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04-07-2014, 10:56 AM | #16 | |
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For some reason when I think back to the old MMC Challenger I think of NHTSA Crash Ratings - I think the MMC Challenger had the distinction of being the worst car sold in the U.S. at the time. |
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04-07-2014, 11:08 AM | #17 | ||
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At about the same time the Chrysler Dealers were getting solicited for a "Europa" franchise so they could sell the Maserati TC. (And then there was a separate franchise that could be added to the Europa franchise that allowed Chrysler dealers to sell Alfa Romeo vehicles... ?) Quote:
In my opinion another Dodge car that had great looks from that era that lacked adequate power was the Dodge Mirada. I still like the looks of that car but think the name, the poor engine choices, the Carter Recession and Chrysler's near death experience all contributed to making the Mirada a short term and mostly forgotten vehicle. |
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04-07-2014, 11:15 AM | #18 |
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04-08-2014, 07:04 AM | #19 |
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The Shelby Dakota was the first Dakota to come with a V8.
I remember that if you pulled back the huge weather strip in the middle of the cowl above the firewall, you could see where they mashed it in with a sledge hammer so the V8 would fit... Gotta love it ! And yes X, the 400 was an option for the Magnum in 1978 only. I had a 360 4BBL and my boss had a 400. We both felt the 360 ran better. Last edited by 79LilRedExpress; 04-08-2014 at 07:14 AM. |
04-08-2014, 08:49 AM | #20 |
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CJ5 with a 304 V8...'79 0r '80 can't remember for sure and a 1987 Cherokee Chief with a 4.0 liter 6 cyl. After the wheezer 2.5 and 2.8 GM engines this was a breath of fresh air. But my all time favorite isn't even mine......Its my fathers in 1969, an AMX that I still own.
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04-10-2014, 11:43 AM | #21 | |
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Concerning the GM 2.8 liter, I remember hearing rumors that GM sold the engines to AMC without any warranty coverage and GM intentionally shipped their lowest quality engines to AMC and kept the better ones for their own vehicles. |
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04-11-2014, 12:49 PM | #22 | |
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I do recall that the Shelby Dakotas were first Chrysler products to use electric cooling fans because there wasn't enough room for a crank-driven cooling fan. The fans were pretty noisy when they kicked in. Wow, that's sad to see the Big Block (1978 was the last year for Chrysler's Big Blocks) go out with such a wimper. As a kid I remember there was a neighbor who had a 400 Big Block with a 2 Barrel carburetor in his 1978 D-150 and the truck's performance wasn't very impressive. |
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04-17-2014, 01:15 PM | #23 |
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OK, did anyone have a Chrysler Cordoba as a demo?
I was watching a Tivo version of the recent Mecum auction in Houston and they sold a 1976 Chrysler Cordoba for about $6,500 - the car only had a 318 but it looked pretty good.
The Cordoba craze was before my time but I've heard from several Chrysler Dealers over the years that the Cordoba was a hot product in the mid to late 70s and it was a car that they could make money on. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the average Cordoba gross in the 70s was higher that the gross average for a Dodge Dart today. Did anyone here ever have a Cordoba as a demo? |
04-17-2014, 04:59 PM | #24 |
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1976 Cordobas were especially hot with the 400 cubic inch engine. It was first "Lean Burn" engine. It ran on regular fuel as no catalytic converters. Only problem was any time engine had a problem, every shade tree mechanic blamed the computer. In 1977 the engine changed to catalytic converters like all other models.
Styling wise the grill had a cleaner look in 1976 and the interior, especially with leather looked good for its time. Starting in 1978-1979 the car started getting "cheaper" and it seemed to act light and weak, especially in the rear end. Sales started sliding, which accelerated when the restyled angular version came out in 1980. Sakes never recovered. |
04-18-2014, 07:54 AM | #25 |
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Great advertising sold this car...
With Ricardo Montalban pitching Cordoba~ The Small Chrysler with "Soft Corinthian leather". Which by the way, I don't believe that there is such a thing as Corinthian leather... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsg97...yer_detailpage |
04-18-2014, 08:53 AM | #26 | |
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04-18-2014, 12:16 PM | #27 |
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1979 Chrysler Cardoba, 2-tone Drk. Blue with Gray hood and roof, chrome factory wheels it was a Sweet Ride!!!
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04-18-2014, 12:26 PM | #28 | |
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Do I remember correctly that Chrysler offered a "300 Series" of the Cordoba for 1978? I'm thinking it had the same Police 360 4BBL that was the standard engine in the Lil Red Express but I could be wrong. Concerning the 1980 version of the Cordoba, I've always heard that it was one of Chrysler's better cars from a quality perspective in that era but there's no question Chrysler missed the mark on styling. While I was never a huge fan of the 1980 Cordoba, I really liked the 1980 Dodge Mirada. |
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04-21-2014, 12:40 PM | #29 | |
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Concerning the origins of Corinthian Leather, there's a Wikipedia page indicating the term is a complete fabrication that was coined by Chrysler's advertising agency of that era - Bozell. Here's a link to the Wikipedia page - click here Somewhat surprisingly, the term was first used to help promote the 1974 Chrysler Imperial but didn't gain mainstream attention until Ricardo used the term to promote the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba. There was a great video on YouTube at one time where David Letterman was interviewing Ricardo Montalban and Ricardo finally confessed that the Corinthian Leather term was a marketing fabrication. It was a funny clip but it appears to have been removed from YouTube. |
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04-23-2014, 06:17 AM | #30 |
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Demo
I always found it better to just buy my own vehicle and get demo allowance above my pay plan. To much of a pain in the @ss sales mgr always calling on weekends or week nights saying we have someone here that wants to see your demo. Got tired of unloading it and not only that but going into something else after i just put gas in the vehicle i was driving!!
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