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CC Update: 1977 Chrysler Cordoba – Still Attracting Attention

By
Eric703
– Posted on July 17, 2019

At car shows, I’m often attracted to a few cars for no particular reason – and at a nearby show in June, this 1977 Cordoba was one such car.  I was interested enough to read the information sheet placed inside the windshield, which described the car’s options, color, original sale price, and that it currently belonged to its second owner.  Then at the end, the following sentence jumped out at me:

“This car was featured on the website Curbside Classic in 2015.”

With thousands of articles, it’s hard to remember all of our featured cars, so I quickly looked this one up.  Sure enough, fellow Virginian Robert Kim found this car parked at a shopping center and published this article in 2015, noting the coupe’s distinctive checkmate cloth interior.  With the benefit of additional photos, and a brief conversation with the Cordoba’s owners, it seemed like a good idea for an update on this beautifully preserved Chrysler.

It turned out that the Cordoba was part of a his-and-hers pair of Chryslers.  The lucky owners drove both the Cordoba (hers) and the 1973 Imperial (his) parked next to it.  The Cordoba’s owner laughed that one of the few times she drove her car to a shopping center, it wound up on the Internet.  But this car is no stranger to Internet fame – its photo also appears on Wikipedia’s Cordoba page.  There are few better examples of an early Cordoba: With its original Formal Black Sunfire Metallic paint and matching elk grain vinyl roof, this car seems to define the very concept of a personal luxury coupe.

From a sales perspective, Cordoba was the right car at the right time, for personal luxury coupes were in full stride by 1975 when the model first debuted.  With distinctive, elegant styling, and a competitive price, Cordoba vaulted to the top of Chrysler’s sales charts.  Over its first three years, nearly 500,000 examples were produced, accounting for two-thirds of all Chrysler-brand cars.  Our featured car was one of 163,138 that rolled off of Chrysler’s Windsor, Ontario assembly plant for 1977.

Given their glitzy design and squishy ride, these cars weren’t for everyone.  But it’s easy to see how the Cordoba captured buyers’ interest in the mid-1970s.  It looked more expensive that it was, and it looked quite unlike any other car.  Even today, this car attracts a lot of attention.

In fact, the lady who owned it noted proudly that it tends to attract more attention than her husband’s Imperial.  Yes, this Imperial – the longest mass production sedan ever made (235.3”!), and Chrysler’s most expensive product – gets overlooked by its Cordoba garage-mate.  It’s not due to rarity (12 times more ’77 Cordobas were made than ’73 Imperials); it’s more likely that the same styling that attracted hundreds of thousands of customers four decades ago still attracts attention at car shows.  As opposed to the Imperial, which bears a strong resemblance to many other Chrysler Corporation products, the Cordoba possesses a distinctive design all its own.

Or to put it more humorously, while I was admiring the Imperial, my wife (not a Mopar fan) came over and asked me “Why are you looking at that Dodge?”  Ouch.

Regardless of its similarity to other Chrysler Corporation Fuselage cars, I still love this Imperial.  How I yearn to stretch out in a roomy interior like this one, with blue Cologne-grain leather and simulated rosewood trim… a perfect antidote for today’s dull, gray, confining cabins!

Back to our Cordoba, we can see how different its own interior appears.  The checkmate cloth with cream-colored vinyl accents give the car an airy, welcoming feel.  This particular car is well equipped with air conditioning, power windows and locks, and a power drivers’ seat.  Like most domestic cars of its era, the Cordoba was highly customizable – though its base price was low, buyers could outfit one with as few or as many options as they (and their wallets) desired.  When well equipped like this car, a Cordoba was a very respectable ride.

The owner thoughtfully displayed the Cordoba’s window sticker, which of course is fascinating.  Starting with a $5,418 base price, this car piled on nearly $3,000 worth of options.  My eye is always drawn to the smallest-ticket items on a window sticker such as this, which here included Deluxe Windshield Wipers ($9.65), Pedal Dress-up ($8.95), and Heavy Duty Shock Absorbers (a bargain at $6.80).  I’d love to have an option list like this in a modern car, rather than just ordering the “LX package” and calling it a day.

