Chrysler Cordoba (B-Body)

Chrysler
Cordoba
Production period:	1975-1979
Class :	upper middle class
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	; Gasoline engines : 5.2–6.6 liters ; (99–176 kW)
Length:	5469 mm
Width:	1358 mm
Height:	1336 mm
Wheelbase :
Empty weight :	1793-1822 kg
successor	Chrysler Cordoba

Chrysler Cordoba, second series with twin headlights

Hardly changed from 1975 to 1979: the rear of the Cordoba

The Chrysler Cordoba , offered from 1975 to 1979, was a coupé based on the so-called B-platform (also: "B-Body") from the US automobile manufacturer Chrysler , which was positioned in the upper middle class. The Cordoba was the first Chrysler car that was not a full-size model , but served the segment of smaller intermediate models. The Dodge Division , which belongs to the Chrysler Group , offered an almost identical version under the name Dodge Charger S / E.

background

The Cordoba was Chrysler's first model in the personal luxury car class . The car was aimed at competitors such as the Pontiac Grand Prix and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo , which have been produced annually in mostly six-digit numbers since 1969. Chrysler did not have a comparable vehicle in its range in the early 1970s, but, like the Ford Motor Company , which at the same time designed the Ford Elite , saw good market opportunities for such a car.

In terms of dimensions, the Cordoba roughly corresponded to the General Motors models. This made it the first post-war Chrysler that was more compact than the so-called full-size models. Since 1960, Chrysler management had repeatedly announced that there would "never" be compact cars from the Chrysler brand: Chrysler then exclusively served the full-size market in the USA, while smaller vehicles were marketed by the group brands Dodge and Plymouth . In Europe, however, compact cars Plymouth Valiant were also offered as Chrysler for a time.

With a view to this model policy, the Cordoba was initially developed as a Plymouth model. Plymouth, however, was known for low-cost and less prestigious cars, so such a car could not have been successfully positioned against the high-priced Chevrolet Monte Carlo or the Ford Elite. Ultimately, shortly before the market launch, the company decided to offer the new car as a Chrysler - and not as a Plymouth.

The name "Cordoba" sparked Spanish and Latin American associations and created an international flair, which American automobile manufacturers have often used to promote sales since the 1960s. The term Cordoba had been used once by Chrysler in 1970; At the time, it referred to a particularly lavishly equipped variant of the Chrysler Newport ("Chrysler Newport Cordoba"), 1,800 copies of which had been produced as a hardtop coupé and hardtop sedan. Chrysler claimed the name referred to the Caliphate of Cordoba ; others saw it as a reference to the Spanish city of Cordoba . In everyday marketing, the Spanish and Latin American associations were supported by the Mexican actor Ricardo Montalbán , who appeared in advertising films and was shown in newspaper advertisements.

Technology and design

The first generation of the Cordoba was based on Chrysler's B platform, which had been introduced in 1962 and served as the basis for the mid-range models Dodge Coronet (called Dodge Monaco from 1977 ) and Plymouth Satellite (later: Plymouth Fury ) in the 1970s . The Cordoba took over the box frame of these models almost unchanged; The wheelbase, track and width of the Cordoba therefore matched the dimensions of the parallel models.

design

Double round lights: front section of the first series

With removable roof parts: Cordoba "T-Top" (second series)

The design of the Cordoba was independent. The car was only offered as a two-door notchback coupé with a vinyl roof. It was perceived in the American press as "a very good cross between a Chevrolet Monte Carlo and a Jaguar XJ6". In particular, the round light units on the front of the first version (1974 to 1977) created associations with the Jaguar. At 147 cm, the doors of the Cordoba were the widest ever installed in an American automobile. This made it easier to access the rear seats, but on the other hand was a problem in tight parking spaces. The roof of the Cordoba was covered with vinyl as standard; Optionally, the covering encompassed the entire roof or - in the so-called Landau version - only the rear third.

For the 1978 model year, the Cordoba underwent a facelift and received the rectangular twin headlights that were widely used at the time and were arranged one above the other. This made it look similar in the front view to the Chevrolet Monte Carlo from model years 1976/77.

