Right Car, Wrong Time

[@MrScottie68]

Chrysler sedans of the 1969 to about 1977 era were absolutely the most beautiful and luxurious cars on the road. My 1969 Newport felt like I was on my living room sofa floating on air as I drove down the highway.

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

The fuselage (‘69 - ‘73) and formal (‘74 - ‘78) generations are among my favorite MOPARs ever. These C Bodies were gorgeous, stately, sturdy, well-trimmed/appointed, powerful and great handlers for their size!
I’d love to one day get my mitts on an Imperial or New Yorker Brougham of the era.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

My grandpa was a MOPAR salesman from 1946 to 1977 & when he died in 1979 I inherited his 1974 New Yorker 400 2bbl as a 16 yr old, it was white with blue vinyl top & interior & hauled all my friends around comfortably ✌💖☮

[@jackanapes6676]

I had a 74 Imperial, a 78 New Yorker, and an 80 Cordoba. I liked them all, a great time in automotive history. We didn't realize how good cars were way back. Cars after 2010 are quite disappointing.

[@tomwesley7884]

Phones are ringing off the hook at Bernardston for that 440. Those styled steel wheels are bad a$$. Impressive the bumper filler is still flexible.

[@ddellwo]

That’s what I was thinking - I was amazed it didn’t crumble into a million pieces!

[@peterantonopoulos2572]

I worked on these land yachts back in the day with the big block. Some of these came with the lean burn system, what a complicated piece of electrical junk.

[@googleusergp]

Most scrapped it and rightly so. The car ran a lot better without it.

[@johnmaki3046]

I had sever "Lean Burn" MoPars! They ALL RAN FINE!

[@gearbanger57]

Worked at a Chrysler Plymouth dealer in 74 as a lot boy, the big New Yorkers and Newport's were slow sellers. They sold a ton of 6 cylinder Valiants, Dusters and Crickets. The Cordovas were a big hit when they showed up. Cool part of the job was all the muscle cars that were traded in and I got to drive them all.

[@googleusergp]

If you had the foresight to buy some and hide them away until gas prices normalized again, you'd be pretty well off. But, back then, people used their muscle car for regular transportation, so something had to give for many folks.

[@jaymartell2967]

"CORDOBAS"!

[@BSGSV]

2:22 Fun Fact: in 1976, $8000 was also the price of a BMW 2002. Back then you could either buy this giant semi-luxury boat with a smooth V8 or an extremely compact but sporty and fun German sedan with a 95hp 4 cylinder engine that set the mark for all sport sedans to come. I still have "mine". I was a kid when we went to the dealership to drive it home in July 1976, the last year they were made. Also those hydraulic bumpers were also on the BMW as 5mph bumpers were a legal requirement back then.

[@sasz2107]

I drove a 1977 Chrysler Newport 4 door sedan for many years. It had the 400 in it. What a great riding, and surprisingly good handling car for such a large car! Definitely the best riding car I ever owned. I had no trouble parking it because I could easily see all 4 corners of the car, so I could get very close to things when parking. It was definitely a BIG car. It was also mustard yellow - the color of French's mustard inside and out. It couldn't have gotten any more 70s than that!

[@johngranato2673]

Sad. Handsome car, though. Btw, the Cordoba was very handsome--it was much better looking than the Gran Prix, Century/Regal, MC, Cutlass! Thanks for your hard work, Steve!

[@googleusergp]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. LOL. One division of that A and G body car easily outsold all of the Cordobas in a given year.

[@larrygro]

I always hated the looks of the Cordoba. The Magnums were cool though.

[@johngranato2673]

@@googleusergp Yep, they also outsold Rolls Royce...

[@googleusergp]

@@johngranato2673 You can't compare a Rolls Royce (basically back then a hand-built car) to a totally mass produced car from the Big Three. The Cordoba competed with the A and G body GM cars in the market and were swallowed up by one divisions' sales.