Of course I scan the big-ticket items too, which included an 8-Track Stereo ($332.25) and Air Conditioning ($517.85).  The costliest item, though, was the Crown Vinyl Roof package, which set the original buyer back $733.25 – that’s $3,200 in today’s dollars!

The Crown Vinyl roof is so named because it is equipped with an opera lamp – not the run-of-the-mill side opera lamps common in the 1970s, but rather a single light band that wraps over the roof, connecting one B-pillar to the other.  When illuminated, this provided a tiara-effect, hence the name.  And a justification for the astonishing price.  Although rare, this was evidently a popular enough choice to keep it on Cordoba’s option list from 1977 through 1979.

1977 was the Cordoba’s last stellar sales year.  ’78 models were redesigned with stacked rectangular headlamps and other updates – none of which did the original design any favors, nor did they succeed in generating new customer interest.  Sales fell by a third that year, and again for ’79.  Even after being downsized and squared out for 1980, the Cordoba could never recapture the magic formula of these 1975-77 models.

The Cordoba isn’t everyone’s preferred type of magic, but this one sure put me under a spell.  I hope I run into this pair of cars again – after taking time to take in this Cordoba and the Imperial, the Malaise Era doesn’t seem so malaise-y after all…

 

Photographed at the Sully Antique Car Show in Chantilly, Virginia in June 2019.

 

Related Reading:

1977 Chrysler Cordoba: Sin Cuero Corintio   Robert Kim

1978 Chrysler Cordoba: The Fine Little Chrysler   Paul Niedermeyer

← Vintage Snapshot: The Living Spirit of Ecstasy
CC Capsule: 1965 Chevrolet El Camino – Designed To Be Effective At Certain Tasks →

67 Comments

  1. Reply
    avatar GN
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 8:29 AM

    Great to see these cars! I agree that this Cordoba has to be one of the nicest in existence. And it’s cool that the owner is proud to have her car featured in CC!

    I think that the mid-70s Cordoba was a testament to the power of the Chrysler brand name–people loved being able to buy a “smaller” Chrysler and it carried all the right personal luxury design cues. The Cordoba absolutely trounced the Dodge Charger SE in sales (virtually identical but “less prestigious” brand).

    The Cordoba also looked “just right” at launch, whereas the Fuselage cars were more polarizing. Plus, for whatever reason the Imperial was often confused with its less expensive stablemates from Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth, while the Cordoba somehow stood out even though it was nothing more than a re-bodied 2-door Fury/Charger. Definitely a case of effective product marketing!

    • Reply
      avatar Dave Skinner
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 10:13 AM

      “even though it was nothing more than a re-bodied 2-door Fury/Charger.”

      That’s hardly a condemnation-

      At the time, all three domestic mid size platforms represented a pretty good value, and often had better reliability than other models sharing the showroom floor.

      In this case, I’d argue the Chrysler B-body offered a better overall package than the over sized colonnades over at GM, and the even more bloated Torino from Ford.

      • Reply
        avatar GN
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 10:29 AM

        Agree. Wasn’t meant to be a condemnation of the ’75-’79 Chrysler B-Body coupes, actually rather a credit to Chrysler that the best selling model was from the “premium” brand, even though it wasn’t all that different than its less expensive siblings. Chassis, powertrains, instrument panels and even interior trims in some cases (Charger SE/Cordoba) were the same, but the Chrysler sold better and was generally priced higher.

      • Reply
        avatar Bill Chrest
        Posted July 18, 2019 at 10:50 AM

        I road 3 hours in the center of back seat- higher and hard as rock.
        No leg room and I’m only 5 feet 2
        very little view through Opera Window.
        A very poor trip.

  2. Reply
    avatar Randerson
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 8:40 AM

    Nice Mopars, though the gorgeous and otherwise very formal Imp looks absolutely ridiculous with “mag” wheels… just my $.02. In the ’80s we had a low mile 69 LeBaron bought from the original MD owner, it was a wonderful car.

    In the early ’60s Chrylser announced they’d never build a Jr. edition when Olds, Buick, Mercury, etc. brought out their compacts … they lied. Amazing what falling sales will do.

