From Led Zeppelin to the Bee Gees; that was the arc of cultural transition the 1970 Dodge Challenger and this 1978 Plymouth Sapporo quite perfectly represent. No wonder coke was suddenly the drug of choice.
I shot this car almost exactly three years ago, when it made a guest appearance on Jalopnik. And I’ve been hanging on to it ever since, because this car needed to follow either an E-Body Barracuda or Challenger. Having finally fulfilled that requirement, this most superb example of a Plymouth Sapparo left in the world can now finally join its stablemates at CC.
Yes, the Challenger was the big blowout, and the first energy crisis of 1973-1974 was the killer hangover. And when we finally emerged from sleeping it off, the automotive world was much changed. The Pinto-based Mustang II was the new paradigm for “sport coupes”, with its padded vinyl half-top, fluffy upholstery and anemic engines.
GM went with a two-prong approach, keeping their thankfully un-bloated Camaro and Firebird going, while covering the Mustang II market with their Vega-based H body coupes (still looking for one!). Once again, Chrysler was left out of the party, mild-mannered as it may have been. But help was just an ocean away, at Mitsubishi.
Chrysler was the first of the Big Three to invest in a Japanese maker, buying 15% of Mitsubishi in 1971. It turned out to be a might smart move, and soon a veritable stable of Colts soon pranced at Dodge dealers. And when things got really tough, the herd spread out to Plymouth too. We covered that fairly well in the Colt/Champ CC.
After the ‘Cuda and Challenger finally expired in 1974, Chrysler was left without a small sporty coupe. Help arrived in 1978 in two distinctly different forms, the Horizon based TC3, and the RWD Mitsubishi Galant based Sapporo and Dodge Challenger. The TC3/Omni 024 were pretty bare boned, and the Mitsu coupes nicely covered the more upscale segment. They were mini-Cordobas, as is all too obvious, although with a decidedly Japanese touch.
The first generation of these cars, from 1978 through 1980, were not exactly a big hit, and the second go-around emphasized a more genuine sporty look. Here’s a gen2 Challenger I shot in the Bay Area. It was still more about looks than actual go, since the 2.6 L Silent-Shaft four was never exactly a go-getter, hemi-head and all. Quite the come down from the real Challenger.
Folks find their escape and outlets one way or another. In the late seventies, that was disco, and what better way to get there than in this Sapporo: it was practically a rolling disco ball.
It looks a lot like a Plymouth bodied Fox Mustang. I can’t help but look at it and think “What sort of engine/trans could I swap in there?” (Other than a SBC.) IMHO it’s not that ugly or overdone.
A Mitsu 3.0 V6 with a 5-speed might fit just fine in there. However, based on personal experience with a Mitsubishi, I would leave that bad boy alone and go find me a Fox Mustang.
Once when I went to the dragstrip with my dad as a kid, a friend and his brother came along. Every time a Mustang went down the track, they’d both swear that their grandma owned one of those. I didn’t believe it. Turns out, their grandma owned one of these things.
Again it’s probably just me but, that looks like it could have been an AMC Eagle/Concord prototype. The second gen looks like they grafted a 79-82 Mustang nose on.. That faux Luxe interior is all ChryCo though..
Chrysler manufactured the Galant in Australia and called it the “Sigma.” It sold pretty well. They also sold the Sapporo as the “Scorpion” (it may have been imported). Here’s a sales brochure from 1978.
http://www.tocmp.com/brochures/Chrysler/1978/Australia/Scorpion/index.htm
Wow that is some interior, not even pleated, more like crumpled. And the rake on the dashboard is pretty impressive as well, the gauges look like shallow cupholders – you could collect a lot of dust in those but could you read them?
So this is what the “buxom party girl” ’70 Challenger looks like after the beer goggles come off?
Yup, the next morning you quietly scoop up your clothes and run!
I dunno, I kinda like it!
The picture in the background could be a CC outtake — just look at the size difference between the Toyota SUV and the Scion.
The Sapporo’s interior looks great, for it’s condition and it’s design……
Paul,
You didn’t happen to take a photo of your xB by the flower shop Astro did you? That would make a great outtake!
I’ve been waiting until I find an Astro with the later style grille but the short body. That’s the one that really looks like most like an Xb. Problem is, very few were made that way, and I haven’t seen one in years. I better settle for the long body version before they go too.
I’m afraid that you are going to be waiting a long time, as the last year the short body version was made was 1994, and the new nose didn’t appear till 1995.
Always glad to help
Thanks for this, Paul. I asked for a second-gen Challenger, but the Sapporo goes one better.
Elements of this car look pretty good. The C-pillar has a nice rake to it, and the rear glass area is well done. The grille is pretty decent for a car of this era, and the interior looks pretty nice. As a whole, though, I don’t think the exterior is particularly cohesive. In profile it reminds me a little of a two-door AMC Concord.
I see Birddog made the same association with the Concord above. That’s what I get for trying to comment while watching baseball.
I think that was because I have AMC on the brain right now…
The late 70s were funny design wise, it was like all the designers from all the manufacturers went to a “key party” and went home with someone different..
Seeing the thumbnail on facebook, I immediately thought it was that Concord coupe from some weeks ago. And I thought, wait, haven’t we already covered those?
I just can’t get over the damn opera lights.
The force was strong with this Great Brougham Epoch.
“From Led Zeppelin to the Bee Gees; that was the arc of cultural transition the 1970 Dodge Challenger and this 1978 Plymouth Sapporo quite perfectly represent. No wonder coke was suddenly the drug of choice.”
Hey! That’s my line!
Yeah… this was the car hell. Another great write-up! It is when this car is placed in the context of Mopar in the late 60s-early 70s that its disgrace becomes properly exposed. Well done.
This is like a Powell Motors car for real(Homer Simpson’s half brother), “The secret is giving them Japanese sounding names, you guys ever drive a Tempura hatchback?” Sapporo is a beer named for a place right?
I am only guessing but Sapporo is a Japanese ski resort and Winter Olympics venue so it could well have been a attempt to emulate Ford of Europe’s massive success with naming the Cortina for an Italian ski resort.
That car is a real time capsule. A friend of mine had one of those when we were in high school. He bought it from a salvage yard (he worked in a body shop) very inexpensively. With the moonroof, I could barely fit in the thing (I was 6’1″ in HS) so I didn’t spend much time in it. The major thing I remember about it was one of the balance shafts broke and they had to order the part from Japan. It took something like six weeks to get here. It never seemed to run right after that. Eventually, the motor started smoking and he traded it for another salvage car, an AMC Concord station wagon of all things. By then he had two in diapers, and needed all the space he could get. But the subject car looks almost exactly like his…
This thing just needs whitewalls to capture the 70s look perfectly.
My sister bought a silver Challenger new in 1978. She kept it for several years and was quite happy with it, as I recall. It was a much better car then the Ford Tempo she had later on. And a friend’s dad owned an ’81 Plymouth Reliant K with the optional Mitsubishi 2.6 liter engine. Not bad on gas, but he missed his old Valiant with the 318.