[@vet-7174]

Good Morning Gents 🇺🇸

[@wreckerjonny6144]

I'll still drive a big block mopar at 5.00 a gallon of gas rather than the prius

[@fishgeralding9224]

Heck yeah, or a 340 in an A body!

[@googleusergp]

I'll drive the fuel efficient car during the week and have the classics to enjoy on the weekend.

[@petervitti9]

In 1979, I drove a 1970 chevrolet caprice. It got 10 mpg. At 80 cents a gallon, I couldn't afford the gas. I made $2.40 @ hour. Love the car, nevertheless.

[@googleusergp]

@@petervitti9 My parents drove a 1974 Charger through mid-1979. We put it up for sale in the spring of 1979 right after the gas crunch and bought a '79 Phoenix with a 231 V6. The first question the new buyer asked was, "What kind of gas mileage does it get?" My dad said, "If you're easy on the accelerator, maybe 12-14. It is what it is". He bought the car on the spot and had it for many years.

[@flightmaster178]

Same. In my case I daily drive my 76’ Cadillac with the 8.2L (500ci) and get around 10mpg 😂

[@ClaremontClassicGarage]

We smashed lots of those. I see the derby guys already got the front bumper. 75-78 NY/Imperial "pointy bumper" most lethal front bumper ever.

[@AdamWaffen]

The only purpose one would serve today would be as a warning.

[@johneckert1365]

They got the rear bumper too! Haha. I got $300 a piece for every "Chrysler Pointy" I had collected lol.
If you ever get the chance to, check out the front bumper on a 73 Riviera. Only 1 year, but it's tough!

[@MrZdvy]

I have a ‘74 Imperial and the hood & fenders are the same. Amazing the 440 and everything around it is still there.

[@robertbeckler5058]

Call up VGG.

[@lilmike2710]

​@@robertbeckler5058 no steering wheel...... "It'll be fine" 😂

[@tomwesley7884]

@@lilmike2710 We'll just ignore that for now

[@robertbeckler5058]

@@lilmike2710 my buddy had one for a derby car. But that one did have a steering wheel which did him no good.

[@garyszewc3339]

It's been that long so it's hard to remember but that's about the time they eliminated the Imperial, rebadged it as the New Yorker, and re badged what was the New Yorker as the Newport.

[@vettekid3326]

The first Arab oil embargo happened in the fall of 1973 when coincidently I was working part time at a gas station in Peoria Illinois while in high school. That was back when in Illinois all gas stations were full service by law ( no pump your own ). Overnight the price of regular leaded gas went from 36 cents a gallon to 52 cents if you could get it. I still remember an older guy pulling up to the pumps with a big old 1960 Buick Invicta and taking a look at the price and saying "God damn Richard Nixon, God damn Richard Nixon!" We were limited to selling more than five gallons to any one vehicle at a time and lines were almost constant to the point we were busy until the underground tanks went dry.

[@googleusergp]

There's a video on YT from 1979 in Queens, NY filmed at a Mobil station during the gas crisis with the owner lamenting that, "The governor better do something about this. I'm not dealing with all this from these customers". Look at all the cars in line though, none are typically smaller cars. They are all larger or at least mid-size cars that maybe got 14 MPG at best. I cannot place where the station is. My coworker's brother-in-law owns a Mobil station in Queens, but it's not his station best we can tell.

[@BiggDave72]

Biden Climate Embargo these days 🤬🤬🤬

[@1223jamez]

I remember that also going to school with the long lines.

[@Railrider765]

Same here...run Texaco '73 after school. Gradu. '75 I remember seeing those cars. Built like a tank! 🇺🇲

[@jaysmith179]

Seems like every time a Democrat gets in office we have gas problems in America?

[@redneck5356]

Always liked big old American cars

[@loualiberti4781]

I can’t face the day - without first watching a Steve Mags Vid .

