Memorable Mirada - 1980 Dodge Mirada

Dodge left no doubt in anyone's mind about the intended market for its flashy new coupe. The ads spelled it out, A-B-C-style: "If you own a Thunderbird, Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, Cutlass Supreme, Regal or Cougar, you owe it to yourself to test drive The New 1980 Dodge Mirada." It was an ambitious hit list -- together, those six nameplates had accounted for more than 1.5 million sales in 1979 alone, as Americans showed no sign of breaking off their love affair with the personal luxury coupe. Not lost on Highland Park was the fact that those would-be competitors were products of the same six brands that Dodge trailed in overall sales. For a cash-starved company like Chrysler in the late 1970s, this must have looked like low-hanging fruit.

The car that Dodge sent out to do battle with the Monte Carlos and the rest was really nothing more than a rehash of old, familiar Mopar ingredients slathered with a zesty new sauce. Dodge executives must have realized that the car's appearance would be its greatest asset; why else would they have chosen the Spanish word mirada, which translates into "look," or "view?" With its classic long hood, short-deck appearance and the starched-collar look that had become all the rage after Cadillac unveiled its groundbreaking Seville in 1975, the Mirada whispered of performance, comfort, elegance and luxury. It was sorely needed in a lineup that, one automotive writer observed, featured "many cars as uninspired as custard, as competitive as Vassar in the NBA, and as thrilling as a slide down a half-cooked noodle."

Non-functioning fender vents enhanced the Mirada's sporty appearance

Though the Mirada nameplate was new for 1980, the concept was not. Its spiritual predecessor was the Magnum XE, a model that was based on the first-generation Chrysler Cordoba. The Cordoba was a sensation as the first modern, small Chrysler, but its Dodge counterpart failed to crack 75,000 in sales in 1978 and 1979 combined, its two years of production. When the wave of Corporate Average Fuel Economy-inspired downsizing that had swept over Detroit in the late 1970s finally hit Chrysler, the second generation J-body Cordoba was born, and the Magnum was reborn as the Mirada.

Chrysler was the last of Detroit's Big Three into the pool with smaller, lighter personal luxury cars -- Ford had cut hundreds of pounds from its Thunderbird and Cougar XR-7 in 1977, and GM had followed suit with the Regal, Cutlass Supreme, Grand Prix and Monte Carlo a year later, lopping off as much as 750 pounds of road-hugging weight with nearly no sacrifice in interior space. Chrysler didn't have a lot of cash for engineering a new platform, so it did the next best thing: It borrowed the underpinnings of its new-for-1976 compact twins, the Dodge Volaré and Plymouth Aspen. The new Mirada and Cordoba shared nearly everything under the skin with the Aspen and Volaré four-door sedans and wagons: the 112.7-inch wheelbase, the transversely mounted front torsion bars, and the rear leaf springs with Chrysler's "Iso-Clamp" attachment system, which employed rubber donuts sandwiched between the springs and the body to reduce the transmission of noise and vibration into the passenger compartment. The Cordoba and Mirada had the Aspen/Volaré's 60-inch front track, and the 1-inch-wider 59.5-inch rear track of the Chrysler LeBaron and Dodge Diplomat, which were also based on the compact twins.

Even more sharing went on under the hood. In the interests of thrift, the base Mirada was equipped with the antediluvian Slant Six, displacing 225 cubic inches and pumping out all of 90hp at 3,600 rpm and 160-lbs.ft. of torque at 1,600 rpm. Three more powerful engines were offered: a two-barrel version of the workhorse LA-series 318-cu.in. V-8 making 120hp at 3,600 rpm and 245-lbs.ft. of torque at 1,600 rpm; a four-barrel 318, producing 155hp at 4,000 rpm and 240-lbs.ft. of torque at 1,600 rpm; and the high-po option, a four-barrel 360-cu.in. V-8, squeezing out 185hp at 4,000 rpm and 275-lbs.ft. of torque at 2,000 rpm. Unless you lived in California, that is, in which case your only choice would have been the 318. Whichever engine you chose, it would be bolted up to a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, with shift on the column or, if you ticked off the right box on the options sheet, on the console.

Ernie Barry was the lead designer on the Mirada. "The body style of that car was the same as the Cordoba, and that was the car that we did first. You developed one and then you did whatever the sister ship was that was derived from it," he explained in a telephone interview from his home in Northport, Michigan. "I remember the studio that it was done in back in Highland Park. Back then we were probably working on that in 1977-'78." The project was well underway when Lee Iacocca arrived in 1978 to try to save the corporation from financial ruin. "The styling of the car was in his taste. He had a tendency to like vehicles that had classic appearances. The Cordoba and the Mirada certainly fit that. The body shapes were very linear. Very simple body sections, very linear.

"We were trying to do things that wouldn't make it look overly large, trying to make the overhangs not look too long. That was kind of a struggle," Ernie said. The designers sought out the largest wheel and tire combination they could find to fill out the wheel openings, and used a double chamfer around the openings to take up part of the expanse of sheetmetal. Careful detailing with the parking and cornering lamps and bumpers helped keep the squared-off overhangs from appearing too long. "If you look at the upper fender line that goes through the car, there's an arc to that that's kind of like the shear line of a sailboat," he said, another touch that slightly de-emphasizes the car's length. The front end, molded from flexible plastic, was more sporting than the Cordoba's, and was certainly influenced by the front end of the Cord 810 and 812. The designers didn't care for the vinyl landau roofs, "but Iacocca liked them, so they stayed," he said.

