Montalban, Former Chrysler Pitchman, Dies At 88

On 2009-01-16, edward ohare > wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:55:53 -0600, Steve > wrote:
>
>
>>Exactly- smogged-down low-compression engines were the main culprit.
>>Mechanically the first-gen Cordoba is a B-body, exactly the same as my
>>'73 Satellite that is still going after 460,000 miles. But no one wanted
>> a shell of a former muscle-car re-worked to be a cushy, somewhat
>>under-powered, and very non-economical "personal luxury" car. In fact,
>>that era pretty much was the end of the 2-door midsize car.
>
>
> Well, nothing in that size class and configuration ever sold as well
> for Chrysler after the first gen Cordoba. However, GM did quite will
> with 2 door rear drive Cutlass Supreme's and Regals into the mid 80s.

The reason they disappeared in the mid 80s is because the platforms went
away for (mostly) CAFE reasons. The mid 80s was when CAFE stepped up and
it's like a K-T barrier for big cars.

On Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:47:10 +0000 (UTC), Brent
> wrote:

>> Well, nothing in that size class and configuration ever sold as well
>> for Chrysler after the first gen Cordoba. However, GM did quite will
>> with 2 door rear drive Cutlass Supreme's and Regals into the mid 80s.
>
>The reason they disappeared in the mid 80s is because the platforms went
>away for (mostly) CAFE reasons. The mid 80s was when CAFE stepped up and
>it's like a K-T barrier for big cars.
>


I'm sorry, but the RWD Cutlass etc were slated for replacement twice,
once by the Cutlass Ciera etc, and again by the Cutlass Calais etc,
and both times were not cut because they were still selling. That's
why the cars ran unchanged from 81 to 87 or 88.. I'd have to look up
the last year. They ran unchanged all those years because GM always
figured the end was closer than the time needed for a restyle.

The same thing happened with the RWD Fifth Avenue, which ran unchanged
82 to 89 (if you count the identical except for namplate 82 New
Yorker in the year count). Chrysler even paid a gas guzzler tax on
the New Yorker (while overall meeting CAFE) rather than spend the
money on trying to update it mechanically to beat the gas guzzler tax.

They only got rid of these cars because they stopped selling...
probably mostly because they became stylistically stale... not because
CAFE killed them.

On 2009-01-17, edward ohare > wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:47:10 +0000 (UTC), Brent
> wrote:
>
>>> Well, nothing in that size class and configuration ever sold as well
>>> for Chrysler after the first gen Cordoba. However, GM did quite will
>>> with 2 door rear drive Cutlass Supreme's and Regals into the mid 80s.
>>
>>The reason they disappeared in the mid 80s is because the platforms went
>>away for (mostly) CAFE reasons. The mid 80s was when CAFE stepped up and
>>it's like a K-T barrier for big cars.

> I'm sorry, but the RWD Cutlass etc were slated for replacement twice,
> once by the Cutlass Ciera etc, and again by the Cutlass Calais etc,
> and both times were not cut because they were still selling. That's
> why the cars ran unchanged from 81 to 87 or 88.. I'd have to look up
> the last year. They ran unchanged all those years because GM always
> figured the end was closer than the time needed for a restyle.

> The same thing happened with the RWD Fifth Avenue, which ran unchanged
> 82 to 89 (if you count the identical except for namplate 82 New
> Yorker in the year count). Chrysler even paid a gas guzzler tax on
> the New Yorker (while overall meeting CAFE) rather than spend the
> money on trying to update it mechanically to beat the gas guzzler tax.
>
> They only got rid of these cars because they stopped selling...
> probably mostly because they became stylistically stale... not because
> CAFE killed them.

I didn't say all went away... just that MOST went away. And analyze what
you wrote above. GM was going to replace them with their blah front
drivers but good sales numbers prevented it. So they let the same
designs continue -unchanged- until they didn't sell any more. If you
leave a car unchanged on the market long enough it will stop selling
eventually in most cases because everyone who wants/wanted one has/had
one. Few car designs can get someone who wore one out to replace it with
another that is almost exactly the same when everything else on the
market got better.

A similar case would be that of the Ford Mustang. It was going to become
a 4 cylinder front wheel drive car for 1989. Only strong sales and loud
protest stopped that. Mustang IV became the Probe. Other models that
didn't have the strong sales to keep an essentially unchanged car going
were dropped, the plans made in light of CAFE went forward.

If the decisions were made on sales alone, wouldn't they not have had a
replacement car that kept the same basics that were selling? Obviously
there were other factors in play.

On Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:15:25 UTC, Terry del Fuego
> wrote:

> On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:12:32 -0500, edward ohare
> > wrote:
>
> >Remember the phrase "personal luxury cars"?
>
> Vaguely.
>
> >Don't know what you mean by "ancient junkers"
>
> I started with a 1968 Volvo 142S and moved "up" to a 1964 Rambler
> Classic. The Volvo would seat four very comfortably and the Rambler
> would easily seat five or, if you really wanted to push your luck,
> six.
>
> >and "70s boats". Could you give me some examples of each?
>
> The only boat I can remember specifically was an LTD, which seemed
> enormous to me at the time but was absurdly uncomfortable in the back
> seat.
>
> But I love practicality way more than I care about any other aspect of
> a car, which is why I currently drive a Prius.
What about the absurdly expensive battery pack when the warranty runs
out?

On Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:15:25 -0800, Terry del Fuego
> wrote:

>On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:12:32 -0500, edward ohare
> wrote:


>The only boat I can remember specifically was an LTD, which seemed
>enormous to me at the time but was absurdly uncomfortable in the back
>seat.


Surely any LTD except the Fairmont based one would have more back seat
room than the Volvo or Rambler. Are you perhaps referring to the lack
of entry ease on a two door?

>
>But I love practicality way more than I care about any other aspect of
>a car, which is why I currently drive a Prius.

Oh, say mere. But not with the same result. When gas was $1.10 in
the 90s, I considered a 76 Newport highly practical.

Comments4u wrote:
> Former Chrysler pitchman Ricardo Montalban, known for the phrase "reeech
> Corinthian leather" when referring to the Chysler Cordoba, died Wednesday
> morning at home. He was 88. Interestingly, in the early Cordoba
> commercials, the phrase he used was "fine Corinthian leather".

You know I could've sworn that a few decades ago I read where he wasn't
even of any Spanish background and the name and accent was all a fake,
but searching now I see no sign of that.

Oh well.

G

In article >,
GK > wrote:
>Comments4u wrote:
>> Former Chrysler pitchman Ricardo Montalban, known for the phrase "reeech
>> Corinthian leather" when referring to the Chysler Cordoba, died Wednesday
>> morning at home. He was 88. Interestingly, in the early Cordoba
>> commercials, the phrase he used was "fine Corinthian leather".
>
>You know I could've sworn that a few decades ago I read where he wasn't
>even of any Spanish background and the name and accent was all a fake,
>but searching now I see no sign of that.

Not Spanish, but Mexican, born in Mexico City. Birth name "Ricardo
Gonzalo Pedro Montalban y Merino". He was the real deal.
--
It's times like these which make me glad my bank is Dial-a-Mattress

On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:50:18 UTC, Terry del Fuego
> wrote:

> Two door cars are the direct, personal work of the devil. That aside,
> I'm talking about cars that were giant on the outside but where I
> could only sit in the back seat by moving my knees off to the side,
> and I'm a completely average six-footer.
>
> As for any further details on the models, we're talking about 30+
> years ago, I'm afraid those details are gone. I have pretty specific
> reasons for remembering "LTD", but not much beyond that.

That trend of no room in the back of two doors started in the late
'50's. I had a two door 48 Plymouth sedan that the back seat was like
a sofa with tons of legroom. However, my present car, a 1940 Chrysler
Royal Coupe, you could not get an infant's legs between the back seat
cushion and the front seatback!(to be fair, it's really a business
coupe with the back seat). Coupes got better in the late '40's, but
the trend to longer, lower, wider killed the back seat room of the two
door.

Matthew Russotto wrote:
> In article >,
> GK > wrote:
>> Comments4u wrote:
>>> Former Chrysler pitchman Ricardo Montalban, known for the phrase "reeech
>>> Corinthian leather" when referring to the Chysler Cordoba, died Wednesday
>>> morning at home. He was 88. Interestingly, in the early Cordoba
>>> commercials, the phrase he used was "fine Corinthian leather".
>> You know I could've sworn that a few decades ago I read where he wasn't
>> even of any Spanish background and the name and accent was all a fake,
>> but searching now I see no sign of that.
>
> Not Spanish, but Mexican, born in Mexico City. Birth name "Ricardo
> Gonzalo Pedro Montalban y Merino". He was the real deal.

Well believe it or not the article back then stated he was some Jewish
guy from New Jersey or somewhere similar and the whole Mexican thing was
an act.

Guess it might not be, who knows?

G

GK > writes:

> Matthew Russotto wrote:
>> In article >,
>> GK > wrote:
>>> Comments4u wrote:
>>>> Former Chrysler pitchman Ricardo Montalban, known for the phrase "reeech
>>>> Corinthian leather" when referring to the Chysler Cordoba, died Wednesday
>>>> morning at home. He was 88. Interestingly, in the early Cordoba
>>>> commercials, the phrase he used was "fine Corinthian leather".
>>> You know I could've sworn that a few decades ago I read where he
>>> wasn't even of any Spanish background and the name and accent was
>>> all a fake, but searching now I see no sign of that.
>>
>> Not Spanish, but Mexican, born in Mexico City. Birth name "Ricardo
>> Gonzalo Pedro Montalban y Merino". He was the real deal.
>
> Well believe it or not the article back then stated he was some Jewish
> guy from New Jersey or somewhere similar and the whole Mexican thing
> was an act.
>
> Guess it might not be, who knows?

"knows" is a strong word. But the probability that your memory is
better than all available resources is pretty low.