Lincoln Versailles

2008-12-17T17:34:27Z

131.10.254.63:

[[Image:77 Lincoln V..jpg|right|1977 Lincoln Versailles|thumb|300px]]
The '''Lincoln Versailles''' was the first [[mid-size car]] from [[Ford Motor Company]]'s [[Lincoln]] division. It was sold from 1977 to 1980, as a four-door sedan only.

==History==
The Versailles was largely a response to the great success of the smaller [[Cadillac Seville]] which had appeared in 1976. The Seville was based upon the [[Chevrolet Nova]] and became an instant hit. Ford responded by choosing the [[Ford Granada]] and [[Mercury Monarch]] as the base for a new mid-size Lincoln sedan.

At the time however, Ford did not have as much development capital to spend on its vehicles as [[General Motors]], which was a problem that has often lead to the similar bodies of Ford and [[Mercury]] models. Until the Versailles, however, care had generally been taken to give Lincolns a distinct appearance and feel, in order to hide their sometimes humble origins. But the Versailles was visibly a [[Ford Granada]] clone and quickly became one of Lincoln's greatest sales disasters.

Unable to afford a new body, Lincoln stylists attempted to disguise this fact with a Lincoln-esque grille and wheels, along with a "humped" trunk lid that mimicked the spare tire bulge of the Continental Mark coupe. Whether these elements really worked on a smaller vehicle could be debated, but what was in between was indisputably Granada. Doors and windows were interchangeable, the roofline was identical and inside, the potential luxury buyer faced the same dashboard design as the budget-minded Granada customer. Perhaps most tellingly, the Granada windshield wipers remained present and exposed, long after hidden wipers had become expected not just on luxury cars, but even on intermediates.

A somewhat longer, more formal roofline(via a hidden fiberglass cap)was grafted on for 1979, with a carriage-style landau vinyl roof. The car was also given some genuine firsts. The Versailles was the first American car to use halogen headlights and the first to use clearcoat paint, which would shortly spread throughout the industry. Buyers evidently noticed, because sales went up to 21,000, then virtually stopped. The Versailles was withdrawn before the end of the 1980 model year with only about 4,000 produced, although prototypes for the next generation design had already been built.

Lincoln remained out of the luxury mid-size market for a couple of years, then re-entered the market in 1982 with the downsized [[Lincoln Continental]].

==Technical specifications==
The car's mechanicals, along with its body, were somewhat lackluster. The standard 351 in³ V8 was carbureted, as opposed to the Seville's fuel injected 350. Even worse, Ford's situation with regard to the tightening fuel-economy standards was precarious, as it had not been able to afford as fast a downsizing of its line as GM had managed. Consequently, almost immediately the Versailles was cut back to the smaller 302 in³ V8, which was very common in the Granada.

The rear differential used in the Versailles was the tried and true Ford 9-inch, but equipped with rear [[disc brakes]], replacing the drums on the Granada and the Monarch. A Versailles rear end assembly can be fitted to 1965 to 1973 [[Ford Mustang|Mustang]]s, making them much sought-after in salvage yards.

At least in its brake setup, the Versailles did measure up to its Cadillac rival. A unique and rigorous quality-control regime was also used at the factory, according to advertising. The car sold 15,000 units in its first year, compared to the Seville's 45,000 that same year. For 1978, sales were about half of the mediocre 1977 figure.

The car's close relationship to the Granada had an unforeseen consequence. Although the Versailles was a sedan-only model, its trim and mechanical parts would bolt right onto a Granada coupe. An unknown number of these two-door conversions were made by owners with a sense of humor, particularly as donor Versailles began to depreciate and show up in wrecking yards.

Other Lincoln-exclusive parts are easily retro-fitted to other Ford products of this era, most notably the rear-disk brake setup that was Versailles-only but is a popular upgrade for enthusiast owners of other 70s Ford models.