[@tailfin6595]

C-Body Mopars of the 70's were such gorgeous under appreciated cars

[@janderson8401]

In 1975 my parents had four cars, a 63 Plymouth, a 68 Olds Vista Cruiser, a 71 Vista Cruiser, and a 74 Dodge Monaco. My sister had gotten her license a couple of years before, I had just gotten mine, and the insurance company assigned me as the primary driver of the the Dodge, my sister as the the primary driver of the 71 Olds, my dad as the driver of the 68 and my mom as the driver of the Plymouth. In fact they only got one right. Mom would only drive cars with manual transmissions. She didn’t like the way automatics of that era would start creeping as you let off the brake pedal. Dad would do the driving if we were all going somewhere together, usually the Monaco but sometimes he would take the 71. My sister usually got to drive the 68 Olds. I didn’t get to drive often but I usually got Mom’s car since Mom didn’t like to drive and therefore it was usually available, and I liked manual shift cars. I still do.

[@paulfulton5078]

Great job Steve 👍 hoping you have a fast recovery time and prayers for you 🤞. My very first car was a '75 Newport that my dad gave me. He bought it new in 1975, and I got it around 1982 in high school.

[@paulfulton5078]

My Newport was a 2 door, burgundy, with the Aztec design crushed velour interior...it was a stunning car, when new! Great memories!

[@Mr.Death101]

My mom had a 1975 Cordoba and in 1987 up in Massachusetts we were driving down the road and the door opened up and I almost fell out of the car. It ended up being because the latch mechanism was so Rusty that it fell off. I can still see it in my head.

[@herbienbrian2]

Ah good old Chrysler quality

[@Damone7653]

Ricardo Montalban would be proud

[@Mr.Death101]

@@Damone7653 Trust me bro it didn't have the rich Corinthian leather LOL.

[@yrboogiemn]

My dad had a 78 or 79 Cordoba with the 400. White on white Corinthian leather with Cragars. Beautiful, comfortable cars. Something you just can't find today.

[@gillesjacques1022]

I had the 1977 cordoba, in the same maroon colour on the front of the brochure, I also had a 1979 cordoba in a cream colour. The cordoba was classed as mid sized luxury.

[@bryanfisher9071]

I had one of those the white one gave 50 buck's for it had white leather interior, loved that car. Also had a 75 and 76 Cordoba's 360, 400. I miss those days 😞👍

[@1gatomon]

My Dad purchased a Cordoba in 1976. it was a beautiful car White with a black cloth like interior. When he had it. It had all kinds of trouble with the "Lean burm 400 Cu engine. Finally after a couple of years of dealing with it and constantly replacing the stupid Lean burn stuff. He had them Yank it all off and put in a points distributer and parts. It ran like a top for many years. I took myu date to the Sr Prom in it. I believe at 200K miles it was finally sold. And it had two front end accidents. Both required a full front clip. It still kept on going,

[@googleusergp]

The car is gone, hopefully the woman is still around.

[@garyspaun5237]

Keep it up with these videos - really enjoy them all.

[@benrittenhousedotcom]

TH-cam stopped sending me junk yard crawl notifications!!! Glad I did a search! Love the videos.

[@MillerMeteor74]

That's one of my favorite body styles for Mopar. I love them. I have two of those 1975 Chrysler color brochures, from when my parents bought their 1975 Town & Country, which I remember well. I loved that car, but they sold it the year before I started driving. It was the same color as the one in that brochure. It also had the optional 400. That engine suffered from carburetion problems almost from Day 1 though. Also the car started rusting behind the wheels, maybe by 1978 or so. It's still a car I wish were around today though. In the time since then I have never seen one in a car show. But I have seen a `75 Imperial at a car show. What a beauty.

[@Hyrev1]

Great video Steve!

[@robertchristie9434]

Great review. I worked at the Chrysler Engineering center in Highland Park Michigan when these first came out in late '73. Talk about some huge beasts that were massive land yachts. Timing was god-awful. That's when Chrysler started rebates to move them off the lots. The big three not just Chrysler got stung when gas prices jumped. My dad had a '73 LTD wagon that got 9 mpg. An uncle had a '73 Olds 98 that got 8 mpg. It was bad enough that fuel economy was terrible, but around Detroit they all rusted prematurely, like in 3 years, total piles of rust. Quality was a joke also. I knew guys who took delivery of a new car, drive it straight home & adjusted every panel. Some the paint was so bad they ended up water sanding the car & have it repainted.

