friend owned two (a '77 &'78) at different times in the late 80s. The '77 had the 318 whose performance could best be described as anemic. The '78 however, was equipped with the 360 combined with a factory trailer towing package. The level of performance was outstanding for that era. The engine was repurposed and now resides in his '69 Barracuda coupe.
Thanks for these videos and your superb attention to detail...
It’s a shame Ricardo Montalbon is not with us now
We had a 77 Fury Sport. Nearly did buy the Cordoba, but the Vintage red Sunfire color won out. Those cars though, were comfortable on the inside, had great lines, and without a doubt the best standard sound system and best AC and heat of any car before or since. Great video. Thanks for keeping the Cordoba memories alive.
My mom’s friend Sally had a gorgeous 76 Cordoba in dark blue with a white landau top, light blue velour interior, and road wheels. How I loved that car! Sally did too and drove it until it topped 150,000 miles in the mid-80s.
My first car was a 1975 Cordoba, I inherited it at 17 in 1984 from my grandfather. It had 34,000 miles, 400 4 barrel, turbine rims, dual chrome sport mirrors, blue velour interior. It was a dark blue with a rare white halo full vinyl top. A beautiful car in it’s day that when floored, would hit 95 mph in second gear before shifting. We called them highway gears at the time. And did it ever roar with the breather flipped.
Although its been gone for many years it’s still my favourite car.
Nearly the same story . Mine was a silver 76' with a 360... High school daze, I had so much fun in that car .
I had a 1978. Grey with black interior. My best friend grew up in CORDOBA AREGENTINA
I owned a 1975 Cordoba with the 400. It was one of the best looking cars I have owned. The different compounds of round and straight angles of the hood looked fantastic, and felt great when waxing. The ride was so much better than the Monte Carlo I had right before it. It just road and handled so much better. The seats felt great, and were only surpassed by my 1985 Buick Park Avenue.
The rectangular headlights on the restyled version look ugly now, but I can understand why they became popular so quickly in the late '70s, because U.S. automakers had been forced to only use round headlights since sealed beams became mandatory in the 1940s, so of course they were going to jump on the chance to use something different as soon as it was allowed, especially since car design was moving in a more boxy direction anyway at the time.
Best example of that I can think of would be the GM front end redesign of basically all of their midsize cars in 1976
Sealed beams didn't actually become mandatory until the 1968 model year. Despite people complaining about it, the reason for this was that UNsealed beams had reflectors that would tarnish, diminishing the light output of the lamps, versus sealed-envelope lamps, which stayed shiny over their entire lifespan.
@@jamesw1659 And now modern vehicles have easily scratched plastic headlight housings with replaceable bulbs that can wiggle around if they're not installed properly. The housings can also crack and yellow with age.
Progress, huh? Sounds like we've come full circle. ;)
My parents owned one of these when I came of age and got a DL. so I learned to drive with a Cordoba. Only car I've ever driven that had opera lights. The 2 barrel 360 had a lot of power for the time and if you flipped the air filter lid the car would sound like a 4 barrel sucking wind. I miss the hood blinker reminders. I thought the one on driver's side was broken it keep comming on solid and not when you had a blinker on. Dang thing came on all the time. Found out it was some kind of reminder you were wasting fuel. Lol apparently it was linked to intake vacuum. It would come on when intake vacuum dropped. Which when I was driving was every time I took off lol. Nice car though I would drive one today if they still made it
I believe Chrysler called that feature the “fuel pacer system.”
I got my DL in my moms 76 all black Cordoba. I failed 1st test as i had to parerell park it and that was not easy. Ha
At last you've done a video on the Cordoba! I had a 78, maroon with white vinyl landau roof. No "Corinthian leather" though, sorry Ricardo. Cloth seats with the arm rest in the middle. Just a 318, but it wasn't a race car anyway. Probably my favorite car I've ever owned. I felt like the coolest guy on the street in my Cordoba. Some like the older style round headlights, but I really liked the dual square headlights.
To me, the rear end is reminiscent of a 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix. .....and the older front ends are definitely like that of the Monte Carlo. Pretty neat how they used to do things.