A convertible version was not planned. For the 1977 model year, Chrysler introduced a T-Top version that had two removable roof sections over the driver and front passenger seats. The upper frame of the windshield and the rear roof were connected to one another by a central web. There were similar designs at the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Pontiac Grand Prix.

technology

The Cordoba was based on a box frame. The front wheels were suspended from wishbones and had torsion bar suspension , while Chrysler used a rigid axle with leaf springs at the rear.

The Cordoba was powered exclusively by large-volume V8 engines. In the 1975 and 1976 model years, a 5.9 liter (360 cubic inch) eight-cylinder engine was the standard engine; versions with 5.2 liters (318 cubic inches) and 6.6 liters (402 cubic inches) displacement were optionally available. In 1977 and 1978 the 6.6 liter engine became the standard engine, while the two smaller engines were available as options. In 1979 the 5.2-liter eight-cylinder finally became the standard engine, while the 5.9-liter version was offered as an option. The 6.6 liter engine was no longer offered in 1979. From the beginning of the 1978 model year, all engines were equipped with Chrysler's Lean Burn System to reduce fuel consumption . In the state of California , which set particularly strict emissions regulations, some of the engines deviated from these standards. Chrysler's TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission served as power transmission in all cases.

Chrysler Cordoba engines
Model year	5.2 liter V8 (318 cubic inches)	5.9 liter V8 (360 cubic inches)	6.6 liter V8 (402 cubic inches)
1975	150 hp	180 hp	165 hp
1976	150 hp	170 hp	170 hp 240 hp
1977	135 hp 145 hp	155 hp 170 hp	195 hp
1978	140 hp 155 hp	155 hp 170 hp	190 hp
1979	135 hp	150 hp 195 hp	-

Market positioning

The Chrysler Cordoba was marketed as a comfortable touring vehicle. This corresponded to the interior of the car, which included comfort-oriented elements as standard or at least provided them at an additional cost. The dashboard was covered with imitation walnut, electric windows and seat adjustments were available. One of the outstanding details was a real leather interior, which was called "Soft Corintian Leather" and for some time became a household name in the American media. Alternatively, seat covers were available in a jacquard pattern ; they were referred to as "Castilian Jaquard". Critics occasionally viewed the equipment options as "overdone".

production

The Cordoba was one of the few sales successes Chrysler had in the late 1970s that were economically difficult for the company as a whole.

Chrysler produced a total of almost 700,000 copies of the first-generation Cordoba. In the first few years, the Cordoba made up more than half of the total production of Chrysler models. In the 1976 model year, a total of 101,969 vehicles from the Chrysler Newport and Chrysler New Yorker series were built; they faced more than 120,000 Cordobas. In its first model year, the Cordoba was the most successful car in its class after the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Only with the introduction of the more compact LeBaron , located in a similar price segment , which was also available as a coupé, did interest in Cordoba decline.

At the same time, the Cordoba sold significantly better than the structurally identical, cheaper Dodge Charger. From 1975 to 1978 only 142,000 copies were made.

Production figures for Personal Luxury Coupés in comparison
Model year	Chrysler Cordoba	Dodge Charger S / E	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Pontiac Grand Prix	Ford Elite
1975	150.105	30,812	258.909	86,582	123.372
1976	120,462	65,900	353.272	228.091	146.474
1977	183.146	42,542	411.038	228.430	-
1978	124,825	2,800	358.191	228,444	-
1979	88.015	-	316.923	210.050	-

variants

Chrysler 300

A special version of the Cordoba was the Chrysler 300 , which was only offered in 1979, the last model year of the first generation. It was a sportier version of the Cordoba. The cars only had the number 300 as a model designation. With it, Chrysler followed up on the legendary “Letter Series” , a series of sporty two-door models that began in 1955 and ran until 1970. The car was equipped as standard with a 195 SAE-hp version of the 5.9-liter engine, the most powerful passenger car engine offered by the Chrysler Group this year. In addition, it had a slightly harder suspension than the production model, individual seats in the front and a special, white paintwork. The 300 was $ 2,040 more expensive than a regular Cordoba. A total of 3,811 copies of the 300 were made in 1979.

