The 1975-79 Chrysler Cordoba epitomized malaise-era luxury

Learn more about Chrysler’s new for 1975 Cordoba and the changes it went through as it progressed through its first generation in 1975-79.

[@citibear57]

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!

[@CannonFodder873]

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.🤔

[@tutubee507]

We had the 75 Monte Carlo fully loaded, but Cordova were more luxurious.

[@boblozaintherealworld3577]

@@CannonFodder873 ugh. The Cimarron was an embarrassment for everybody.

[@boblozaintherealworld3577]

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.

[@robertchristie9434]

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]

@Lurch7861 ok but the 426 Hemi was gone after 1971 so….

[@deanmoore1752]

@@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.

[@1971cld]

@@deanmoore1752 yes, I agree. I think my comment was actually replying to a remark from someone called Lurch7861, which he seems to have deleted.

[@Kevv554]

So cool!

[@maxr4448]

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.

[@stevekovacs4093]

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.

[@benartee9493]

Interesting change down - so that was a reflection of the oil crisis and the high consumption of the Eldorado?

[@MrTheHillfolk]

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.

[@michaelminch5490]

He shoulda kept the Eldo.

[@Jeff_Pendleton]

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.

[@jpdavis6042]

I remember that dealership in Long Beach.

[@stuartb9323]

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!

[@adamtrombino106]

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.

[@Welcometofacsistube]

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

[@johnmaki3046]

A VERY NICE "TANK", THOUGH!

[@mharris5047]

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.

[@patricksterling7389]

My buddy has one he nicknamed the battledoba.

[@thewiseguy3529]

The interior on these were bad ass! EXTRA NICE!

[@donk499]

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.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Yes, the ad campaign has far outlived the car itself.

[@kellismith4329]

Oh yes the dodge charger, those are pretty rare

[@donk499]

@@kellismith4329 It was a beautiful car, deep red inside and out with leather buckets and interior.

[@ImForwardlook]

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!

[@georgewilson1184]

It’s a shame Ricardo Montalbon is not with us now

[@maddywendall2980]

Probably the best of the competition in that segment

[@ozymandias9797]

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.

[@mharris5047]

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).

[@ellisonhamilton3322]

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.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

See the SCTV parodies!

[@hawaiifiles]

KHAN! Your Fantasy is over. Overall it is a classic car.

[@davidfrania8990]

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.

[@thewiseguy3529]

Same here, I didn't like Mopar at all, however this vehicle impressed me.

[@willc5512]

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]

I see the name "Corinthian" leather is ingrained in your memory aye? Lol

[@martinliehs2513]

@@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.

[@thewiseguy3529]

@@martinliehs2513 it's true. It's just a private brand of leather that Chrysler made up. But it worked.

[@0pelman]

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.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Yes, Adam did a whole video on the Lean Burn debacle.

[@caribman10]

The few that are left are apt candidates for a crate-motor transplant to ditch that "lean-burn" crap.

[@johnmaki3046]

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"!

[@0pelman]

@@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.

[@geraldscott4302]

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.

[@oscargeorge1]

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.

[@JimmyTomes]

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.

[@scottreal7787]

We had a 76 Cordoba. Carmel metal flake brown. It was awesome. My dad unfortunately traded even for a 70 F250.

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

Must have been his mid-life crisis 🙃😉

[@mharris5047]

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).

[@DavidPysnik]

It is nice to see the wrath of Khan quelled by the thickly cushioned luxury of seats available even in soft Corinthian leather.

[@seiph80]

The headlights also remind me of the AMC Matador coupe to be honest, in addition to the others mentioned.

[@kennypool]

I enjoy all your videos, it's nice to hear someone who's knowledgeable about the product.

[@byronpink9061]

Great memories with this one Adam. Thanks for sharing!

[@c5back9]

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.

[@johnmaki3046]

The late '70s MoPars had "workmanship issues", BUT THEY WERE AWESOME COMPARED TO THE CRAP WE ARE STUCK WITH NOW!

[@c5back9]

@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!

[@iDONTdoFacebook]

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.

[@richardgribble8438]

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

[@jamesjohnson6924]

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!

[@miketybring4700]

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

[@corywilhelm9768]

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.

[@Slonge92]

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

[@salg4768]

Great video - love these cars!

[@nealsidor1323]

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...

[@jas4925]

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.

[@jayb9687]

Ricardo Montalban. That is what I remember about these : ) He was in the commercials : )

[@fireflymedic10]

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

[@jamespkuzman]

I believe Chrysler called that feature the “fuel pacer system.”

[@frankwear4478]

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

[@charlesb7019]

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.

[@Greatdome99]

"Look what they did to my car!" Ricardo really nailed it. Perfect for the job.

[@kurtb3606]

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)

[@brentworls8509]

Fine Corinthian Leather!

[@_Peremalfait]

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.

[@lessbs]

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.

[@saadgt2009]

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 🖖🙏🇨🇦

[@michaelwarner2434]

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.

[@kirkstinson7316]

Had a 76 Cordoba when I was in highschool. Loved it. Moon roof, 8 track, leather power seats.

[@willymartinez4980]

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.

[@plainbrownwrapper9688]

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.

[@ldm680]

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.

[@dangremillion]

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.

[@williamscoggin1509]

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. 👍🏻

[@jamesandrew5205]

I’m surprised how low these cars are. I was little when they were around, and did not notice it until seeing one recently.

[@SeaTravelr123]

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.

