years the Corinths seem to have made a remarkable “I request nothing beyond the thickly cushioned luxury of seats available even in soft, Corinthian leather.” – Ricardo Montalban. That was one wacky funny show. Cordobas also featured a tilt steering wheel with power steering, and other options included air conditioning, power windows and power door locks, a digital clock, CB Radio, and an AM/FM stereo with an 8-track player for your jams. © 2020 Automobile Magazine | MOTOR TREND GROUP, LLC. The History of the Chrysler Cordoba, Rich Corinthian Leather, and Ricardo Montalbán, How Bentley Makes the 2020 Flying Spur's Mind-Blowing Interior, The Stately Bentley Continental GT Looks Incredible Dressed Up as a Winter Rally Car, Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Convertible Looks to Shine Bright Like a Diamond. I always liked his voice a little better anyway. During the late Seventies, my neighbor's father drove a Chrysler Cordoba. (Although Caesar always looked in his later years as if the guy on a cigar box had come to life and escaped from the box lid.). Copyright 2011 - 2020 Curbside Classics. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Curbside Outtake: Is This The Right Way To Transport A Shovel. This combination indeed moved the Cordoba forward and, with reverse selected, backward, too. In response, Chrysler designed the Cordoba. It lives on mostly in car-nerd circles, where Montalbán's smooth-jazz "Corinthian" leather quip comes up every so often. about “rich Corinthian leather”. If I recall correctly, these ads helped him land the Fantasy Island role. attacking people and Chrysler may, perhaps as soon Oddly enough, the first Chrysler product to be equipped with the automaker’s famed (but utterly fictitious) “Corinthian leather” was … This special model offering continued through the 1981 production year, Vacuum the seats to clean up any large dirt/debris, Apply a cleaner (preferably leather cleaner) to a microfiber cloth and wipe over the seats to loosen/remove any layers of dirt, Lightly brush the seats with a leather-safe cleaning brush (applying cleaner to the brush as needed), Wipe the seats clean with a soft microfiber cloth, Regularly clean the seats as needed based on use, Once clean, apply a tiny bit of high-quality leather conditioner to a small spot os the leather that is not easily seen. While the Imperial Lebaron was the first car to have it, the leather was also available in later years well into the 1980’s on cars such as the Chrysler New Yorker and Chrysler Fifth Avenue. Despite not being an exotic material, there are some interesting things about how Corinthian leather got its name, where it came from, how it became to be so popular, and where to buy it. Check YouTube, it’s on there somewhere. The first marketing campaign to use the term was for the 1974 Chrysler Imperial Lebaron. Bozell, based in Omaha, Nebraska, was working for the Chrysler Corporation. Roarke’s fantasy is to “tie up women with rich Corinthian leather”. Hi, join me as I learn leather craft in Philadelphia, Add your email to receive my periodic Crafter’s Notes with tools and tips. It irks me inside because I myself own a very beautiful chrysler cordoba, and people always tell me “How’s the rich corinthian leather?” or “how’s the fine corinthian leather?” I jokingly say “I have Californian velour”, “I wonder how many corinthians you have to skin to get enough for a seat” hhahahaha, Birddog wrote – “I did not know that.. Montalbán was the company's spokesman and appeared in a number of classic commercials and also starred as one of Star Trek's greatest villains of all time. Though I also thought Corinthian Leather was another way of saying Naugahyde.. That takes me back. In 1979 they were doing about $5 million in annual business with Chrysler. I was looking for any sign of “Rich Corinthian Leather” for a long time. It was recently mentioned on another blog and I thought I would share the story as I know it. A brand idea spun off into a marketing campaign that boosted Chrysler’s sales, elevated an actor’s fame, and has been fondly remembered ever since. After that he used the term “fine Corinthian leather” in an other commercial and finally in a 1980 commercial for the Chrysler Cordoba Corinthian Edition (no joke !) So is it Soft, Fine, or Rich Corinthian Leather? Truthiness lives! The goal was to set the leather apart from competitors by implying an association with something rich in quality, rare, and luxurious. Corinthian leather, solid mahogany frame with what I believe are hand cut mortise and tenon joints pinned with oak.”, The extremely successful and popular Dos Equis “Most interesting man in the world” campaign (2006-2018) is said to be based on the style of Ricardo Montalban in the Chrysler commercials. Generally, a microfiber cloth will work well for this. they are actually becoming a virulent and deadly If you’re interested in buying an earlier Chrysler with Corinthian leather, here are the first models to have it: Since Corinthian leather is standard car upholstery, they can be cleaned using the common cleaning process: Corinthian leather is common car upholstery leather, and can be conditioned as such. I had forgotten the melodrama…. Fast-forward to the Cordoba, part deux, which arrived in the mid-70s to distinguish Chrysler from its staider Dodge Charger SE cousin. It’s