The 1970’s were not a good time for American cars. In fact, one could argue that the mid-70’s to mid-80’s were amongst the worst periods of American car manufacturing, collectively known as the “Malaise” era. During this time Chrysler would come close to bankruptcy thanks in large part to lackluster cars like the Cordoba, which was big, slow, and not at all reliable. It all but erased any goodwill Chrysler and Mopar had built up during the heyday of the muscle car wars.
But with a little work, and a lot of vision, one can take the Cordoba back in time to the era of the HEMI and the muscle car, as these pictures from Bangshift show.
Yes, that is a Chrysler Cordoba made up to look like a Plymouth Superbird…and it’s not half bad if you ask us. A huge improvement over the original Cordoba, that’s for sure.
The Chrysler Cordoba actually sold fairly well when it was first introduced in 1975. Alas, for such a big car, it had a measly engine, the biggest engine being a 120 horsepower 318 V8 This actually appears to be an 80’s Cordoba, which was a bit sportier, though by then the newly-introduced K-cars were stealing sales and the Cordoba was cancelled come 1983.
But that doesn’t mean they just disappeared, and for whatever reason someone got it in their head that a Cordoba would make a great Superbird clone. And from the front at least, the job ain’t half bad. Not how the paint job runs into the spoiler, the spory wheels, though the lack of pop-up lights hurt the authenticity to be sure.
The spoiler looks off as well, and the rear taillights are a far cry from the original Superbirds. But for a home job? Not half-bad. If you can’t own the real thing…build a clone, and have some fun.