    • Reply
      avatar Syke
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:29 AM

      Amazing what losing your customers will do. You can bet that every customer Chrysler lost to one of the competitors personal coupes was a permanent loss.

  3. Reply
    avatar PRNDL
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 9:16 AM

    Those are a pair of mighty fine Mopars!

    The window sticker shows the Sold To and Shipped To address as a dealer In Idaho. Had it been one of the infamous “Sales Bank” cars, would the sticker show a dealer’s name?

  4. Reply
    avatar SavageATL
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 9:24 AM

    Profits from this car probably carried Chrysler, gasping and moaning, through the darkest days of 1974-1978. It’s too bad its Volare/aspen successor didn’t do better; I preferred the crisper styling of its successor. As compared with the R body, Chrysler would have had a better chance carrying the successor Cordoba into the 80s than the R body and it probably could have rolled down the same lines as the Gran Fury/Diplomat/Fifth Avenue. Chrysler had no real personal coupe in the 80s and the 400/600 was too obviously a K car in Dad’s borrowed, ill fitting, polyester Tuxedo.

    i think this car succeeded whereas other larger Chryslers failed because it was not, as noted, obviously visually related to a less expensive product and unlike its Mopar brethren, even the less expensive models looked expensive. A Satellite or Fury or Polara, even in a nicely trimmed version, looked fleet duty. This car had more jewelry than its GM Competition as well. A Cordoba without 3K worth of options still had a lot of class.

    I cannot say I miss the days of individual options. It was a HEADACHE to figure out what exactly you wanted, what was available in those days of millions of choices, and which cars where had them. It’s possible, but extremely rare, that someone might want one of these cars with the Crown roof and no air and no electric locks and windows and an 8 track. It’s more likely that someone would want a car with all the bells and whistles, a moderate amount of bells and whistles (AC, PS/PB, AM/FM stereo), a slightly higher line with tilt, cruise, electric options, or just a standard car, without picking things a la carte. The most popular combinations made sense to be grouped as a package, and it was a lot less expensive and resulted in better quality, plus it prevented generally the factory from producing something odd that had 4 of the 5 things you wanted but was missing the 5th thing and so no one wanted it and it had to be deeply discounted. People will be reluctant to take a car with too many options but will flat refuse a car missing something they really want.

    • Reply
      avatar Scoutdude
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 10:09 AM

      Well back in the days of a la carte options the norm was to order the car how you wanted it.

      It was Chrysler that started the “package” thing thanks to their sales bank and the rebate for vehicles “purchased from dealer stock”. Thanks to their sales falling off a cliff and having no orders to keep the line going they had the district sales office personnel order up cars they thought they could sell to dealers in their area. So the more enterprising ones put together a couple of levels of equipment in a couple of popular colors and then went out and tried to sell them to the dealers.

      • Reply
        avatar Steve Varholy
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:38 AM

        Re: ordering a car.

        I recall my parents doing that all the way through the mid 1980’s. They’d drag us along and we’d keep ourselves occupied in the showroom while my parents ordered the car. Three months to 9 months (in the case of our 1980 Citation) later, we got dragged back to the showroom to take delivery of the car.

        You can still order a car today, if you so choose although some options are no longer “unbundled” for a production reason. I ordered by Audi A3 in summer of 2005. I wanted contents of two packages that were mutually exclusive in the dealer stock cars.

        The Cordoba (and the pre-revision GM colonnades Monte Carlos) still look good today.

        • Reply
          avatar CPJ
          Posted July 18, 2019 at 5:45 AM

          Just try special ordering a new car today, especially an Asian brand. Recall a few years back shopping with my wife for a new Lexus ES. The only options I really wanted was navigation and a few others, and with many a la carte options available I thought it would be simple to get the exact car I wanted. Not so. All cars in dealer inventory were equipped basically in two ways – non navigation cars with few options and navigation cars fully loaded. Was told by more than one dealer that the Japanese factory shipped them that way, the option mix based on geographic location. Was told that a special factory order was technically possible, but delivery time would be 5-6 months and the discount would be far less than the 5 grand offered on a car from inventory.