I had the 79 with that special appearance package in navy blue with dove grey. The 1980's had been out for months and the dealer had 8 leftover 79's. MSRP was a little over 10 grand and I got mine for 7700. That discount never made up for the horrible 360 lean burn engine. Only kept it for 18 months.
The headlights also remind me of the AMC Matador coupe to be honest, in addition to the others mentioned.
Corinthian leather is, of course, made with hydes sourced from that most rare and elusive animal, the Corinthian nauga.
What's especially hilarious to me about that commercial is that, being a native Spanish-speaker, Ricardo Montalbán had to know darn well that it's pronounced "Córdoba", with the emphasis on the first syllable--but Chrysler didn't, and they were paying for the ad, so he said it their way. A true professional. :)
It was literally ''The Wrath of Khan''.
It was real leather tho ..not vinyl
Ricardo and his wife both drove Chryslers during his endorsement stint...I give him props for that when he could have afforded better/more expensive cars.
Remember those ads very well...."The plane, the plane"...lol
I had a 1979 and loved it
I always liked the first Cordoba with the round lights. Very pretty front end styling. Not so much from the B pilar back. I always thought the opera window was too small and the tailights would have been better if they were horizontal. It would have made the car look wider from the rear. I think when it went to stacked square headlights they looked better than the GM versions. Of course the problem was the lean burn fuel system and not having a more fuel efficient V6 option. The slant 6 just didn't have it. Another great video.
The slant 6 with lean burn was horrible. I had one in an almost new '79 Aspen and it ran worse than any car I've ever owned and I've owned a lot of cars. Mom owned a '76 Buick with a V6 which was slow and vibrated a lot at idle, but at least it started when cold and didn't stall so frequently.
The slant 6 was never offered on Cordoba, Chargers, and Magnums of the 1975-79 era. They were offered on the new J-body Cordoba (Mirada) from 1980-83.
Had a 76 Cordoba when I was in highschool. Loved it. Moon roof, 8 track, leather power seats.
Have driven several different Cordoba's specifically the 78-79 years. My favorite one was a 78 Dove Gray that had a California emissions 360 4bbl in it, no Lean Burn, it had over 160,000 miles on it and would start even at -15 Fahrenheit. The worst one performance wise was my dad's 78 400, despite the advertised 190 HP, it was a dog, mostly because of the tight lock up torque convertor and 2.45 rear gear. Currently own a 79 45,000 mile survivor w/a 318, two-tone gray, console shift, leather AND working AM/FM 8-Track player. The 318 is OK, it's a cruiser, not a race car, it moves the car down the road and will cruise easily 70MPH all day.
GREAT CRUISER!
I had a 1985 Dodge D-150 that started up reliably even at 270K miles, I started it cold at -36 degrees after sitting all night more than once, it cranked slow but it started right up. I finally dumped it when the transmission went to hell on it and I didn't think it worth putting $1500 into a new one on a truck that was rusted out badly.
I had a white with red interior 78' Cordoba with the 360 4bbl, it was a joy to drive and ride in. I could kick the last two barrels into play going up hill and the car took off like a rocket.
@@rossmeldrum3346 I had a '77 Gran Fury with the 360 4bbl! Even in that large a car, that motor could through you through the trunk! A VERY FAST CAR!
Thanks for posting. I was 16 in 1981 and bought my 1st car. As a Mopar kid, I loved the look of the early Cordoba. I found a '76 with a 400 ci, with the lean burn system. Sucked gas, but to this date I have yet found a better riding car!!! I remember going over railroad tracks every day driving to HS, never felt them!!!
What no left turn burn out, great job with the history of these classic cars, excellent job as always.
in Highschool ('88) I upgraded from the lovely Pinto Station Wagon to a 79 Cordoba. Had the best time in this car. Mine was different. It had a 400 big block with a thermoquad 4 barrel, they didn't offer the 400 in 79 only the SB360, mine was factory. Buying plugs and rotor/cap--I had to order the '76 440 items.... Fanbelt and hoses came from a 78 360... but didn't matter, loved this car. I remember taking a trip with my friends and it was the smoothest driving car, didn't know I had it around 100. thanks for the vid...