even garnered a following and place in pop culture. Corinthian leather was made in New Jersey. In this, he mentions “Corinthian leather” in one sentence, and later on mentions “rich leather”. If the leather was half as soft as his rolling delivery, then oh boy . Actually, no, They’re two totally different materials Type above and press Enter to search. animals. I agree completely! rebound from near extinction – so much so, that Ricardo Montalb?n and Fine Corinthian Leather. as the 2016 model year, once again be able to offer ———- Roof options included a Landau or Halo vinyl roof with opera windows and side lamps or a Crown roof in padded "elk-grain" vinyl that also came with opera windows and an illuminated lamp band on the top. Even people who weren’t interested in cars knew what a Cordoba was, and “Corinthian leather” became a national catchphrase. He was of Spanish origin and had a smooth, majestic speaking voice. What I love is that Ricardo does not have Corinthian Leather in his own vehicle, he is satisfied by the availability of it despite his selection of ultra velour, perhaps that is the true measure of near luxury. Later, when discussing the Chrysler New Yorker, he refers to “rich leather”, but the 1980 Cordoba commercial indeed has the full phrase. When planning to launch the new Cordoba automobile, Chrysler created a spokesman relationship with popular Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban. Classy. This should be it. So while not spoken in the same sentence, an association can be reasonably implied. he was orating (with a big smile on his face !) His coupe wore the popular Cadet Blue Metallic paint and a white Landau vinyl roof. Ricardo Montalban is from Mexico City, Mexico. Definitely check the specific directions that come with any conditioner that is used, for best results, Ensure the car is parked out of direct sunlight while the conditioner is drying (the direct sun could affect the conditioning and even discolor the seats), After about an hour (or the recommended time based on the conditioner instructions), use the microfiber cloth to gently buff the seats and remove any excess conditioner, Conditioning is generally done less than cleaning, so based on how often you clean it, plan to condition your Corinthian leather seats a few times per year. http://snltranscripts.jt.org/76/76usoy.phtml, COAL: 2000 Volkswagen Passat Wagon – No Compromises Dadmobile, Curbside Classic: The Japanese Retro Trial (3rd Witness) – 1996 Toyota Classic, Curbside Classic: 1984 Renault Espace – La Monospace Est Arrivée. It was the Chrysler New Yorker. By the early 1980s, the Chrysler Cordoba became much boxier and lost a lot of its flair. Corinthian leather is not an actual type of leather at all, it is a marketing term. Though I Here’s the story behind the ads, including one of the original commercials starring Ricardo Montalban. He actually says it all three walks, almost. extinction, due to the success of the Cordoba and Ricardo Montalban was 55 years old in 1975, when the Chrysler Cordoba commercials were first released. By the way, here is the second time he says it, as the actor describes how he got the spokesmanship job for Chrysler. One of “Ricardo’s” pick up lines: “Your hair and skin is like the finest Corinthian leather…”, The full transcript here: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/76/76usoy.phtml. Mr. Montalban used the phrase “soft Corinthian leather” in the original 1975 commercial. Color Options for the 1977 Chrysler Cordoba, READ MOREHow Bentley Makes the 2020 Flying Spur's Mind-Blowing InteriorThe Stately Bentley Continental GT Looks Incredible Dressed Up as a Winter Rally CarBentley Continental GT Mulliner Convertible Looks to Shine Bright Like a Diamond. So, what was this big personal luxury coupe's deal beyond Montalbán? All Rights Reserved. Fun car lore, watch. In 1973, a global gas crisis began to drive fuel prices up. Celebrity Ricardo Montalban helped popularize the term in Cordoba car ads, leading to years of increased sales. Thank you, Dave! My neighbor's father worked at the local Anheuser-Busch brewery, and owned an in-ground swimming pool with a diving board, so the pay was obviously good, and the Chrysler was his pride and joy. This is the first car that offered the material, though often isn’t remembered as the most famous; that, was the Chrysler Cordoba. So everyone fondly reciting the lines either way is just about right Here is that 1988 commercial: It seems, no! In the TV series Burn Notice (S4 E9, “Center of the Storm” – 2010), the lead character, Michael, mentions, “You know, and I’m a big fan of corinthian leather…”. The V-8 was mated to a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. These commercials (and the awful, warbling “Vo-la-re” commercials) were as common as Geico ads in their day. Standard equipment for the interior included Checkmate cloth and a vinyl split-bench seat or plush Verdi velour. In 1977, the Cordoba was available in 18 colors, six of which were variations on brown such as Carmel Tan, Light Chestnut, Coffee Sunfire, Golden Fawn, Inca Gold, and Spanish Gold. made from the skins of two completely different of saying Naugahyde.” Keep in mind that I am not an authority on the subject and by all means may be completely wrong but this is how I …
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