    • Reply
      avatar Daniel Stern
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 10:09 AM

      It looks like you called the Aspen/Volaré successors to the Cordoba. Am I misunderstanding you? Because no, they weren’t.

      • Reply
        avatar Moparlee
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 10:20 AM

        Agreed, the Volare / Aspens were successors to the Valiant/Duster/Dart lines.

    • Reply
      avatar Savageatl
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:31 PM

      Sorry, I meant the volare/Aspen BASED successor which debited in ? 1980? ?1981?

      • Reply
        avatar William Stopford
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:35 PM

        1980. And yeah, I figured it was just a typo. 🙂

  5. Reply
    avatar Michael
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 9:41 AM

    Even though I was too young for car ownership in the 1970s, Chrysler’s “Pedal Dress-Up” option always bothered me.

    A $5500 car and you can’t put 25 cents worth of plastic chrome around the floor pedals?

    IIRC, it was an option on the New Yorker, as well.

    Oh, but don’t worry. Buy an Imperial and “Pedal Dress-Up” is included!

    Also, I love the Imperials of the mid-1970s, but absolutely HATE the dashboard with its black, chincy plastic all over the place. They could’ve done better for their top-of-the-line product. How about “Dashboard Dress-Up”…??

    • Reply
      avatar Daniel Stern
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:25 AM

      It was actually thin die-cut/stamped and polished stainless steel or aluminum bezels on the pedals, not plastic chrome.

      I’m more of a “You put ridiculous chrome trims on the pedals, but can’t be bothered to even offer proper turn signals that look different from the brake lights in back and are visible from the side in front?!” man, but I certainly get your point. Thing is, automakers work hard to shave every last possible fraction of a cent off the build cost of a car. I doubt if the pedal trim cost totalled up to 25¢ in 1977, but let’s go with that guess and do some math: If Chrysler had put that on every ’77 Cordoba, that’s 25¢ × 183,000 = $45,750 cost, which converts to $191,624 in 2018 Dollars. Or, option “B”, they could charge $8.95 and put it on…I donno, let’s say 1/3 of ’77 Cordoba production. Subtract the 25¢ cost and that’s $8.70 × 61,000 = $530,700 profit, which converts to $2,222,836 in 2018 dollars. Yup, they’re going to charge for the pedal dress-up.

      (I don’t really see where the Imperial dashboard pictured is chintzy, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

    • Reply
      avatar Eric703
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:24 PM

      I like the Imperial’s interior (its blue spaciousness is somewhat mesmerizing to me), though it’s several steps down from 1960s-era Imperials, which I think had some of the best interiors ever designed.

      And I think the blue on this Imperial looks especially good in the rear seat area:

      • Reply
        avatar GN
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 7:00 PM

        Love it! This is what people miss about the grand old American cars. I think the Imperial has a number of especially nice touches, like the storage compartments hidden under the door armrest and the rear A/C vents on the parcel shelf, plus the “pillow” on the C-pillar. And that seat, so wide! It gives off that retro vibe like what you’d see in an upscale restaurant with old school leather banquettes. Exactly the sort of place where an Imperial owner would dine!

    • Reply
      avatar Old Pete
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:48 PM

      I’m still trying to figure out what could be construed as ‘deluxe’ about “Deluxe Windshield Wipers ($9.65)”

      I mean, a car has to have them by common sense if not by law, and they have to do the job. But “deluxe”?

      My mental wheels spin, tractionless…

      • Reply
        avatar Daniel M.
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 4:36 PM

        Better quality, longer lasting, they’d do a better job. As a kid, my dad tasked me with buying and replacing the summer wiper blades with the winter versions every fall. Besides doing much of the winterizing of his cars, I always made sure to get the premium blades. They’d last the winter, and seemed to make a difference in freezing rain and ice.

      • Reply
        avatar Jason Shafer
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 4:37 PM

        Thicker gauge rubber???? Stouter clips to hold it to the arm????

        I just looked at the 1977 Cordoba brochure and it says “windshield wiper, deluxe” under the options column. Not exactly descriptive.