Ricardo Montalban. That is what I remember about these : ) He was in the commercials : )
Thank you for sharing Adam. I thought it was interesting . I was shocked you did not mention the Dodge Charger clone from that era. You covered everything else. You know I heard that wanted to bring this nameplate back over the years. The 1980's Le Baron coupe was that car they were thinking about using the nameplate Cordoba.
For another video!
My 1975 Cordoba reminded me of a Jag. Loved that car. Never had a problem. Kept it until mid 80's when the fam needed a van.
My dad had one when I was a kid, the back seat was real roomie, and the AC was real cold. Thanks to Rare Classic Cars for posting.....
I test drove one in 76, but I never bought. Nice handling, pretty car.
Do you plan to do a review on your 70 plymouth sport fury GT? I would love to see that! Keep up the excellent work.
OMG. He's got a 70 Sport Fury GT? My dad had the regular Sport Fury even though I begged him to get the GT. They also made an S23 model but it had a really small engine as I recall
Adam, would you want to sell your Fury GT? Do a review and work around. Thanks.
Love the 75 Cordoba. Had no idea the underpinnings were so basic.
When I was a very young kid my parents had a silver 1976 Cordoba which they traded it on a 1984 Voyager. They only had the Voyager about 3 months it was unfortunately a lemon and traded that for a 1984 Cavalier wagon which they had for 9 years.
Thanks for that great video. I remember well in fact I was selling them back in 78. Drove them new and loved them. Great car.
Great video - love these cars!
I bought my 76 right off the showroom floor. It was red with a white leather interior and white vinyl top. It also had the 400 ci engine and sunroof, am/fm stereo tape, power everything. Best car I ever owned, miss having it still to this day.
I had a 76 Cordoba, white, with white fine Corinthian leather seats and black carpet. It has a 400 big block with the lean burn system. A very nice car. I always kept a spare ballast resistor and lean burn spark control computer. I also has a 75, red with white leather seats. It was fairly well used, over 110,000 miles, when I bought it for $200. I had to replace the timing chain before I could drive it home.
My Mother-in-law had a brand new 1976 Cordoba...it was a beautiful car inside and out, rode well, had rear sway bar and I think dual exhaust tips and handled very well!
While in theory the Cordoba has the same under pinnings as a 62 Dodge, it is different. The K frame was "isolated" and had bushings between the frame rail and K member. Also the rear leaf springs were also the isolated type for the mounting brackets to the rear axle. It gave for a smoother ride but the handling was not the best.
The 300 was not a standard engine car. The 300 came with the HP 360 4 bbl E58 Police and little red express engine. Also it was one of the last Chrysler Products to come with true dual exhaust. If I recall correctly, you could not get a power seat option on the 300 due to floor pan modifications for dual exhaust and the catalytic converters.
Awesome job on documenting these vehicles and always look forward to your videos.
I purchased a new 76 Charger SE. In the brochure, dual exhaust were available on the 360 4 bbl and the 400. The gas tank was narrowed from the 19 gal to 16 gal to allow the exhaust pipe on the drivers side to go between the frame rail and the tank. I was not able to order dual exhaust in Nov 75 in Canada. Perhaps it was more a 75 model year available option. I did buy the narrow tank and installed factory duals on my 360 2 bbl (no factory cats). In 1977 they modified torsion bar anchor crossmember under the driver's seat by eliminating the kickup space for the driver's side exhaust pipe. This change eliminated the ability for factory style duals.
I really miss these big 70’s cruisers. Nice to drive, easy to work on, plenty of interior room.
Love it. SCS guy over here. First car was a black '74 Dodge Monaco coupe. Mr. Gilson sold it to me for a BUCK. Memories 🎶
I’m surprised how low these cars are. I was little when they were around, and did not notice it until seeing one recently.
My parents had a ‘76 Cordoba… they loved it.