[@JrGoonior]

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.

[@johnmaki3046]

GREAT CRUISER!

[@mharris5047]

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.

[@rossmeldrum3346]

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.

[@johnmaki3046]

@@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!

[@steveoh9838]

Remember those ads very well...."The plane, the plane"...lol

[@adamtrombino106]

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.

[@jeffrobodine8579]

P code 400 for 1976 produced 240 net horsepower.

[@billyrayvalentine7972]

Ricardo Montalblan would tell us all about the Corinthian leather

[@GaryBoyd02]

Love the 75 Cordoba. Had no idea the underpinnings were so basic.

[@johnk7093]

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...

[@visualverbs]

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.

[@Paul1958R]

While the Cordoba could be considered a 'me too' car in the crowded personal luxury coupe category I always thought it quite handsome. And the rear/tail lights scream Pontiac Gran Prix. _Fine Corinthian Leather..._

[@joeblow812]

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.

[@justinwilson2645]

What no left turn burn out, great job with the history of these classic cars, excellent job as always.

[@ohnoohyeah3205]

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 🎶

[@forterierocks]

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.

[@johneckert1365]

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

[@davedavis775]

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.

[@MrPoppyDuck]

Reminds me of Ricardo telling us about rich corinthian leather! Thanks for a great video!

[@Primus54]

My parents had a ‘76 Cordoba… they loved it.

[@jetsons101]

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.....

[@ZGryphon]

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. :)

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

It was literally ''The Wrath of Khan''.

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

It was real leather tho ..not vinyl

[@wilcoautomotive545]

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.

[@douglasfroom1449]

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.

[@duncandmcgrath6290]

Nearly the same story . Mine was a silver 76' with a 360... High school daze, I had so much fun in that car .

[@markbehr88]

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.

[@OLDS98]

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.

[@RareClassicCars]

For another video!

[@Trenchbroom]

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).

[@Mike-0201]

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!!!

[@kevincostello3856]

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.

[@lvsqcsl]

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!

[@66skate]

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.

[@robbkiker6861]

Brought back some memories! Thanks!

[@thomasburns1846]

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.

[@dave3657]

I really miss these big 70’s cruisers. Nice to drive, easy to work on, plenty of interior room.

[@nbrider7235]

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.

[@johnfrancishinson2349]

I Totally miss my beautiful 1977 Cordova Sport SE😥

[@danscott3880]

I had a 1978. Grey with black interior. My best friend grew up in CORDOBA AREGENTINA

[@stevebond9713]

The rear is total Grand Prix of the era

[@LUMAGAMO]

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.

[@vwestlife]

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.

[@michaelbarry7018]

Best example of that I can think of would be the GM front end redesign of basically all of their midsize cars in 1976

[@jamesw1659]

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.

[@aa64912]

I had a 1979 and loved it

[@asteverino8569]

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.

[@michaelmcginnis6095]

Had a pre-owned one during the mid-80's. Maroon, with sunroof, power option package, and rich Corinthian leather. It was the perfect " double-date" car. I miss it terribly!!

[@douglasthrelfall5318]

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…

[@jeffandchristinebuchold4782]

Over the years I've owned a 77 and 78 Cordoba. I had a lot of fun driving both of them.

[@montyrayza7220]

Great video, love your channel.

[@Al-thecarhistorian]

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.

[@williammaceri8244]

Hey Adam, thanks for the Chrysler Cordoba. At the time, we were suffering from the 73 crisis, and actually didn't know what to do, or what future would bring. GM launched a few in there own stables however, it was nothing new to the Ford Motor Company, since it was Ford that was first with the 1955 2 door Thunderbird, then the Falcon, it was a first compact Ford introduced. Then the Corvette arrived but it didn't know what we wanted. The Thunderbird was the sales trend, that lead to the Mustang and we all know what happened with that. GM 's Buick Riviera entered the street in the fall of 1963, it was an immediate success. The race is still running today. In 1965, the Plymouth Barracuda, and the next year brought the Mercury Comet to the table. And it's been going on since then. As I remember, the whole thing was driven by the 73 oil crisis. From then on the suits at the Big Three keep throwing newer, smaller very well equipped and trimmed out. To this day the American auto industry has been in a tailspin. I'm wondering what will make the the new solution. A hint? It's not EVs, although they do completely solve the high emissions issue. All we can do is wait to see which energy method will be the best.

[@tuffy2342]

My parents gave me a brand new 1979 Cordoba for high school graduation. Triple white with red accents. 318 and Rich corinthian leather. It's sitting out front right now. My first love.

[@martind701]

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.

[@chitown1098]

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.

[@howardkettner]

Buddy of mine bought one of these. I was envious!!!

[@charles1964]

Around 1983 I bought a Low Mileage, Maroon '77 with split bench seat, column shifter and Lean Burn 318. People thought it was a sharp looking car, and I had a lot of fun in the back seat with my High School Sweet Heart ; )

[@boblozaintherealworld3577]

The original front end design with the round headlights was the BEST.

[@jtsjc1]

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.

[@johnnyfever870]

I had a 1979 Specialty model in Night Watch Blue. Tinted windows, velvet - blue corduroy interior, all power options available, and an after market Alpine cassette player that I installed. Nothing I have driven since can compare!

[@rickwitt5735]

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!

[@tedf.5055]

I spoke with my uncle, and my relative said, everything you said was relatively relevant.

[@mdlclassguymdlclassguy6488]

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

[@jpdavis6042]

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.