[@albertgaspar627]

Ma Mopar has always had iffy quality control, beaten only by American Motors. That said, we forget all those old cars' odometers went only as high as 99,999 miles and every gas station had a repair man "on duty 24 hrs" according to the neon signs.
Once we started paying European prices for gas, we decided for ourselves we wanted European like cars. And every time gas returns to that level, it's like the music stopped and Mopar doesn't have a seat to sit on with its gas hogs.

[@bradkay4794]

If you worked at Chrysler engineering how can you think that this error packed video is great

[@danw6014]

My employer was once upon a time an engineer for Ford's. In 1972 they brought back a one year old Torino wagon from a lady and gave her a new one. She had taken the car to Midas to have the muffler replaced. The technician came out to the waiting room and told her they could not replace the exhaust system on her car because there was nothing left of the frame to weld it to.

[@robertchristie9434]

@@bradkay4794 Tell us Oh great one what the errors were. I'm sure Steve would like to be enlightened also. By the way we're all entitled to our opinion. Looking forward to your detailed response.

[@robertchristie9434]

@@danw6014 Buddy of mine had a '72 Pinto. Both doors were rusted so bad the only item left was the vinyl guard strips. You could see how the windows went up & down the doors were deteriorated. A body shop in Utica Michigan did a land office business welding new floor & trunk pans into A-body Mopars, Ford Mavericks & Mustangs & GM compacts. Ziebart would only honor their warranty only if you brought your vehicle in for "touch up" every 6 months. The Japanese & German cars were just as bad.

[@ricksaint2000]

Thank you, Steve Get well soon.

[@bobbyz1964]

Bought one of those, a two door, around 1990 250 bucks. An absolutely beautiful car to drive, had the leather interior front seat was electric and more comfortable than most living room furniture. It even looked nice, from a distance, had gallons of Bondo bubbling up in all the rusted out areas. Bought it for the 440 and 727, rest went to the scrap yard of course.
That's one car I'd love to have now (without the Bondo) nothing smooths out potholes like a big old Chrysler and Minnesota roads suck. Really wish they'd build cars to ride smooth again instead of this stupid handling bs with the low profile tires and stiff suspensions.

[@dubiousf00d]

Crazy how the engine is still there for the moment. Love these C body cars. I have a 76 Brougham 2 door 440 car. The hideaway headlights and no B pillar are my favorite things about Hilariously big parked next to the cars of today.

[@34Packardphaeton]

... real IMPERIALS were designated by the corporation as a D-body ...

[@dubiousf00d]

​@@34PackardphaetonCorrect. What am I missing here😂

[@34Packardphaeton]

@@dubiousf00d .. Possibly my error ---- many guys refer to Imperials as "C-bodies"... which is not correct, at least for '55 - '66 (or '68, or '73, or '75) .... Those are D-bodies.

[@dubiousf00d]

Most definitely. I know about imperial cars. For a while they shared nothing with other alphabet cars. Crazy that they weren't even recognized as chryslers or dodges. Super special Cadillac and Lincoln fighters. I just wished I hadn't wasted so many in my younger years in a demo derby. Lessons learned

[@williamjones4483]

I had a '78 Cordoba w/T-tops, bucket seats and console. It was a very decent car, not fast, but comfortable. It also had the 400 cu. in. engine w/Lean Burn and got usually 18-19 miles per gallon. The Lean Burn did not work properly and after a time I ended up converting that to straight electronic ignition.