      • Reply
        avatar roger628
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 10:29 PM

        Deluxe Wipers in Chrysler parlance meant 3-speed wipers instead of 2,
        until 1978, when intermittent wipers replaced the 3 speed.
        I was always quite curious why it took GM and Chrysler almost a decade to reverse engineer the electronic box that controls them. Ford had them since 1969, and I’m almost wondering if they didn’t run out and patent them after stealing the system from Robert Kearns.

        • Reply
          avatar CPJ
          Posted July 18, 2019 at 5:58 AM

          Regarding windshield wipers, I was always perplexed that some GM cars in the early ‘60’s had parallel action wipers, while cars with the exact same windshield in another model had opposing action wipers that overlapped. Seemed wierd that GM would engineer two different systems for the exact same windshield.

        • Reply
          avatar BG
          Posted July 19, 2019 at 7:27 AM

          Actually Mercury and Lincoln had a intermittent wiper system in 1968 that was operated by a vacuum control. I had a 68 Monterey that had that option. It had 6 small diameter vacuum lines going to the dash switch. I owned the car for over a year it for a year before I figured out what the hissing sound was under the dash. Once I fixed it, it worked fine.

      • Reply
        avatar Daniel Stern
        Posted July 18, 2019 at 10:58 AM

        The wipers themselves weren’t different. The motor was 3-speed with recessed parking instead of 2-speed with standard parking.

    • Reply
      avatar John
      Posted October 4, 2020 at 6:33 PM

      Actually the pedal dress up was stainless steel, not plastic.

  6. Reply
    avatar Daniel M.
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 10:19 AM

    Wonderful discoveries Eric. And a great article, thank you. What a brilliant marketing success the Cordoba was. Besides having one of the most distinctive noses on a domestic car of the 70s, it was one of the cleanest personal luxury coupe designs of the era. Like the late 60s Charger, the Cordoba had a strong General Motors look to it. Especially, in profile. Which could only help sales at the time.

    I have to admit though, when the 1977 LeBaron/Diplomat coupes were introduced, I found them significantly more appealing than the ‘Doba. At least as domestic luxury coupes went. Their more rational size, and cleaner lines made the Cordoba look significantly more ‘bloaty’ to my youthful eyes.

  7. Reply
    avatar Joseph Dennis
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 10:21 AM

    This is, quite literally, the Cordoba of my dreams. Swoon. I am so glad to see it is in same condition as when it was last featured here at Curbside Classic nearly four years ago.

    • Reply
      avatar Eric703
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:17 PM

      Yes, this is the Cordoba of my dreams too. Maybe that’s why I was immediately drawn to it. The exterior/interior combination is wonderful, not just for the Cordoba, but as a representation of all that I like about personal luxury coupes.

  8. Reply
    avatar Howard Kerr
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:14 AM

    I have always thought that these biggest Imperials were the equal of the contemporary Cadillac, but I had never seen one with a non-black interior before today. This car’s blue dash and door panels look very low rent for a top of the line car.

  9. Reply
    avatar Daniel Stern
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:27 AM

    Act one, 1975:

    • Reply
      avatar Syke
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:57 AM

      Uh, Cordoba vs. Monte Carlo? Isn’t that sandbagging a bit. Cordoba vs. Cougar I can understand. Didn’t they dare at least compare it to Grand Prix, if not the Oldsmobile or (preferably) Buick competition?

  10. Reply
    avatar Daniel Stern
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:27 AM

    Act two, 1977:

    • Reply
      avatar TheMann
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 12:32 PM

      Hi Daniel,
      I think I had my first reverse CC effect because I literally just watched this at 2am this morning.
      It popped up on my YouTube feed after I watched a few “Bob Meyer (sp?) Behind The Wheel” segments.
      (You should see the Fiat Strada one. It is funny, sad and very telling)

      • Reply
        avatar Daniel Stern
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 1:28 PM

        Cool and all, but I’m still waiting on my $3.12 outta you for that Frenchification I performed on your demand, which you just, like, totally ignored. »sulk«

        😉

        • Reply
          avatar TheMann
          Posted July 17, 2019 at 4:12 PM

          I never saw it! I’m gonna go look for it now. If I’m at my comment limit I will have to reply later.
          …and the $3.12 you were supposed to pick up. ..wherever I am…

          • avatar Daniel Stern
            Posted July 17, 2019 at 4:35 PM

            It’s here.

