"car became a successful model, and over the following several years, was heavily advertised; his mellifluous delivery of a line praising the ""soft” or “rich Corinthian leather"" upholstery of the car's interior, often misquoted as ""fine Corinthian leather,” became famous and was much parodied, and Montalbán subsequently became a favorite subject of impersonators. For example, Eugene Levy frequently impersonated him on ""SCTV"". In 1986, he was featured in a magazine advertisement for the new Chrysler New Yorker. Montalbán's best-known television role was that of Mr. Roarke on the television series ""Fantasy Island"", which he played from 1977 until 1984. For"
"Corinthian leather Corinthian leather is a term coined by the advertising agency Bozell to describe the upholstery used in certain Chrysler luxury vehicles. The term first appeared in advertising in 1974. Although this is merely a marketing concept, it suggests that the term -not the product- was inspired from the more elaborate and impressive ancient Greek column of the Corinthian order. While the term was first used during the marketing campaign for the 1974 Imperial LeBaron, it is usually associated with the marketing campaign for the 1975 Cordoba and that campaign's celebrity spokesperson, Ricardo Montalban, who described the thickly-cushioned luxury"
"version of the Argentina cordoba coin. Either way, the implication was Hispanic, and this theme was carried out with somewhat baroque trim inside the vehicle. Although the first spokesperson for the car was Richard Basehart, Chrysler famously secured movie and television actor Ricardo Montalbán as the car's advertising spokesman through its entire run. Notable was his eloquent praise of its ""rich Corinthian leather"" interior. The Cordoba was introduced by Chrysler for the 1975 model year as an upscale personal luxury car, competing with the Oldsmobile Cutlass, Buick Regal, and Mercury Cougar. The Cordoba was originally intended to be a Plymouth—the"
"When Montalban was asked by David Letterman on ""Late Night with David Letterman"" what the term meant, the actor playfully admitted that the term meant nothing. Corinthian leather Corinthian leather is a term coined by the advertising agency Bozell to describe the upholstery used in certain Chrysler luxury vehicles. The term first appeared in advertising in 1974. Although this is merely a marketing concept, it suggests that the term -not the product- was inspired from the more elaborate and impressive ancient Greek column of the Corinthian order. While the term was first used during the marketing campaign for the 1974"
"Lancia Montecarlo The Lancia Montecarlo (Type 137) is a Pininfarina-designed mid-engined sports car which was produced by Lancia in Italy from 1975 to 1981. Cars from the first series, which were produced from 1975 to 1978, were known as Lancia Beta Montecarlos and those from the second series, produced from 1980 to 1981, simply as Lancia Montecarlos. In both cases Montecarlo was spelled as one word, unlike Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco. Both series were offered in Coupé and Spider versions, the latter featuring a unique roll-back manually operated targa style convertible top. The Spider was sold in"
"up to the 1987 model year. For the 1982 model year, the luxury trim levels were dropped, leaving the base, midrange, and top-of-the-line luxury trim level packages. Soft touch materials were used throughout the passenger cabin, such as the dashboard, doors (arm rests), steering wheel, and shift levers. Subtle grained interior panels and bright metal work was used on the inside with high-quality materials also used on the outside, like chrome, aluminium, and polished stainless steel, particularly on top-of-the-line luxury ""Silverado"" or ""Sierra Classic"" trim levels. ""Custom Vinyl"" vinyl or soft ""Custom Cloth"" cloth and velour seating surfaces were used"
"in 1995. A limited edition only for the United Kingdom, the Corrado Storm, was also sold. Some discreet ""Storm"" badging, a colour keyed front grille, an additional Storm badge on the gear gaiter surround (an upgrade from the standard Karmann badge), 15 inch BBS ""Solitude"" alloy wheels, and standard fitment of some previously optional items (such as the leather heated front seats) differentiated this model from the base Corrado VR6. Only five hundred were produced: 250 in Classic Green with a cream leather interior, and 250 in Mystic Blue, a colour unique to the Storm, with a black leather interior."