{{Lincoln}}

Chrysler Cordoba

2008-07-23T13:40:08Z

131.10.254.63:

After vowing for years that "there would never be a small [[Chrysler]]", the company was forced to rethink its position after the first fuel crisis of 1973-74 that severly crippled big car sales, [[Chrysler]] in particular taking a huge hit. So for 1975, the new "small" '''[[Chrysler]] Cordoba''' was born (if you can call an 18 foot car with a 115" wheelbase weighing nearly 4000 lbs "small", but compared to [[Chrysler]]'s other mastodon-sized cars of the day, it was). An interesting bit of trivia about the Cordoba is that it was originally destined to be a [[Plymouth]] before ultimately becoming a [[Chrysler]] model. It was Chrysler's first foray into what was called the "personal luxury car" group. Its styling was clearly inspired by [[General Motors]] (the [[Chevrolet Monte Carlo|Chevy Monte Carlo]] in particular), but it was also a good looking car in its own right and it was initially a huge hit (and a much needed success for [[Chrysler]]). Some may remember Spanish actor Ricardo Montalban hawking the Cordoba in TV commercials, stating "THIS... is my kind of car" - and who could forget the "fine Corinthian leather" (whatever "Corinthian" was supposed to mean is still a mystery).

Here's a rundown from year to year:

==Generations==
===First Generation (1975-1979)===
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 style="float:right; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:250px; background:#fff; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| colspan=2 style="padding:0; background:#996; color:#fff; border-bottom:1px solid #999;" | [[Image:Chrysler-montalban-cordoba.jpg|300px]]
|- style="color:#fff; background:#996; font-size:larger;"
! colspan=2 | '''Chrysler Cordoba'''
|-
! colspan=2 style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal; background:#ddb;" | [[Chrysler]]
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Production
| 1975-1979
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Class
| Intermediate
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Body Style
| 2-Door Coupe
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Length
| 215.8"
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Width
| 77.1"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Height
| 53.1"
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Wheelbase
| 114.9"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Weight
| 3600 - 3900 lb
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Transmissions
| 3-Speed Automatic, RWD
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Engine
| 5.2L (318 cid) [[V8]] (1975-1979) 5.9L (360 cid) [[V8]] (1975-1979) 6.6L (400 cid) [[V8]] (1975-1978)
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Power
| {{{horsepower and torque}}}
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Similar
| [[Dodge Charger (B-body)]] [[Dodge Magnum (B-body)]]
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Platform
| B
|}

*'''1975''' Cordoba's premier year, based on the B-body [[Dodge Monaco]]/[[Plymouth Fury]] (formerly [[Dodge Coronet|Coronet]] and [[Plymouth Satellite|Satellite]]) platform. Available with front bench or bucket seats and a choice of column or console automatic. 400 cid [[V8]] is standard, but the smaller 360 and 318 [[V8]]s were available as credit options.

*'''1976''' Cordoba's sophomore year (and its most successful in sales), the year was a virtual rerun of 1975.

*'''1977''' Unleaded gas becomes mandatory for all models this year (some 75s and 76s required it, some didn't - depended on the altitude and if it was a California model or not). Some minor body alterations included a slightly revised grille and a squared off chrome strip surrounding the side rear opera window instead of rounded on previous versions. T-bar roof (T-Tops) became available this year.

*'''1978''' While [[GM]] downsized their "personal [[Luxury Cars|luxury cars]]" ([[Chevrolet Monte Carlo|Chevy Monte Carlo]], [[Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme]], etc) this year, [[Chrysler]] went the other direction and actually ''upsized'' the Cordoba slightly this year, even though it rode the same 115" wheelbase as before. The most obvious change was the stacked quad headlights (a la 1976-77 [[Chevrolet Monte Carlo|Chevy Monte Carlo]]) and new larger, more flush taillights. Interior dimensions remained as before. Some applauded the change, some thought the changes made the Cordoba look bloated and more boat-like. Either way, sales started to slip quite a bit this year, no doubt partly to [[GM]]'s new downsized car lines and another looming fuel crisis on the horizon surely didn't help either.