[@johneckert1365]

Those 400's could really come to life with a better cam, re-jeting or replacing the carb, and (like you did) converting to conventional Electronic Ignition. They have a HUGE bore and a nice short stroke, capable of high RPM even with stock rods & hardware

[@sawdustandcigarettes]

My dad bought a new 1975 newport, red with white vinyl top, white interior with the 400. The only thing he didnt like was that the speedometer only went to 100 mph instead of 120. When he got pulled over the cops would ask him how fast he was going he would reply " Thats the problem with these new cars, they're dangerous, the speedo only goes to 100 so you never know how fast you're going." 😂

[@rightlanehog3151]

Steve, Thank goodness the New Yorker we had was a 4 door, the plastic B pillar is one of the cheesiest things I have ever seen. 😂

[@dubiousf00d]

I was thinking something similar. I have a 76 2 door and I'm so glad mine doesn't have that silly thing.

[@will7its]

Flapping in the breeze....😊

[@Whats-It-To-Ya]

The two-door is still better than the four-door, but that goes for dam near every car

[@StanKelley]

So- does someone here KNOW the 4 door B pillar was real? Certainly could have also been a hardtop masquerading as a sedan, Volvo would never do such a thing.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Great vid!! 👍👍

[@Riverdeepnwide]

Loving these history lessons Steve 👍🏻

[@markleblanc3447]

Me and my Friends Benefited Greatly from the gas crisis. We were all around 15, 16 years old at the time, the Local Junk Yard was Full of Late Sixties, Early Seventies Beauties. We were buying big Olds, Caddy, and Pontiac Land Yachts for 50 Bucks! The World was our Oyster so to Speak. We had a Blast! We didn’t care about Gas, we would go to local Businesses the had gas powered Delivery Box Trucks and Siphon their tanks. We’d fill 5 gallon gas cans four at a time and Cruise All Over the Place! Those Were The Days!

[@jsmith2130]

I love these big Mopars !!! I lucked into one of these and a 1975 Pontatic Grandville with a 500 engine . I got them from a sweet couple my grandparents knew !!! I loved driving the Chrysler!!!

[@SolamenteVees]

Thanks, Steve… now that Dr. John song is stuck in my head 😆

[@SteveMagnante]

Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya?

[@davevirag5423]

I own a 1975 Chevy Monte Carlo Landau and I Love It! I will never part with It! 😍👍

[@MattTrakker350]

This car has the "St. Regis" roof option. It is still a pillarless hardtop in construction as shown with loose trim pieces. What's interesting is rather than fixed quarter glass, Chrysler left the windows permanently rolled up, with mechanicals in place but no switches, etc. I've seen more than one person remove this roof treatment on these cars and make the quarter windows functional.

[@sreginkc]

I had a 1977 New Yorker Brougham 4 door with the 440/4Bbl. It was a land yacht with beautiful styling inside and out. It got 17mpg consistently city and highway. I loved it.

[@lovetocrank]

The best thing about those Chryslers was the sound of the starters!

[@lilmike2710]

I had a red 81 Cordoba. Slant six but it was one of my favorite cars. It had square headlamps and a unique front and grille. It looked really good with chrome five spokes and white letter tires.
And I think it had the torsion bar suspension. I do recall it having a smooth and comfortable ride though. Wish I had it today for sure

[@googleusergp]

Yes, it did have torsion bar suspension. It was the same basic chassis as the Aspen and Volare.

[@crumblerx99]

Thanks for the all the hard work steve 😁

[@jlletaw1954]

I did not know that about the B pillar...the K car helped but l think the minivan was instrumental as well in turning things around

[@johneckert1365]

Right on. Chrysler paid back every dime of it's government backed loan too, so it really wasn't a "bailout"

[@papawoody9597]

The total paradigm shift that happened on Detroit within just a few years is still astonishing.

[@jonathangodbout6645]

Someone needs to grab that 440.

[@captainsidneymicrodot8385]

I had a 79 diplomat. 80k on a 318 had a dead cylinder. My father gave it to me. Thanks dad.

[@bobtepedino5661]

About that odd roof: that New Yorker is equipped with the very expensive "St. Regis" option, a catalogue custom that replaced the regular 2-door hardtop's movable rear windows with a fixed opera window and a front-half padded roof, something that was developed for the Imperial and was called "Crown Coupe" in the senior make.