"by the four-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic 325-4L overdrive unit from 1982 to 1985. The 307 cubic-inch Rocket V8 was standard on 1985 Toronados. Independent rear suspension (designed by Cadillac engineers) was adopted for the new car, which helped to increase usable rear-seat and trunk space in the smaller body, as well as improved handling over previous Toronados with no sacrifice in ride quality. Rear disc brakes were optional. In addition to the base Toronado Brougham, various trim packages were available under the XSC (1980–81) and Caliente (1984–85) names were offered along with choices of velour, leather upholstery, even sueded leather inserts"
"little else, and its supercharged engine, while still midship, was mounted longitudinally rather than transversely as it is in the Montecarlo. Lancia Montecarlo The Lancia Montecarlo (Type 137) is a Pininfarina-designed mid-engined sports car which was produced by Lancia in Italy from 1975 to 1981. Cars from the first series, which were produced from 1975 to 1978, were known as Lancia Beta Montecarlos and those from the second series, produced from 1980 to 1981, simply as Lancia Montecarlos. In both cases Montecarlo was spelled as one word, unlike Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco. Both series were offered in"
"Mustang a mid-cycle update, with Mercury focusing towards the Cougar XR7 as its two-door performance vehicle. 1981–1983 Black Magic - Black cars with gold striping, gold metric TRX wheels and a gold cat's head on each side of the front valance. The interior received special black seats with sand-colored inserts (code YA), with Recaro seating optional in 1982 (code TA) and Sport Performance seating optional in 1983 (code HA). In the 1981 and 1982 models years the Black Magic option could be ordered with polar white (code 9D) paint but otherwise had the same exterior appointments as the black cars"
"Mercury Monarch The Mercury Monarch is a compact automobile that was manufactured by Mercury from 1975 to 1980. Released in the model year 1975, the Monarch was a badge-engineered version of the Ford Granada which was identical save for the grille, headlights, taillights and some interior and exterior trim. A total of 575,567 Monarchs were produced during this time period. For 1981, the Granada was replaced with a smaller version based on Ford's Fox platform, and the Mercury version was marketed as an expanded line-up of Cougar sedan and wagon bodystyles. Monarch was first used by Ford of Canada as"
"vehicles in half of the country. As a result, Sipani produced the Montana, which had four doors, a hatchback and a more modern appearance. The cars were successful rally cars in India and were seen as a popular home-grown choice of vehicle. Sipani carried on producing vehicles built around the Kitten design and mechanicals into the 1990s. A ""Preservation Society"" exists called the Reliant Kitten Register. Reliant Kitten The Reliant Kitten is a small economy car which was manufactured from 1975 to 1982 by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. The Kitten uses Reliant's own 850cc engine, developing 40HP,"
"used Dolomite mechanicals (usually Sprints), but attached to a fibreglass sports car body. The Panther Rio was based on the Dolomite 1850 but was re-skinned with aluminium panels and had a completely revised interior. Also available was the Panther Rio Especiale, which used the Dolomite Sprint as a base. It was expensive, £9,445 for the Rio Especiale when, in February 1976, a Dolomite Sprint could be purchased for 3,283 and a V12 Jaguar XJ12 5.3 for 7,496. In total, 38 Rios were sold and were produced from 1975 to 1977. Triumph Dolomite The Triumph Dolomite popular small saloon car was"
"Silver, with red or blue interiors. The 265 ""Hemi-6"" was standard, and the 318 V8 was optional. Valiant and Regal sedans also benefited from the 1978 introduction of ""Radial Tuned Suspension"" in response to Holden's having marketed their suspension as particularly suited to radial tyres. RTS improved the car's handling and roadholding significantly, and ""Modern Motor"" magazine proclaimed that the Valiant offered a better drive than the Holden. The last special option in the CL range was the $816 Drifter package, available on the Charger. The Drifter package included Impact Orange, Sundance Yellow, Spinnaker White or Harvest Gold body paint,"
"to this model. The interior was upholstered in vinyl (TVE, Elasticized Vinylic Textile) as standard, in cloth as an option. The driver's side mirror (right one was optional) was a Vitaloni Californian. In 1978 the production of the Beta Montecarlo was halted. The Beta Montecarlo was on sale in the United States for two years, 1976 and 1977. The federalized Montecarlo was re-christened Lancia Scorpion, because the name Monte Carlo was already used in America by Chevrolet. A total of 1,801 were manufactured in 1976 and sold as model year 1976 and 1977 (1396 and 405 respectively). Because of the"
"on as the only model in the Cougar lineup. Engine offerings from 1974 to 1976 included a standard 351 in V8 and optional power plants included the very rare Q-code 351 ""Cobra Jet"" V8 (1974), plus 400 and 460-in V8s. The manual transmission was dropped in favor of the automatic. Since the Cougar was based on the Montego, it used the same interior except for some minor trim and upholstery. Interior offerings during these three years included a standard bench seat with cloth or vinyl upholstery, an optional Twin-Comfort Lounge 60/40 bench seat with center armrest and cloth, vinyl or"
"sedans and coupes. The year 1975 brought revised front and rear styling to Catalinas and other full-sized Pontiacs, along with standard radial tires and electronic ignition. The same assortment of 400 and 455 engines carried over from 1974 with reduced horsepower ratings ranging from 170 to 200, but now mated to catalytic converters, which provided improved driveability and fuel economy over previous emission control equipment, but mandated the use of unleaded gasoline. Four-door pillared and hardtop sedans featured new six-window styling with the sixth window on the hardtop sedan functioning as an opera window. 1975 also marked the end of"
"Reliant Kitten The Reliant Kitten is a small economy car which was manufactured from 1975 to 1982 by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. The Kitten uses Reliant's own 850cc engine, developing 40HP, with the rear section of the chassis essentially the same as that of the Reliant Robin or Reliant Rialto. However, from the middle forwards the car is significantly different, with the engine moved forward to where the three-wheeled Robin's front wheel is and a Reliant-designed (but Lotus-inspired) double wishbone front suspension. Moving the engine forward, compared with the three-wheeled cars, increased driver and front passenger room."
