1983 Chrysler Cordoba

The Chrysler Cordoba was produced from 1975 to 1983 and was intended as a personal luxury car. 'Cordoba' is the name of a city in Spain, and the car's emblem was a version of the Argentine Cordoba coin. The car's advertising spokesman was Mexican movie star 'Ricardo Montalban', which reinforced the cars Hispanic theme. When first produced, it had been intended to be a Plymouth, but losses from the newly introduced C-body in 1974 due to the onset of the energy crisis convinced executives to make it a Chrysler. At the time, the Chrysler name still had an upscale allure and executives felt it would generate higher profits if it was a Chrysler.

The Chrysler Cordoba would continue with minor changes from year-to-year until 1978. At that time, it was given rectangular, stacked headlights, among other updates. The changes were not well received by the public and the increasing fuel costs saw sales decrease even further.

In 1980, the Cordoba decreased in size, now resting on the J-platform which it shared with the similar Dodge Mirada. The standard V8 engine was a thing of the past; under the hood was now 255 Slant Six-cylinder engine. It was durable, reliable, and offered adequate power for the upscale coupe. V8 engines were still available as optional equipment.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2008