Dodge Charger S / E

Distinguished from Cordoba only in details: Dodge Charger (1975)

Parallel to the Chrysler Cordoba Dodge dealers sold a version of the coupe as a Dodge Charger S / E . Outwardly, the Charger S / E was almost identical to the Cordoba, but had a somewhat less high-quality equipment. The Charger S / E was not successful on the market. The sales of the Cordoba exceeded those of the Charger S / E by five times.

The failure of the Charger S / E was largely due to a marketing error: the model name did not match the car. The name Charger was established in the early 1970s for muscle cars that were extremely sporty and primarily appealed to young buyers. Introduced in 1975, the Cordoba twin had none of these qualities: it was a luxurious, comfortable car for established drivers.

To be distinguished from the Charger S / E is the Charger Coupé, which was offered in the 1976 model year. It has nothing to do with the Cordoba / Charger S / E. It is a two-door notchback coupé that was marketed as the Dodge Coronet Coupé in 1975. As a result of a restructuring of the model names, it lost the name Coronet in 1976 without any stylistic or technical changes. From 1977 the (still unchanged) car was part of the program as the Dodge Monaco Hardtop Coupé. This juxtaposition of two different vehicles under the same name illustrates the arbitrariness of model names in the game of American marketing decisions.

Dodge Magnum

In order to appeal to a more sporty clientele, Dodge further developed the Charger into the Magnum for model year 1978 . Technically and externally, the vehicle largely corresponded to the Cordoba / Charger, but had a separate front section with concealed headlights. Dodge described the Magnum in a sales brochure as “the total driving experience”. In 1978, a total of 55,431 copies were made of the Magnum and another 30,354 in the following year.

literature

Albert R. Bochroch: American Cars of the Seventies. Warne's Transport Library, London 1982. ISBN 0-7232-2870-1 .
Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980. New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .

Web links

Commons : Chrysler Cordoba (B-body) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Model history on the website www.allpar.com (accessed on May 27, 2012).
↑ Examples are the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the Ford Torino , whose name referred to the city of Turin , or the Cadillac Seville ( Seville ), later also the Lincoln Versailles or the Oldsmobile Firenza ( Florence ).
↑ ^a ^b See model history on the auto.howstuffworks.com website (accessed on May 28, 2012).
↑ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, pp. 195 f.
↑ However, some independent bodyworks such as American Custom produced open versions of the Cordoba at the customer's request.
↑ ^a ^b Model history on the auto.howstuffworks.com website (accessed on May 28, 2012).
↑ performance data in SAE-PS; Information from Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, pp. 209 ff.
↑ The term “Corinthian Leather” became famous in a TV commercial that Montalban revived during a guest appearance in the series Golden Girls : “How soft your hand is, like rich Corinthian leather!” Although the correct quote in the commercial was “soft Corinthian leater "reads.
↑ Model history on the website auto.howstuffworks.com (accessed on May 28, 2012).
↑ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, pp. 285-287.
↑ Information from Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980.
↑ ^a ^b Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 269.
↑ Illustration of both charger versions in the sales brochure from 1976.
↑ Sales prospectus from 1979 (accessed on May 28, 2012).

[Internetseite_www.allpar.com-1] Model history on the website www.allpar.com (accessed on May 27, 2012).

[2] Examples are the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the Ford Torino , whose name referred to the city of Turin , or the Cadillac Seville ( Seville ), later also the Lincoln Versailles or the Oldsmobile Firenza ( Florence ).

[auto.howstuffworks.com-3] See model history on the auto.howstuffworks.com website (accessed on May 28, 2012).

[4] Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, pp. 195 f.

[5] However, some independent bodyworks such as American Custom produced open versions of the Cordoba at the customer's request.

[Internetseite_2012-6] Model history on the auto.howstuffworks.com website (accessed on May 28, 2012).

[7] rformance data in SAE-PS; Information from Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, pp. 209 ff.

[8] The term “Corinthian Leather” became famous in a TV commercial that Montalban revived during a guest appearance in the series Golden Girls : “How soft your hand is, like rich Corinthian leather!” Although the correct quote in the commercial was “soft Corinthian leater "reads.

[9] Model history on the website auto.howstuffworks.com (accessed on May 28, 2012).

[10] Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, pp. 285-287.

[11] Information from Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980.

[Langworth_1980-12] Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 269.

[13] Illustration of both charger versions in the sales brochure from 1976.

[14] Sales prospectus from 1979 (accessed on May 28, 2012).