I remember vividly the Cordoba ads from the 2970s. To my eye, the tail lights that appear in 1978, along with the special two tone paint scheme on the 1979 mirror the Pontiac Gran Prix of 1975-1977.
I do remember this car very well.Aunt Barb had one: Black over tan with the 400ci mill under the hood.Alot of great childhood memories so thank you Adam and if course thank you also Ricardo.
Yes Chrysler commercial stuck in your head. Early 70's was Chrysler / Plymouth coming through . Ricardo and the Cordoba , and 1977 New Yorker with Jack Jones , what a beautiful New Yorker the talk of the town.
Over the years I've owned a 77 and 78 Cordoba. I had a lot of fun driving both of them.
My brother bought a triple black ‘75 with leather buckets/console/floor shift, 400 lean burn & just about every option. It was a very nice car but typical mid ‘70’s quality. On the way home from the dealership, he got cut off by another car and he tried to honk his horn but it didn’t work. He removed the horn pad only to discover it was never plugged in. As soon as he plugged in the horn pad, the horn wouldn’t stop beeping. That’s why it was unplugged…
I've always liked the look of the Cordoba. I think the 77 is the best of all. That 63 Dodge Custom 880 is an interesting car seldom seen today. I had a 63 convertible in the late 60's.
Great review, thanks Adam!
We considered these far more tasteful and attractive than the Monte Carlo. Resplendent in earth-tone bronze and brown colors, with Spanish-inspired trim inside, these were truly an icon of the times.
We heard the coin insignia, was actually inspired by an Argentinian coin.
When reading this, I hear Julio Iglesias, is that weird? 😄
Yes, even though the Cordoba was probably copying styling ideas from the 2nd gen and later Monte Carlo, it was the better-looking car.
I finished 2nd in an 18 car demo derby at Humberstone Speedway in a 78 Cordoba, could not believe the beating it took and drove off the track after and on to the trailer.
Oh hell yea, those Chrysler B-bodies cars are tough as long as they aren't rust buckets. C-bodies are monsters out there too
I have owned 3 '79 300 Cordobas. Still have 1.Cool thing about those were they coupled all the B body police items, with loads of luxury appointments, all std. My dad special ordered a 76 with the P code 400 4bbl non ELB and it was fairly quick for it's time. We had the wire wheel covers stolen 3 times..We had it until '88. Rust is the #1 killer of these cars. You can still get good examples on the cheap from out west.
P code 400 for 1976 produced 240 net horsepower.
I currently own a 1975 Cordoba with leather bucket seats and the 360, I also have a 1977 Buick Electra 225 & '77 Cadillac Coupe Deville - the Cordoba is hands down my favourite.
Another wonderful car nicely highlighted, I bought a 75 used that was identical to the white one at approx 1:00 in the video, mine had the 400 4 barrel with all the smog controls removed and a Edelbrock intake and carb, ran great handled nice and really had a lot of top end with the freeway gearing it came with to get good mpg and for the day the mpg was over 15 so not bad, by the way the 400"s were underated and never appreciated enough
I was 17 in 1989 when I saw it: a 1979 Cordoba in black with a black landau vinyl top, red pinstriping, blood red cloth interior and the moon caps w/ center spinner that was in the "special package" portion of the video. Just a gorgeous car with only 55,000 miles for $1500! Love at first sight. It had issues with that dang 2 bbl miser carb on the 318ci engine, so it never ran great. But it was a stunning car, no doubt (until I smashed the front end up in a snow storm...a sad day).
I remember the commercial very well. I think for the first season of "Fantasy Island" the show used Jeep CJs for transport vehicles from the plane. Later seasons used Plymouth Volares with the doors removed and even later (when Mr. Belvedere replaced Tattoo) Mr. Roarke used a K-based Chrysler New Yorker limousine with the roof removed to ride in to meet the guests. I had a boss and co-workers that had a 1977, 1978 and 1979. While these cars rode and handled VERY well that lean-burn system was terrible. They would backfire and stall repeatedly. The 1979 didn't ever run correctly. Incredibly, my boss traded the 1979 for a 1983 J-body Cordoba and it was no better and had a 318 that was anemic at best. Great video!
