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Junkyard Gem: 1977 Chrysler Cordoba with Corinthian Leather

The Chrysler Cordoba has become emblematic of an era full of underpowered, overdecorated Detroit land yachts, stuffed with plasticky heraldic crests and allusions to classy European vacation destinations. In fact, the 1975-1979 Cordoba was a pretty decent car by the standards of Malaise Era America, based on the same well-proven (if increasingly antiquated) platform used by the '69 Charger and the Plymouth Superbird, and it sold like crazy. Of course, what we remember these days is the name of the optional leather upholstery used in the Cordoba. Yes, soft ( not rich) Corinthian leather, which was a brilliant marketing name given to a cheap grade of leather from Newark, NJ. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Naturally, we must now watch the 1975 TV commercial that started it all. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Corinthian Leather jokes began quite soon after the Cordoba went on sale, as we can see in this 1980s Ricardo Montalban interview. This car, which I photographed a couple of weeks ago in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service wrecking yard is completely used up, and it shows signs of having spent a good decade or two abandoned in a field somewhere. Still, from the purple paint to the once-snazzy "leather" landau roof (note the molded-in stitches) to the "golden" (plastic, in fact) Cordoba medallions on the taillights, door panels, and steering wheel, the Cordoba was the closest thing to the "Super Fly" Cadillac you could buy new from Detroit. This one has the LA-series 360-cubic-inch V8 engine, which made 155 horsepower. That's 23 fewer horses than the weakest engine you can get in the US-market 2017 Toyota Camry... but try getting a Camry with soft Corinthian Leather! Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1977 Chrysler Cordoba View 32 Photos Auto News Chrysler Automotive History question of the day malaise era chrysler cordoba

Junkyard Gem: 1954 Plymouth Savoy Sedan

American car shoppers bought many millions of the four-door sedans that flew off Detroit's assembly lines in the decade after World War II, and so plenty of them still remain in barns, garages, driveways and yards today, awaiting loving owners who will put them back on the road. Unfortunately, those with the time and money to take on challenging vintage automotive projects tend to prefer coupes and convertibles, especially those made by the higher-prestige marques. That means that many of these cars continue to run out of time with each passing day, taking that final tow-truck ride to their very last parking spaces. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those cars: a 1954 Plymouth Savoy four-door painted in Piedmont Maroon, found in a Denver self-service yard recently. As an example of how many of these cars still get crushed each year, here's a partial list of some of the 1946-1956 American four-door sedans I've personally documented in car graveyards over the last decade or so: 1947 Dodge Custom, 1947 Frazer Manhattan, 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe, 1949 Dodge Coronet, 1949 Kaiser Special, 1949 Oldsmobile 88, 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe, 1950 Cadillac Sixty-One, 1950 Chrysler Royal, 1950 Studebaker Commander, 1951 Chevrolet Styleline, 1951 Frazer, 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan, 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook, another 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook, 1952 Kaiser, 1952 Buick Special, 1952 Mercury Custom, 1953 Packard Clipper, 1953 Plymouth Special, 1953 Pontiac Chieftain, 1955 Studebaker Commander, 1956 DeSoto Fireflite and a 1956 Mercury Montclair. It's especially tough for the 1946-1954 Plymouths, because those cars were seen as stodgy transportation appliances for cheapskates when they were new. As the 1940s became the 1950s, most American cars became longer, sleeker and flashier-looking, but Plymouths seemed to stay the same. For the 1955 model year, Plymouths got a clean-sheet redesign and caught up with current styling trends well enough (probably not coincidentally, Plymouths finally got their own dealerships in late 1954, rather than just being sold out of Chrysler, DeSoto and Dodge showrooms). But for 1954, the best Chrysler could do with the looks of the increasingly aged-looking Plymouth was give it a new grille and some body chrome. Bumpers were made to stick out a few extra inches to cheat on the overall length a bit.

Chrysler touts Pacifica Plug-in minivan's lower emissions

Put the words "Chrysler" and "minivan" together, and the concept of lower greenhouse-gas emissions may not immediately come to mind – especially given today's news about FCA sister brands Ram and Jeep. Among mass-market automakers, Chrysler and its sister companies (namely Dodge and Ram) have long lagged its competitors in fuel economy, with little in the way of drivetrain electrification. Now, though, Fiat Chrysler says it's taking steps to make some green-vehicle progress via its new Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid minivan. Namely, the automaker says the minivan, which can go 33 miles on electric power alone, generates 31 percent less emissions than previous-generation Pacifica, and 24 percent less than the 2017 model-year gas-powered variant. The Pacifica Plug-in, which will be the first hybrid minivan to be sold in the US, has a fuel-economy rating of 84 miles per gallon equivalent, and can go as far as 566 miles on a full tank and full electric charge. That full charge takes about two hours with a 240-volt charger, and 14 hours from a standard, 110-volt outlet. That means that over the lifecycle of the vehicle (estimated at 120,000 miles), the plug-in minivan, which will compete against models such as the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, may cut emissions by 21 metric tons of carbon dioxide relative to the gas-powered version. That is the equivalent to the annual emissions of about 22 US households, or, as Chrysler put it, 14 commercial flights to Los Angeles from Detroit. Chrysler is pricing the minivan at about $43,000 (or about $35,000 once the $7,500 federal tax credit for plug-in vehicles kicks in) and will start selling the model by the end of March. Take a look at Autoblog's First Drive impressions here. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: First Drive View 19 Photos News Source: Fiat Chrysler via Green Car Reports Green Chrysler Fiat AutoblogGreen Exclusive Emissions Fuel Efficiency Minivan/Van Hybrid chrysler pacifica