[@klwthe3rd]

I was wondering when someone else was going to post the comment about the St. Regis option. In 1975, the New Yorker Brougham when ordered as a 2 door coupe was a hardtop. The rear windows would roll down to create a huge window expanse. But when you ordered the St. Regis option, they installed the fixed opera window as this car has in the video. Sadly, i don't think their were any external badging on those St Regis equiped models so you just had to know that fact. Obviously you picked that up. Great eye.

[@seed_drill7135]

My great uncle had a ‘77. The family let it rot down after he died.

[@jeffrobodine8579]

The era of the Electronic Lean-Burn system.

[@americanrambler4972]

I really liked the first generation cordoba’s with the round headlights. They looked big and elegant. I also like the big two door Chryslers like this one at the time. But I was still to young and broke at the time to get one of these. I had a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed that car. 12 mpg was the gas mileage I got with that one.

[@randyoberholtz7490]

My dad still has his 1978 2 door new Yorker brougham 440 with less than 40k miles on it ...

[@FoxeemaTV]

i had a new 75 new yorker brougham ordered same color ...evening blue met..4 door hardtop.. watched t come off the truck..wonderful car..

[@brianbloom1799]

I was given this car, A old couple helped me out when my transmission went bad, The car they gave me had a 400 big block I drove that car for a year when I was restoring my 65 Buick skylark , and it was a 75 gold with half white top. I got to say that car would move out.

[@bigw8549]

Looks exactly like my father's 77 Newport but without the fancy window treatment on the quarter glass. It's funny how two almost identical vehicles were given different names.

[@johneckert1365]

It was really wonky. The 74-75 Newport had it's own front end, and in those 2 years the Imperial was downsized to this C-body platform. Imperial was the sane body with different bumpers, grille/header, tail lights, etc.... In 76 the Imperial was discontinued and that fancier set up was passed along to the New Yorker Brougham. Then the previous New Yorker front/rear end styling was passed down to the Newport and Town & Country wagon. The older (74-75) Newport front/rear end went away then. The 74-75 Newport front end look alot like a 74-75 Impala/Caprice to me haha

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

👋😂👌I can hear Ricardo Montalban’s comercial saying! “Luxurious Corinthian Leather”

[@TinManKustoms]

I always loved these cars.
Me and a buddy raced one in the street stock circle track class. With a 360 which was the biggest motor we could run in that class it handled awesome and won quite a few races .

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

Wow, it's a hardtop under there? That's awesome. I wonder if any other cars are like that

[@joshdobson2737]

Can't say I've ever seen a 2 door in person.....kids running from the truck in "dazed and confused" is the only one I can remember.

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

I adore ‘C’ bodies, particularly the fuselage and formal generations… ‘69 - ‘78. Heartbreaking to see this gorgeous (and rare!) New Yorker Brougham coupe rotting in a junkyard.
Nonetheless, thanks so much for highlighting this oft-maligned, overlooked vehicle!

[@chrisblackburn1872]

I used have a 74 New Yorker 2 door Triple green. What fun car use to race mustang and camaro on the highway. They could not keep up with it. Love the Channel keep up the great work 😎👍

[@jacobfleming565]

I immediately recognized it as the trailer park boys car😂😂

[@SteveMagnante]

YES! I totally missed that connection. Which is all the more egregious because the idea to pixelate Katie's face (the junkyard dog) came from how the many cats in Trailer Park Boys (including Bubbles' fleet) are all pixelated! "I'm shuttin' it down Julian!" Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante

[@jamesblair9614]

I drove a couple of those 2 door New Yorker 440 Broughams when they were new cars, and although they weren't what I was interested in at the time, there's no denying, they were beautiful cars, and as you said, only in America!

[@rodsvintagesxschannel.3095]

We owned a 79 cordoba with T tops. Mint green color/green vinyl roof 318 4 barrel
No speed demon..but.. Drove like you were sitting on a cloud

[@wrongwayroger2519]

Had a 76 Cordoba red 2 door with the half "vinyl" roof and "opera" windows , brought my youngest in it home from the hospital (birth) in a snowstorm !!! Car ran great even being rear wheel drive !!! Think it hsd the 318 with the 727 !!!