The Córdoba reminded me more of a Pontiac Grand Prix especially the tail lights. Just seems it was a copy of a variety of cars. Very informative and I truly enjoyed.
My Dad (God bless him!) fell in LOVE with the '75 Cordoba the first time that he saw our neighbors! BEAUTIFUL CAR, with the ALWAYS GREAT "318" UNDERHOOD! MANY YEARS LATER, I owned a BADLY BEATEN '78 Cordoba ("400 Lean Burn)! I can really see that these were GREAT RIDES!
My dad had an 80’s Cordoba with a slant six. No Corinthian leather in his though, just the velour bench
Great video Adam! Can you please do a video on the Ford Gran Torino Elite....?
I agree. Monte Carlo mixed with Jaguar XJ. I had a 77 Magnum. Wish I still had it. I thought it was the best looking of the bunch.
In 1977, my boss had a 1975 or 1976, I can’t remember which, Cordoba. It was well equipped with a 400, power windows, locks, seat, antenna, local/distant radio, auto temp A/C. I rode in it once, the left turn signal monitor at the edge of the fender would intermittently light. I asked about that. He said it was a fuel economy reminder. If you were on the accelerator hard, it would light up to remind you to back off a bit. It must have been very sensitive, I don’t remember him hammering it.
Those economy reminders always struck me as annoying, but the first car I owned with one is actually a 2010 Hyundai. The Hyundai version lights up green when you are driving in a relatively economical mode. I have to admit that when I see it, I go out of my way to keep it on.
Chrysler called it the "fuel pacer system." Our slant six '75 Dodge Dart had it.
@@pcno2832 I had one on a vehicle, it was a needle that pointed to either minimum or maximum, with gradients in between. Like you, I’d try to keep it closer to maximum.
@@johnmoran. thanks! Did you or any of the vehicle drivers change their driving style because of it?
I don't think so. You had to press the accelerator down quite a bit just to get it to climb hills, the light was on a lot.
Reminds me of Ricardo telling us about rich corinthian leather! Thanks for a great video!
"Look what they did to my car!" Ricardo really nailed it. Perfect for the job.
Another awesome great cruiser from the big three especially when you add all the bells and whistles I mean fully loaded the way it should be which is all cool in the Gang in my book 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎 Ivan J
Great video Adam! You nailed it all. One thing, the same year Monte Carlo rode much more comfortably. While the torsion bar and leaf springs were comfortable enough in Chrysler’s full sized cars, with more crispness, the Monte handled similarly but rode way more comfortably (coil springs). I have taken long trips in both and the difference is huge. You can watch videos of both cars driving along and see the Monte’s wheels adjusting to the road 10 times a second whereas the cordoba’s wheels just plow ahead, (relatively) like a 62 valiant. (Sophisticated vs. crude) Also the gm seats were way better ergonomically.
Simply put, the Monte Carlo was a better car.
@@rightlanehog3151 I agree, the Monte was also way more enjoyable to own. The Chrysler may have had a slightly sturdier transmission and a/c, but it was a pleasure to drive the Monte. I used to drive both and other peoples’ and the difference was huge.
@@new2000car My uncle's 76 Monte Carlo was a very nice driving and riding car. His wife (my aunt) bought a 78 Monte Carlo (after it was downsized), it also drove and rode nice but it was a bit small for my taste.
My father bought a very nice triple black ‘78 Chrysler Cordoba back in ‘84. It was a very loaded model with PW, PL, tilt wheel, rear window defroster, “fine corinthian leather”, an AM-FM digital radio with levers and buttons, ínstead of knobs, among some other amenities. Except for very good mechanical maintenance since he traveled in the car a lot, my father wasn’t too good paying attention to the cosmetics or other needs of the Cordoba. I got to drive it the last year we had it in the family. It wasn’t in very good shape anymore, but I really loved driving it. Car felt heavy, close to the ground but at the same time easy to handle. We got rid of it when the new dynamometer smog test became standard in California and turned out impossible to pass the test.
