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.

Naturally, we must now watch the 1975 TV commercial that started it all.

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!

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