[@paulbroxon4626]

What a coincidence that this video just came out as soon as I found a front header panel for my 77 Chrysler Town&country hearse for 250 dollars. It uses that cars same front end. Looks like some one pick it clean of the good stuff.

[@craigmiller7063]

I had a Chrysler Cordoba when I was a teen and I'd love to have it back today. It fit all my friends and all our stuff plus more in the trunk because it was huge

[@kellycassutt3165]

My family owned 6 of them! Mine was a 1975 Newport. Green color (of course - apocrypha story is Lee I. through away the green paint).

[@googleusergp]

Lee Iacocca didn't arrive to Chrysler until 1978.

[@kellycassutt3165]

My 1975 was green, my Father's 1976 Newport Custom was green, the 1976 with the 360 engine, a gutless wonder that we saved from the crusher, was green. When Lee took over, green color was reduced (or was it?).

[@googleusergp]

@@kellycassutt3165 Nope, green was available past 1978 and beyond......

[@adamtrombino106]

Right on the $, Steve. These cars were totally redesigned for 74, new chassis, modular instrument panel, larger interior and more, over the 73s. As bad as the 75's sales were, the debut 74 models faired worse! They truly were the wrong cars for the time, and Chrysler never did make up the $ invested even though they lasted through 78.

[@markcollins457]

Hey Steve, my mother had the 4dr version what a beautiful tank. I had a Plymouth Suburban wagon 76 or 77 and it had the 400 with the wonderful Lean Burn system that was loved by I think 3 people. These cars did suck some fuel an I remember the lines at the gas station they would not fill your car if you had more than 1/2 a tank and around that time they had the odd or even days fir fill ups. Just think now we still have full size SUV's THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES.

[@timkis64]

steve is a treasure of info.a true student of american vehicles.

[@myrons4713]

Yes, excellent information!

[@76629online]

My dad had a brand new one of these that was special ordered. 440, with a 3.91 gear'd sure-grip axle. It was a beast. I think it got about 6 mpg. It caught on fire one day on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and burnt to the ground. Had an issue with the power window wiring on the driver's side. It was brand new still when that happened.

[@scrambler69-xk3kv]

I remember when our local Texaco station went from 28 cents to 32 cents and people were pissed.

[@reversemaxxus]

Going back to my MOPAR days. I bought a '78 Cordoba with the 318 Lean Burn and single exhaust. Base model with VINYL split bench, no air or power windows. Starlight Blue Sunfire Metallic with the silver blue rear half pimp-style vinyl top with the opera lights. Got 20 mpg's but would win no drag races. I put Appliance 5 spoke chrome wheels and Goodyear GT Plus white outline letters on, but still would not go any faster. Chrysler had some of the best looking 2 doors in that period IMO. Dodge had a Charger version as well as the Magnum variants.

[@googleusergp]

Yup, paint code PB9 in 1978.

[@jimpatnode4445]

Had a Cordoba, loved it

[@louisxiiii]

I used ot own a 1977 Newport almost identical to that (at some point, the New Yorker became the Newport, and the Imperial became the New Yorker, minor trim differences).I remember the interior and exterior landau trim pieces were stuck over the hard-top pillarless windows. Everything except the motors were under there. The trim that ran around the vinyl was a thick solid stainless steel bar. When I had my vinyl redone, the first shop I went to said they were going to pry the trim off with a crowbar and replace ti with plastic trim. I thanked him and then went to a shop that lowered the headliner and unscrewed the stainless trim. That's where I learned to ask people lots of questions. The contour between teh rear wheel and the back of the door was very complex and gave a nice look to the car, especially with fender skirts.

[@larryfromwisconsin9970]

I remember in 1974 the first time it cost me $20 to fill the 26 gallon tank in my 1967 Plymouth Fury. It hurt me.