        • Reply
          avatar TheMann
          Posted July 17, 2019 at 5:00 PM

          (I wasn’t sure which post to reply to)
          Thanks for the link. I was taking me forever to locate.

          I had to wait until I stopped laughing before I could type a response!
          You just write it so perfectly, with just the right amount of extra pomp (like the fourth emphasized “la”) that I feel like I actually hear the words being spoken, and I can picture the person speaking it. Long-filtered cigarette, beret, pencil-mustache. It instantly creates a character for me.

          If I could do that, I would comment on everything in that persona. He should have his own series. I would call it “Jacques And Awe”. He could discuss topics and mostly show derision towards things he doesn’t even try to understand.

          (like me, except funny and, uh, French-ish.)
          Thanks again for making me laugh.

          • avatar Daniel Stern
            Posted July 18, 2019 at 11:00 AM

            You’re welcome, but I scarcely slept last night on account of having left an important letter out. “explain” should have been “hexplain”.

  11. Reply
    avatar Scott Brown
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:27 AM

    The styling of the 75 to 77 cars has really held up well. My Grandmother bought a new 75 Charger SE. It was identical to the promotional model in print advertising. It was a beautiful metallic bronze color with a white, bucket seat interior and the sunroof. Large and sporty is hard to pull off, but this one managed to act the part.

  12. Reply
    avatar 58L8134
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:50 AM

    In the styling and the sales volumes of the Cordoba, one can see what AMC missed badly with their Matador coupe. It was targeted to the personal coupe segment. Teague should have easily understood that neo-classic styling clues were all that was needed, he had plenty of examples to follow. Any car without a central grille, flanking headlights and fender blades, formal roof quarters and a suggestion of separate ‘trunk/continental kit’ wasn’t going to resonate with the public. When they pasted the opera windowed vinyl half-top on that fastback, it was too late. No guarantee people would have turned to AMC for a personal luxury coupe, but then again, it was worth a good try rather than the sad thing they did.

    • Reply
      avatar TheMann
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 12:38 PM

      You’re right of course, but in spite of it’s ridiculousness I still love the Matador coupe, in all it’s absenthe-inspired googliness.

    • Reply
      avatar Geeber
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 1:59 PM

      With the 1967 Rebel and Ambassador, Teague and AMC essentially tried that approach – base the AMC offerings on a previously successful GM entry. Some reviewers at the time commented on how the overall styling theme of the 1967 Rebel and Ambassador imitated the GM A-bodies.

      Those cars – particularly the Rebel – weren’t terribly successful. That may have been why AMC decided to take a different approach with the 1974 Matador coupe.

      I’m not sure that an AMC offering with Monte Carlo styling cues would have done much better. I think that Teague and AMC management were on to something in making the Matador coupe unique. The problem was the final execution of their idea. The car simply looked awkward from several angles.

      • Reply
        avatar 58L8134
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:48 PM

        Checking the price ranges the Matador coupe was well under the Cordoba. It appears as if the Ford Gran Torino Sport fastback hardtop coupe was the direct competitor and possible inspiration. For 1972, 31K sold, jumped to 51K for ’73, very encouraging for AMC. Just in time for the downturn, only 23K in ’74, staggers to 5,126 for ’75. Here AMC, you can have what’s left of that niche…

        AMC did have an ace-in-the-whole to create a personal luxury coupe, on the quick ‘n dirty: the about-to-be-discontinued Ambassador hardtop coupe
        platform. Consider if Teague and his boys had done this: new hatch hood, neo-classic central grille and tunneled headlight on the front panel, new fender caps and bumper. Retain the front fender and door shells as had. Opera window insert and formal backlight roof cap covered by padded vinyl half-top. New sculpted decklid a la ’66 Imperial, large vertical taillights, new fender caps and bumper. The long-hood/short deck proportions were already in place, all mechanicals paid for. Load them with Brougham-tastic interiors and power goodies, A/C was standard, give it an exotic Iberian name and clean up!

        • Reply
          avatar Geeber
          Posted July 19, 2019 at 7:46 AM

          The AMC Barcelona?