"A Chrysler designer, Jeffrey Godshall, wrote in ""Collectible Automobile"" magazine that this restyling was viewed as ""somewhat tacky"" and eliminated much of the visual appeal that the 1975 to 1977 Cordobas had been known for. The restyle also made the car appear heavier than its 1975–1977 predecessor at a time when other cars in this class were being downsized to smaller dimensions such as the Ford Thunderbird in 1977 and Chevy Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix in 1978. The Cordoba's sales decline in 1978 and 1979 could also be attributed to the introduction of the smaller Chrysler LeBaron in"
"Lotus Cortina Lotus Cortina is the commonly used term for the Ford Cortina Lotus, a high-performance sports saloon, which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1970 by Ford in collaboration with Lotus Cars. The original version, which was based on the Ford Cortina Mark 1, was promoted by Ford as the ""Consul Cortina developed by Lotus"", with ""Consul"" later being dropped from the name. The Mark 2 was based on the Ford Cortina Mark 2 and was marketed by Ford as the ""Cortina Lotus"". There were 3,306 Mark I and 4,093 Mark 2 Lotus Cortinas produced. The"
"(with a choice of sport cloth or vinyl trim). A Landau appearance package was new for 1975. It featured an elk-grained landau vinyl roof (with a chrome band across the roof), a choice of special paint colors, sports-styled dual remote outside rearview mirrors, color-keyed wheel covers, a vinyl bodyside molding insert, and pin-striping. Inside were color-keyed seat belts and floormats; fender and dashboard emblems rounded out the package. (An identical trim package was also sold on the Caprice model.) Sport Coupe models were discontinued after the 1975 model year, leaving the redesigned Custom Coupe, with its wide ""B"" pillar and"
"unveiled at the Brussels Auto Show in 1986. It was dubbed the ""Rambo-Lambo"". Civilian models were outfitted with a full luxury package, including full leather trim, tinted power windows, air conditioning, and a premium stereo mounted in a roof console. In order to meet the vehicle's tire needs, Lamborghini commissioned Pirelli to create the Pirelli Scorpion tires with custom, run-flat tread designs. These were made specifically for the LM and were offered in two different tread designs, one for mixed use and the other for sand use only. These tires could be run virtually flat without risk and could handle"
"39hp Reliant Fox The Reliant Fox is a small four wheeled glass-fibre utility vehicle manufactured by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England between 1983 and 1990. It used Reliant's own 850 cc aluminium engine, and a galvanised chassis similar to the Reliant Kitten's. The Fox was the next in a long line of small 4 wheeled economy cars produced by Reliant. The base vehicle was a pickup in design but could be sold with any corresponding rear hard top for any job wanted. A rear hard top could be bought to build an estate, a van, a canvas rear"
"with upholstery choices including cloth, velour and vinyl in both base and Custom trims. Swivel out seats and 8-track were optional. This model year marks the only time in history when an intermediate model was larger in every dimension than a full-sized model, as the B-body Chevrolet Caprice/Impala had already been redesigned and downsized for 1977. The Monte Carlo also weighed more. In 1977 sales totaled 224,327 S coupes and 186,711 Landau coupes. All GM intermediate-sized cars including the Monte Carlo were downsized for the 1978 model year in response to the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo and CAFE requirements. The"
"it would be dropped off the option list for 1981 and on. The 1980 and 1981 LS model (which was originally intended to be the ""300"") featured an aerodynamic-appearing nosecone (nearly identical to that on the ""Mirada"") with a ""crosshair"" grille. Other features of this model were the deletion of the vinyl roof cover and a monotone color exterior. The second-generation Cordoba's styling did not attract the praise of the original, and sales were off substantially. The industry downsizing of vehicles also affected the personal luxury models. Both the Chevrolet Monte Carlo in 1978 and the 1980 Ford Thunderbird shrank"
"1980, significantly more than a Ferrari 400 or Maserati Kyalami but less than a Rolls-Royce Corniche. The car commenced sales in the US from 1982 with minor amendments to the front bumper and airdam. The Series 3 was only produced for one year with 75 models manufactured, and featured fuel injected engines. Originally with cathode ray tube instruments, later versions featured a vacuum fluorescent display system similar to that used by some Vauxhalls and Opels, but externally were the same as the Series 2 model. The Series 4 was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1987 and received"