[@ddellwo]

I remember filling my little Ford Ranger pickup at an Exxon station on I-45 about halfway between Dallas and Houston and hitting the $40.00 mark for the first time ever on a tank of gas!

[@googleusergp]

@@ddellwo When gas hit silly numbers a few years ago, we went on a business trip in WI and each vehicle was well over $70+ (and we had three of them) to fill up. I thought the trip coordinator was going to have a heart attack. LOL.

[@brianleclerc1593]

Hi Steve, I remember seeing a 71 or 72 Newport for sale with a three on the tree. It was a car that was used to carry a gate for harness racing horses. Thanks for featuring this big old C body.

[@dowen1511]

I always wondered why the opening on the side of them looked so long on demo derby cars . now I get it .

[@willhorting5317]

Fourteen mpg?
Heck that's about what the '04 Buick Rendezvous that I drive gets.

[@shanedingz]

God bless these behemoths. The 440 in my ‘70 Duster was harvested from a ‘77 Royal Monaco

[@danielscott6787]

I had a 74 Monaco 2dr. Just like this boat.

[@funone8716]

In 1980 as a 20 year old I worked with an older dude that wanted to sell his gas guzzling 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix......455, 370hp. Yep, I bought it on the spot sight unseen. $400 with 4 brand new tires. Man was that car a blast! Fun times.

[@djwest3453]

My folks bought a new '76 Dodge Charger Daytona. After 3 sets of steer tires in 30K miles, it was figured out the whole front clip was welded together incorrectly, impossible to properly align. Needless to say, soon after, we had a new 1980 4 banger hatchback Mustang in the garage!!!

[@randyauer7303]

Morning Steve Good stuff Happy day after Easter

[@dennisgrubbs1929]

Great video

[@eeengineer8851]

I was a kid in those years. Remember car pooling with grandparents to a family gathering in their '74 Ford LTD and my grandparents and parents were moaning about the price of gas having gone to 51c/gal.
I doubt I have ever seen one of the cars featured here. Not a lot of that sort of body of that brand in the area I grew up in . Dodge/Plymouth more common but still sort of rare compared to Ford and GM brands.

[@vintagesavoiur]

I can't wait til your Remcharger is done!

[@pennywise8182]

I always wondered what was involved in these particular vinyl tops......This junk yard New Yorker has the optional "St. Regis" vinyl roof.Not many were produced....But pretty much every 2 dr C body of these years that you see at a car show has this vinyl top on it,if you see one at all......They look very nice in good condition....But nothing beats a real 2 door hardtop,right?......Regular 2 door New Yorkers had full vinyl tops with roll down rear quarter windows....And every "74-"75 Imperial had rear disc brakes as "standard equipment",they were not optional.....And that also required a special brake booster for it too.......My grandfather special ordered a new "74 Imperial 4 dr hardtop.....My father owns it still.

[@danielestrada1850]

Am I the only one saddened by the sight of that New Yorker lying on its deathbed?

[@HotRod-wv4vm]

my oldest son’s first car was 2 door Chrysler Lebaron with a 318. We swapped in a hot mopar cam that really woke the car up. It was black with red pin stripes and red interior

[@gthomer1231]

loved the body stye on the Cordoba

[@speedfreak8200]

To me, one ugly car 🚗 but we all have different tastes

[@arthurmccarron4379]

Thank you. For. The respect. To these. Dad. Had. 74. Plymouth. 76 dodge. Both. City police cars. I had my license for about three years. Remember. Driving them. Dad. Had. 70 polara wagon. Before them. I still. See these cars. Most. Of them. Perfect. Probably. Low. Milage. Thanks. Again. Very interesting

[@jaymac2184]

Interesting driver in that one... 😮😮

[@rickwhite3181]

Get well soon Steve Love Rick and Susan White

[@cmcb7230]

I can’t help but think they would’ve looked a lot better with no b pillar instead of that padded window.

[@guylr7390]

Yes, like a Mercedes 250C