    • Reply
      avatar nlpnt
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 6:50 PM

      I think they should’ve given the Matador *sedan and wagon* a neoclassic grille which could’ve been done on the cheap and made its’ sticking-out snout look more intentional.

  13. Reply
    avatar D 77Chry Owner
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 2:06 PM

    Thank you for the comments; this is my car. It is a well equipped car for sure. I’ve not seen another one like it nor equipped as generously even at Chryslers at Carlisle this weekend. It was sold as a demo from Fronk Motor Co in Burley, ID to a lady for $7,725.00 (yes I have that handwritten receipt too!). This is the original interior and exterior.

    As for the 1973 Imperial LeBaron, the wheels do look good on it and I will say I had hestitation when he picked them out. Having said that we did keep the original hubcaps. We’ve owned that car since 1978 (second owners); it was garaged for a while and we put it back on the road around 6 years ago. Since that time it’s caught the eye of quite a few people but was never on the internet like it’s Cordoba sibling. This is the original leather interior to include the color. The original exterior was B5 Blue with a white top. It has won numerous awards at shows.

    Both cars will be a shows in Fairfax (NRA, Sept 22) and Rockville (Glenview Mansion, Oct 19). Thank you Eric with Curbside Classics for posting! It was good to meet you! ps. Great pictures too!

    • Reply
      avatar Eric703
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:12 PM

      It was great to meet you too! Both of these cars were the stars of the show for me at this show — and with something like 400 cars there, that’s quite an achievement. To echo what others have said, these is undoubtedly the finest Cordoba I’ve ever seen.

      I will try to make it to the NRA show in September, so hopefully I’ll see you all there as well.

    • Reply
      avatar William Stopford
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:37 PM

      You have an absolutely stunning car and thanks for giving a shoutout to the site!

      I really think these Cordobas are some of the best-looking personal luxury coupes. And I have a weird soft-spot for its “loser” sibling, the ’75-78 Charger.

      I can’t find a photo anywhere of the illuminated Crown roof. Does yours still work?Such a unique touch!

  14. Reply
    avatar Old Pete
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 3:39 PM

    Each morning I look at the lead photos of the day’s new items on CC – and of course today it was the Cordoba which grabbed my attention – much like it grabbed the attention of new car buyers forty-odd years ago. 🙂

    Here’s a thought – without this Cordoba, would the Chrysler brand still be around nowadays?

  15. Reply
    avatar Jason Shafer
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 4:34 PM

    The Cordoba is a knock-out and has rekindled my long held hankering for one. These were truly about as game changing as Chrysler realized during the first half or so of the 1970s. The Imperial is amazing.

    But, Eric, I have to ask – get any pictures of the ’70 or ’71 Polara convertible parked beside the Cordoba? Dodge made, what, 17 of them?

    • Reply
      avatar Eric703
      Posted July 17, 2019 at 6:10 PM

      There’s a Polara nearby?? Oh, that one! I was so captivated by the Cordoba, I almost missed it!

      Yes, it was a 1970, and in beautiful condition. I didn’t take any pictures of it, but here’s a front-end shot from one of my Cordoba images:

      • Reply
        avatar Jason Shafer
        Posted July 17, 2019 at 6:24 PM

        Thank you. I was curious.

      • Reply
        avatar 58L8134
        Posted July 18, 2019 at 6:02 AM

        If you happen to encounter that ’70 Polara 500 convertible again, please take some time to photograph it in detail. With only 842 built, we’d love to see a survivor.

        • Reply
          avatar Eric703
          Posted July 18, 2019 at 6:33 AM

          Will do. Hopefully I’ll see it again soon.

        • Reply
          avatar Geeber
          Posted July 19, 2019 at 7:45 AM

          I believe that Dodge Polara convertible was at the Chrysler Carlisle Nationals this past weekend.

  16. Reply
    avatar CA Guy
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 5:29 PM

    I wish I had a picture of my aunt’s Cordoba from this era – metallic blue with white vinyl top and white leather bucket seat/console interior. It also was a very well equipped car. No question these cars were a styling hit and still look great today. And don’t we all miss the huge variety of paint and interior choices available back then – wow! Love this car.