"models were given the separate identity of Corniche (with either Rolls-Royce or Bentley badging), and eventually went on to outlive the Silver Shadow by some years with production lasting until 1982 for the coupé and 1996 for the convertible. Another coupé variant on the Shadow platform was the Camargue, with bodywork designed by the Italian firm Pininfarina, and production running from 1975 to 1986. The Camargue had the distinction of being the most expensive production Rolls-Royce. A Bentley version of the Shadow, known as the Bentley T (and Bentley T2 from 1977), was also made. It was mechanically identical and"
"Driver"", three out of five of Ford’s top executives, including Henry Ford II, used the Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia as their personal car. Mercury Monarch The Mercury Monarch is a compact automobile that was manufactured by Mercury from 1975 to 1980. Released in the model year 1975, the Monarch was a badge-engineered version of the Ford Granada which was identical save for the grille, headlights, taillights and some interior and exterior trim. A total of 575,567 Monarchs were produced during this time period. For 1981, the Granada was replaced with a smaller version based on Ford's Fox platform, and the"
"junior version of the (far larger) Mercury Grand Marquis. For 1977, the Grand Monarch Ghia was repackaged as a Lincoln, becoming the Lincoln Versailles. For 1980, as part of its redesign, the Mercury Cougar model line was pared down solely to Cougar XR7 coupe; as part of a negative model reception, sales of the 1980 Cougar collapsed (falling nearly 65%). As a response, Mercury introduced its own version of the second-generation Ford Granada for 1981, replacing the Monarch nameplate to expand the Cougar model line for a second time. As with the Granada, a four-door and two-door notchback sedan were"
"fuel prices and competition pushed AMC to ""exploit special market segments left untended by the giants. In 1978, ""AMC introduced its new Concord luxury compact."" It ""represent[ed] an upgraded, more luxurious, more comfortable, more silent, more opulent automobile."" Unlike other cars with optional at extra cost features, the ""top-quality"" Concord came with luxury as standard that included among others: crushed velour upholstery, vinyl covered landau roof with opera windows, color-keyed wheel covers, whitewall tires, extra quiet insulation, and extensive rustproofing. Cadillac also responded to the changes in the marketplace and introduced the 1982 Cadillac Cimarron, a luxury version of the"
"cars feature a chrome ""Barreiros"" script. The low-specification 844 cc version was sold in Spain only, a market where cars with engines of less than 850 cc received a sizable tax break, as the Simca 900. These originally had . After a hiatus, the 900 returned in 1970 and was then updated in the form of the twin-carb 900 Special of 1973; this model has . A special Spanish-market model introduced in April 1970 was the DIN 1000 GT, which had a milder version of the 1204 cc engine as found in the 1200 Coupé. This engine also powered the"
"moldings on LX models were now body-colored. Similar to the 1990 7-Up Mustang, for 1992, Ford produced 3,333 special Spring-edition (1992-1/2) LX 5.0 convertible with a Vibrant Red exterior and Oxford White leather interiors. Also for 1993, Limited Edition models featured a Chrome Yellow exterior with black or white leather interior, or a Vibrant white exterior with white leather interior. Under the newly established Ford SVT division, the 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra was offered with the V8 that produced at 4600 rpm and of torque at 4000 rpm. Featuring more subdued styling than the GT, the Cobra used Ford's"
"in the front suspension assembly, addressing a risk that the component might break and render the car impossible to steer. The manufacturers stated they had replicated the alleged defect by driving the car into a solid kerb at between 10 and 15 mph (16–24 km/h). Despite undertaking the recall, they insisted that the condition could only ""arise through misuse"". Triumph Toledo The Triumph Toledo is a compact car which was produced by British Leyland in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1976. The Toledo was introduced in August 1970 as a cheaper version of the Triumph 1300, which was at"