Malaise Muscle

I am a malaisian. Before you fire off emails to editor McGean correcting my spelling and lack of a capital "M," I am NOT from Malaysia. Sadly, I came of driving age during the dearth of performance cars—unofficially known as the Malaise Era. According to the Facebook page "Malaise Motors," which jokingly calls itself, "the Brougham package of car groups," the era spans 1972-'95. The page boasts (as of the time I write this) more than 8,000 members. I'll admit. I'm addicted.

While there was a Super Duty Trans Am until 1974, and 454-cu.in. "big-blocks" in GM trucks, performance was for all intent and purpose, dead and gone. Even the convertible disappeared (at least temporarily after 1976). We made do with wild graphics that suggested power and speed, crushed velour interiors, opera windows, and hood ornaments. I grew up around detuned Rally Sport Camaros, Pinto-derived Mustang IIs with emasculated 302 V-8s, Road Runner Volares, and periwinkle blue Gremlin Xs with 258-cu.in. inline-sixes. By the early '80s, we'd hit bottom and it was a slow climb back to cars that were actually fun to drive, let alone those that could get out of their own way. Suddenly, all that stuff made during my formative years is cool once more.

During those dark days, the Mopar folks gave us some hope. There was the Dodge Warlock and Li'l Red Truck for 1978-'79; Li'l Red was actually the fastest vehicle offered by an American manufacturer when new. But it was a truck. And, trucks back then, did not have the cachet they do today. They weren't the midsize muscle we learned to love prior to the oil embargo and the long gas lines of 1973.

The Pentastar brand gave it another shot with the 1979-only Chrysler Cordoba 300 Coupe introduced during what many of us thought might be Chrysler's final days. The company was desperate for sales. It was a feeble attempt at recapturing the glory of the fabled 300 name. Essentially a $2,040 option package on the disco-era "small" Chrysler Cordoba (introduced in 1975), the coupe was delivered with an all-white exterior with special emblems and traditional split 300-style grille, red leather bucket seats and interior, engine-turned dash appliqué, special handling suspension with G60-15 radial tires and "firm-feel" power steering, 360-cu.in. four-barrel V-8 producing 195 hp, a shorter final axle ratio, and Torque- Flite automatic. Just 3,811 were produced.

Chrysler actually advertised the car in print! I anxiously awaited seeing one "in the metal" and recall one having been newly delivered to the local Chrysler dealer's lot near where I attended college. I remember it sat there a long time, too; as did most of the dealer's inventory in 1979. Here we are 40 years later and I recall having seen one, just one, at a local car show in 2010! Where did they all go? For that matter, where are all the cars from the Malaise era?

The Malaise Era also introduced the notion of the disposable automobile. And, really bad cars. GM's X-bodies come to mind. When was the last time you saw one of those at a car show? Perhaps, why Radwood has become so popular … so quickly. The website proudly proclaims, "The premiere automotive lifestyle event celebrating the '80s and '90s." Apparently, I'm not alone. Check it out at www.radwood.co (not .com). Do yourself a favor and go—if a Radwood event is anywhere near you. Like me, you'll enjoy reliving your youth and the cars of both the Malaise and Disco Eras. And, if you're lucky, you might even see a 1979 Chrysler Cordoba 300.