1980-1983 Chrysler Cordoba

1981 The Cordoba coupe carried over essentially unchanged styling-wise. The standard 225 cid slant six now had hydraulic valve lifters. The front and rear bumpers were new high strength steel units. The Cordoba gold coin hood ornament was replaced by a simple pentastar. A padded landau roof with opera windows and opera lamps was now standard. The split bench seat was gone, with the 60/40 cloth and vinyl seat now standard, with the Corinthian leather buckets optional. The Cordoba Crown model was also gone, with the Corinthian Edition package still available. The Corinthian Edition Package now included a unique Crown Special Edition Landau padded roof which covered the rear opera windows. Roof choices were still the Landau (standard on Cordoba), Cabriolet, power sun-roof, and tinted glass T-Tops.

For enthusiasts however, the real news for 1981 was the Cordoba LS. The Cordoba LS featured an entirely new front clip. Gone was all of the chrome on the original front-end, and even the hood ornament was removed. Replacing it was an angled nose, with a blackened large opening grill covered by large cross-bars and an "LS" emblem in the center of the cross-bars. The front bumper, rear taillamp bezels, and dual outside mirror housings were all body colored, replacing the chrome units of the base Cordoba. Vinyl bucket seats were standard, with cloth and vinyl bucket or leather and vinyl bucket seats optional. Premium "turbine" wheel covers were standard. Visually identical to the Dodge Mirada, the Cordoba LS was the sportiest looking Cordoba since 1979, and was quite an attractive car.

Sure Grip differential was available in 1981, however, no information is given as to final-gear ratio size or engine availability.

1982 Few changes were made to the Cordoba this year. The optional sure-grip differential was no longer available, which probably m 1982 Chrysler Cordoba

ade no difference considering the engine choices available. The base Optional 4-spoke Sport Steering Wheel

Cordoba received a new padded vinyl Landau roof which covered the rear opera windows. It had an opera light and a brushed finish "up-and-over" molding on the edge. The Corinthian Edition package was history, as was all of the 2-tone paint schemes. The Cordoba LS still had standard bucket seats, although leather was no longer an option (leather bucket seats were still optional on the base Cordoba). The "Tuff" steering wheel was gone, replace by a very cool looking 4-spoke sport steering wheel that was optional only on the LS. The Cabriolet simulated convertible roof was still optional on all models. Thankfully, T-Tops and a center console were still optional.

1982 Cordoba Color Availability
Cordoba	Royal Red Crystal, Goldenrod Crystal, Charcoal Gray Metallic, Mahogany Metallic, Light Auburn Crystal, Spice Tan Metallic, Manila Cream, Nightwatch Blue, Glacier Blue Crystal, Formal Black, Sterling Silver Crystal, Pearl White
Cordoba LS	Morocco Red, Burnished Silver Metallic, Formal Black, Nightwatch Blue, Pearl White

1983 The LS was gone in 1983, very sad news for fun-driving enthusiasts. T-Tops were also gone, as was the power sunroof. Only the base Cordoba remained, with the Special Edition Landau roof standard, and the Cabriolet roof optional. The standard seats were 60/40 cloth and vinyl, now with a reclining passenger side seatback. The leather and vinyl buckets were the only available optional seat.

1983 Chrysler Cordoba

Perhaps mercifully, this would be the last year for the Cordoba. The Cordoba began life as a personal luxury car with sporty DNA infused into it. Over the years, the sportiness was taken away, leaving only the luxury credentials.

1983 Cordoba

In nine model years, 757,178 Cordobas left the assembly line. It came to life as a successor to the muscle cars, became one of the most successful cars of all time during the seventies, survived the near collapse of Chrysler in the early eighties, and left the line-up only as Lee Iacocca was replacing all Chrysler cars with the front-wheel drive K-car platform. It is actually amazing to see just how long the Cordoba survived, and the history that it has seen along the way. It is also somewhat surprising that Chrysler has not seen fit to bring back the Cordoba name to a new model. Perhaps they believe that the name is tarnished as being a relic of the rust-prone, underpowered seventies. If so, that would really be unwarranted. The Cordoba was a personal coupe that could be all cars to all consumers, depending on just how it was optioned. Family car, luxury car, performance coupe, just check off the right option boxes, and the Cordoba was exactly what you wanted it to be - no compromises. That is a testament to what a real car should be, and is a trait that almost no cars hold today.

1983 Miscellaneous Production Totals
Cabriolet top	899

Engine	Standard Rear Axle Ratio
225 Slant Six, 318 V-8	2.94

1983 Engine Specifications	225 Slant Six	318 cid V-8
compression ratio	8.4:1	8.5:1
horsepower	90 @ 3,600	130 @ 4,000
torque	165 @ 1,600	230 @ 1,600
carburetor	1-barrel	2-barrel

1983 Powertrain Options	Cordoba
225 Slant-Six	Standard
318 V-8	Optional
Automatic transmission was the only transmission available

1983 Cordoba Color Availability
Cordoba	Light Heather Gray, Light Heather Gray Metallic, Burnished Silver Metallic, Frost Blue Metallic, Nightwatch Blue, Formal Black, Baron Red, Crimson Red Metallic, Natural Suede Tan, Light Cashmere, White, Mocha Brown Metallic
Cordoba 2-tone options	Light Cashmere/Natural SuedeTan, Light Heather Gray/Light Heather Gray Metallic, Frost Blue Metallic/Nightwatch Blue