“Parthenon” grille.
Unlikely cars pop up in unlikely places. When was the last time you saw an early ’80s Cordoba–and in such cream puff condition? It’s for sale just down the road from me.
There it sits–glowing–painted a shade of yellow tan that probably had a romantic name like “Burnished Castilian Gold Crystal Coat”. Cordobas are all about Romanticism. When you have a spokesman like Ricardo Montalban dressed in a white suit with wide lapels, cooing about “rich Corinthian leather” in an old world Spanish accent while soft guitar music plays–how could it be otherwise?
Compared to the bulbous, rather anonymous vehicle shapes in the background, this Cordoba is dripping with character! It has what I call “jewel box beauty”–a phrase I lifted from a Packard brochure. In my parlance it means a car, somewhat smaller in size, selling as a “luxury” product, which is heavy on ornamentation–either finely crafted or having the appearance of being such. Think lots of chrome, soft leather or lush fabric, wood trim (real or imitation), crystal hood ornaments and appliqués, and neoclassical design cues throughout. The car seems “special” and “custom” and you feel rich and comfortable driving it. Certain of the smaller Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Chryslers from the ’80s & early ’90s have this unique quality. Jaguars excel in jewel box beauty!
Wyatt Earp’s grandson started an auto dealership in Omaha (maybe not). How did this car get from Nebraska to New Jersey?
Interior looks appropriately sumptuous. Not sure if that’s the famous leather or vinyl.
Brochure image of the interior, shown with cloth seats. That’s Carpathian burled elm on the dash if I’m not mistaken. Jewel box beauty indeed!
I’m not a big fan of these imitation convertible “carriage tops”, but this one looks good and goes well with the character of the car.
Beautiful wide (but not too wide) whitewall tires. Wire spoke wheelcovers have a center hub with a raised hexagon reminiscent of classic Packards.
I don’t know what “Master Shield Protection” is, but it’s doing its job well on this car!
So there it is–a minty-fresh survivor from 1983, still looking great in 2024. We can call this “the last Cordoba”. This was the nameplate’s final year–only 13,000 were built, compared with 59,000 in 1980. CC opinions on the 2nd generation Cordoba are very mixed–some people hate it, while others like it. Not a lot of middle ground. I’m in the “It’s pretty nice” camp. It all comes down to taste, which I’m told there’s no accounting for. Compared to the 1975-79 Cordobas, I prefer the 80-83s’ chiseled styling, smaller size, and greater efficiency. I also would pick a Cordoba over the rather strange looking and overly-complex Imperial.
That price though. Twenty years ago, this was “budget transportation” purchased from Grandma. Now we’re at twelve grand? Maybe it’s worth that much–I don’t know. It would certainly be hard to find another like it. But how much demand is there for something like this?
Subject to inspection and appraisal, this could be an interesting opportunity. It would be a nice car for me, but I don’t feel like blowing $12,500 on a pure extravagance. Also with that faultless but delicate carriage roof, I would think a garage is a must. If it has a slant six and torsion bar suspension like my ’60 Dodge Dart (with later refinements), I predict it will drive like a dream. A somewhat more powerful 318 V-8 was also available. Not all that fast with either engine, but this car is for unhurried, elegant cruising and looking sharp while doing it. And you will look sharper now than you would 40 years ago because this car so distinctly stands out from all the SUV blobs that surround you. Nestled in soft upholstery, looking out over that pre-war style hood and crystalline Pentastar grille ornament, one experiences (or re-experiences) the 1980s spirit of neoclassical elegance. Cool!
Uh-oh! This is what J.D. Power says:
I think J.D.’s numbers are low. But even if we take the High Retail number and double it . . .
See also:
Cohort Capsule: 1980-83 Chrysler Cordoba–We Don’t Like What They’ve Done To Our Car
Count me as a fan of these. I always thought they should have sold better than they did, especially in their last year when things were really looking up in the economy and at Chrysler. But then again, the new Thunderbird came out and made this car’s chiseled styling seem old fashioned. And according to the brochure, the color was called Beige Crystal Coat – a surprisingly nondescript name.
This is one of very few cars that look good with that fake convertible top. But I am with you – that price is from fantasyland. IMHO this one might reasonably be worth $7500 if it drives as nice as it looks and has working air. But I only go that high because everything else seems surprisingly expensive these days.
So, I guess the answer is “No.”. Which doesn’t really surprise me personally as I’m much more a fan of the first generation Cordoba. That’s the model I’ll always associate with “R C L” and Mr. Roarke/KAHHHN! This second generation just seemed like any other meh sedan of the early 1980s. This one’s rendering in Chrysler Tan doesn’t help much.
That said, this one does seem to be in good shape for its age. While the seller will never get $12,500 for it I do hope that it’s sold to someone who appreciates it, keeps it shiny, and regularly feeds the herd of cows (maybe that’s the Omaha connection?) that gave their lives for that front seat.
12,500 is too much for me.
For me, no American car from the 80s can be worth more than 10,000, much less a Chrysler Cordoba.
Geez, that is a nice car! And a better looking body and proportions than the Imperial. But those humdrum Average Motors headlights gotta go!
Sorry, No Sale! Besides the price, this IMO is far removed from the Neo classic original Cordoba. The color and the faux convertible top add to the reasons I would kick this to the curb. My former 83 and 85 Fifth Avenues were so much better in Every way.