*'''1979''' This was a virtual rerun of 1978 save for very few body trim alterations and the 400 [[V8]] no longer being offered (the 360 [[V8]] was now the top offering). One interesting model was the 300, based (obviously) on the Cordoba. All were Spinnaker White with red interiors. The instrument panel had the unique "engine turned" design, much like the current [[Pontiac Firebird|Pontiac Trans Am]]. The 300 also had red white and blue nameplates that were like the legendary 300 letter series cars back in the 50s and early 60s. Most (if not all) had the 195-horsepower 360 4bbl [[V8]] with either column or console [[automatic transmission]]s, and they gave decent performance for the day. These have now become a minor collectible. This was also the last year for the B-body [[Chrysler]] line.
{{-}}

===Second generation (1980-1983)===
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 style="float:right; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:250px; background:#fff; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| colspan=2 style="padding:0; background:#996; color:#fff; border-bottom:1px solid #999;" | {{{Image}}}
|- style="color:#fff; background:#996; font-size:larger;"
! colspan=2 | '''Chrysler Cordoba'''
|-
! colspan=2 style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal; background:#ddb;" | [[Chrysler]]
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Production
| 1980-1983
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Class
| Intermediate
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Body Style
| 2-Door Coupe
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Length
| 209.8"
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Width
| 72.7"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Height
| 53.3"
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Wheelbase
| 112.7"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Weight
| 3300 - 3600 lb
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Transmissions
| 3-Speed Automatic, RWD
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Engine
| 3.7L (225 cid) [[I6]] (1980-1982) 5.2L (318 cid) [[V8]] (1980-1983) 5.9L (360 cid) [[V8]] (1980)
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Power
| {{{horsepower and torque}}}
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Similar
| [[Chrysler Imperial]] [[Dodge Mirada]]
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Platform
| J
|}
*'''1980''' An all-new redesigned Cordoba debuts this year on [[Chrysler]]'s new J-body platform. These were based on the [[Dodge Aspen]]/[[Plymouth Volare]] chassis. This was also the first time a [[V6|6-cylinder]] engine was offered in a Cordoba, being the legendary near-indestructible 3.7L 225 cid Slant-6. The 318 and 360 [[V8]]s remained optional. The new Cordoba was about a foot shorter and about 500-600 lbs lighter than the outgoing 79 model, but overall the buying public was underwhelmed as sales dropped dramatically. Performance was also down - aside from those very few with the 360, the Slant-6 and 318s were no tire squealers by any means. It wasn't much of a sales threat to GM's personal luxury coupes, but it did compete more on an equal footing with the newly redesigned [[Ford Thunderbird]] and [[Mercury Cougar]] XR-7 this year.

*'''1981''' Other than solid instead of horizontally slatted parking lights, the 1981 Cordoba was a virtual rerun of 1980. To make things further depressing, the 360 [[V8]] engine option was dropped, making the 318 [[V8]] the top engine option. An LS version became available with year with a unique crossbar grille much like the 1979 300 had that separated it from the other versions.

*'''1982''' No news or changes to speak of.

*'''1983''' About the only news was that the 318 [[V8]] was your only engine choice this year (which is what most people chose anyway). By this time the Cordoba (and its [[Dodge Mirada]] twin) had become outclassed by the competition from [[GM]], and this year [[Ford]] and [[Mercury]] redesigned both the [[Ford Thunderbird|Thunderbird]] and [[Mercury Cougar|Cougar XR-7]], so the fact that it now lost its major sales competition was certainly another nail in its coffin.

Some have mourned the Cordoba's passing, others claim it didn't pass soon enough. These are still currently very cheap on the used car market (if you can find one in good shape). If you desire an older rear-drive [[Mopar]] that doesn't cost an arm and a leg like an [[E-body]] [[Dodge Challenger|Challenger]] or [[Plymouth Barracuda|Cuda]] would, a Cordoba might be a cheap attractive alternative if that's your desire, especially a 2nd generation model.

==Main Competitors==

*[[Buick Regal]]
*[[Chevrolet Monte Carlo]]
*[[Ford Thunderbird]]
*[[Mercury Cougar]] XR-7
*[[Oldsmobile Cutlass]] Supreme
*[[Pontiac Grand Prix]]

{{Chrysler}}

Wikicars - User contributions [en]

Lincoln Versailles

Chrysler Cordoba