    Too bad Chrysler quality was so hit or miss back then. My aunt’s car was rock solid reliable. Based on it, my cousins bought the new Dodge version. It was a total POS and pushed them into a couple of new Audis (Fox and 5000) which, believe it or not, they loved despite some issues.

  17. Reply
    avatar PeterPuck
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 5:59 PM

    In the late-eighties, in the poor town I lived in, Cordobas were a common site. They seemed most often driven by the financially destitute.

    My friend’s single mom drove one. It was horrifying seeing this gargantuan mass of rust and twisted metal (some held together by wire) move loudly though the school parking lot.

    A stone-deaf local handiman also drove one. He paid $300 for it and drove it *slowly* about 50km per day, in spite of the worn-out mechanicals.

    These were regarded as worthless vehicles, even more so than the GM collonades that dominated the classified ads. (The GMs usually went for around five or six hundred bucks)

    I was surprised when my dad told me how nice and sleek Cordobas seemed to everyone when they debuted in the seventies.

  18. Reply
    avatar tbm3fan
    Posted July 17, 2019 at 7:23 PM

    I love the 1st Gen with the round headlights. What I find amazing is despite how many were sold it is a hard car to find given it’s numbers. I could look at this car all day and ignore the Imperial which I feel has a hideous looking front due to those turn signals.

    • Reply
      avatar PantherFan1971
      Posted July 23, 2019 at 5:28 PM

      I too am fascinated by cars with huge production numbers that are virtually impossible to find these days. Blame the dismal 1970s build quality and the large propensity to rust right off the frame, like most cars of the decade. In the North and Mid-West where salt use was prevalent, most of these cars degenerated into smoldering piles of iron oxide usually somewhere just south of their 5th birthday. The rest were no doubt cast offs, traded in during the 1980s, and ended up in the hands of ham-fisted teens and subsequent less caring owners, before being dumped at the scrap heap. It’s harsh to say, but unfortunately true. You can best believe the ones that survive in this kind of shape were squirrled away by rabid car nuts like the rest of us on this site, perhaps with a wistful idea of “This is gonna be a classic someday, I just know it.” Turns out they weren’t wrong. It is a classic. It may not be a very valuable or widely loved classic, but a classic nonetheless. And a fascinating one at that.

  19. Reply
    avatar eddie
    Posted July 18, 2019 at 6:11 AM

    I think this is a beautiful Cordoba! They had the one of the most comfortable interiors among personal luxo cars. But lets not forget that this and nearly all other personal luxury cars were copies of the one and only king of personal luxury cars…………The Chevy Monte Carlo!!

    • Reply
      avatar Hardboiled Eggs and Nuts
      Posted July 18, 2019 at 6:14 PM

      Uhmm…did we forget about cousin 69 Pontiac Grand Prix? Or 63 Riviera. Or 58 Thunderbird. Or Studebaker Hawk series? Or….

      • Reply
        avatar eddie
        Posted July 19, 2019 at 4:43 AM

        None of those sold like the Monte Carlo! All that you mentioned are certainly beautiful personal luxo coupes and even though the Grand Prix was the basis for the Monte………….it never sold like the Chevy.

  20. Reply
    avatar Drzhivago138
    Posted July 18, 2019 at 1:06 PM

    Wow, what a find! My old man wishes his Cordoba had looked that good in 1982.

  21. Reply
    avatar yes300ed
    Posted July 18, 2019 at 3:24 PM

    If any car was perfect for a “canopy vinyl roof” this was it. Amazingly well proportioned.

  22. Reply
    avatar Doc
    Posted August 19, 2019 at 5:59 AM

    Judging by the sea of responses here, I’d say this car draws a lot of attention . As a fellow Malaise era luxury coupe owner, it’s great to see these.
    That crown roof option was pretty darn cool for 40 yrs ago. More than AC? We ordered our first car in 1979 with AC in our house. Dad said no more trips to Maine with out it. Even though we would stifle to death in intense heat at the cabin.
    Cars of this era are now considered stylish in comparison to the garbage today.
    Good luck selling me on any cars today being collectible from the median income bracket.

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