You completely leave out the fact that the Chevrolet Monte Carlo had stacked rectangular headlights in '76 and '77. That Cordoba with the vertically stacked headlights looks so much like the Monte! Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the video. As always, keep up the great content!
They had an interesting option an extra button on the floor that lets you select between pre-selected radio stations by just the touch of your toe.
A car I really miss, I had a beautiful new 77 Cordoba. It was a luxury car back then, right up there with some Cad's and Buick models. The interior was plush and it was a smooth cool ride. Loved the unique flow design of the Cordoba.
As a teenager, I purchased a 1978 Cordoba off the side of the road for $500 bucks. It did have the 400 cid and was super hard on the gas and really did not have the power to justify the cubes. About once a year I had to replace the Thermoquad carburator with a rebuilt one as one backfire and the carburetor was destroyed and these cars loved to backfire. The car did have a nice ride but I disagree that it handled well. I felt that it was way too loose in the rear. I had it for about 4 years and sold it off. I do remember that Chrysler flooded the market with these cars and sold them for dirt cheap at dealers.
In 1982 I bought a '76 Cordoba, with the 318, in Dallas, TX. I loved it! One Friday night, after parking it on the street in front our house (rental house full of young, stupid roommates working at Texas Instruments), a drunk driver hit is so hard, he knocked it completely out of the street and up into the yard. It was totaled. He was able to drive his '75 Chevy C10 pickup a few blocks to get home (before radiator and transmission expired). Cops couldn't bust him because they didn't catch him in the act, but he did fork over enough dinero (if you get my drift) to settle the debt.
My Dad bought a new 1976 Cordoba and when I was a senior in high school (79-80) my parents bought me a new 1979 Chrysler 300 as a gift. I wish I would’ve appreciated it more at the time.
I'll take mine with some fine Corinthian leather, thank you very much.
Adam, If I was shopping for a Chrysler in 1975 I would have purchased a Newport!! The Newport 2:53 was the poor man's New Yorker. My top end Chrysler choice would have been the Town and Country wagon. At the end of the day, the Cordoba advertising campaign had a far more glorious legacy than the car itself. The fact you don't have one in your vast collection speaks volumes 😉
This is so much fun, Adam! Please, make more, and soon 🙏 Your work goes from strength to strength 💪 and it's all due to your passion for cars! Thank you 🖖🙏🇨🇦
I had a 1975 Chrysler Cordoba after I got out of the Navy. Incredible ride, smooth shifting transmission, and look good no matter where you pulled up. I put 290,000 mi on that gray car. Everyone who wrote in it loved it. Just like the white one with the dark burgundy interior and half final top, towards the beginning of this video. 👍🏻
My first Car was a 1983 Cordoba (fully loaded, silver, 318). I bought it in 1993. It was nearly mint. Probably in 8/10 condition. One thing I remember was the steering and handling were exceptionally good. I was 18 years old at the time and I eventually sold it and bought a 1986 Dodge Ram. Selling that Car was one of the dumbest things I've ever done. I now find myself REALLY wanting to find one that's been restored or one that's in decent shape so I can restore it.
I did like the older Cordoba's more. Cuz of the front end.
We loved to laugh at the Corinthian leather TV ads.
Thanks for featuring the leather seat adverts.
As a young guy who was a car nut I thought the original Cordoba was so much better looking than the obese, overdone Monte Carlo of the same year. Whether 1962-based or not, and despite my distaste for opera windows, I liked that XJ6-looking front end. That later back end reminded me of the latter years of the Grand Prix. I liked the looks and of course that Montalban ad would become a real object of ridicule.
Right on man! 70-72 Monte Carlos are beautiful 😍, but that monstrosity they built in 1973-up is as ugly as a monkeys butthole 🤮
My dad had a 78 Cordoba he used to drive back and forth to work. Despite having a 360 with Lean Burn the car went well over 100K with no major engine problems. It wasn't a bad car for the period. He had it until the early 2000s when he got rid of it and got a Durango.