The slatted grille was influenced by the styling of the Cord 810 and 812

Lee Iacocca has that in common with Dave Powers, the only owner our remarkable feature car has ever had. Dave had considered buying a Magnum XE, but decided he didn't care for the styling. When the Mirada was introduced the next year, he headed straight to Lelock Motors in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to place his order. "I liked the sharpness of the lines, the leaner look that it had over the Magnum," he explained. Dave never bothered to compare it with the Grand Prix, the Thunderbird or the rest. "My father had bought Chryslers all my life, and that's the way I was brought up," he said. He traded in the 1975 Plymouth Duster he had gotten after graduating from high school, and took possession of a 1980 Mirada in Eggshell White with a center console, gorgeous 10-spoke cast road wheels, and an AM-FM 8-track player.

We met up with Dave at the AACA fall meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, last year where he offered us a chance to drive what is possibly the most original Mirada left on the planet -- not that there are that many of them around to begin with. We swing open the long door, thankful that we're not parked close to another car, and we're instantly thrown back into the days of Blondie and Mount St. Helens. If you want to know what a color-keyed interior looks like, check out the Mirada, a product of a time when all trim did not have to be either gray or black. Cherry red flows over the seats, floors, dashboard top, door panels, steering column cover, steering wheel rim -- just about everything but the brushed aluminum instrument panel and the black-and-silver console. We sink into the high-backed, vinyl bucket seat and gaze expectantly at the dashboard, where eight round gauges bolster the car's sporting pretensions. But wait -- some of those deeply set black circles don't have any tenants. A count turns up just four gauges: The large openings are filled with a wimpy, 85-mph speedometer and a gas gauge adrift in a vast black circle, and an ammeter and a coolant temperature gauge occupy two of the eight smaller openings. Every other cutout holds a warning lamp or, in some cases, nothing at all. Ah, well, no matter. The interior is spacious, and there's even room for adults in the back.

A twist of the pentagon-topped key in the column-mounted ignition switch is rewarded by the twitterings of the Highland Park hummingbird, Mopar's famous gear-reduction starter. The engine settles into a smooth idle, murmuring through the single exhaust. Boy, is it quiet in this cabin -- Dodge didn't pinch pennies when it came to sound deadening.

Owner Dave Powers

This is a reminder of what V-8s were like back a quarter-century ago; even with 318 cubic inches at hand, output is a measly 120hp, thanks to a legislated emphasis on fuel economy and cleaner air. Contemporary testers seemed to want to like the car, but they couldn't find a lot of praise to toss Dodge's way: "The following is taken directly from notes made immediately after driving the dual-exhaust 360: 'Even with duals, not very impressive. Transmission: shifts slowly; no snap like the old TorqueFlite had -- not much fun to drive anymore...'" Motor Trend reported. It is true that the TorqueFlite is loath to downshift, in the interest of squeezing more miles from every drop of OPEC's finest. But the V-8 is smooth and quiet, and its torque is enough to get the car moving with authority on the back roads of Hershey. The underpinnings may be archaic, but they give a firm, yet comfortable ride, effectively smoothing out the rough pavement without inducing motion sickness. Could all of this civility have been a failing? Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine wondered: "It is so luxurious and roomy inside, the dual exhausts are so quiet, and the ride is so smooth, that it just doesn't feel like a performance car. While this is very desirable in most cars, it may cause some marketing problems for Dodge."

As it turned out, the Mirada was not the car to shape Chrysler's future; that would be the K-car, which arrived in 1981. The 28,633 Miradas produced in the 1980 model year would turn out to be more than half of the total production; the number dropped to 11,899 in 1981, 6,818 in 1982, and 5,597 in 1983, the final year. Today, any Mirada is a rare and welcome sight.

Owner's View

I ordered my 1980 Dodge Mirada in February of 1980 and it was delivered from the factory on May 27, 1980. This was the first car I purchased after graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. This was the first year of production for the Mirada and as soon as I saw one I knew that was the car I wanted to buy. I never dreamed that I would still own it 27 years later.

I drove the car daily summer and winter until the fall of 1987 when I began to store it during the western Pennsylvania winters. I still have its last set of winter tires in my garage attic. My father and neighbor developed my interest in car shows around this time, and in the summer of 1991 we cleaned the frame and detailed the engine compartment. Since that time I have driven it to hundreds of car shows. I think probably one of my favorite things about the car is its uniqueness. There are very few Miradas in original condition still around. Many people who see it don't even remember the model being in production. My Mirada is still a pleasure to drive today just like it was 27 years ago.

-- By Dave Powers

What to Pay

PROS

The epitome of 1980s style

Affordable -- if you can find one

Great blend of ride and handling

CONS

Trim parts difficult to find

Blunted, CAFE-era performance

Constantly having to answer, "What's a Mirada?"

CLUB SCENE

Walter P. Chrysler Club

P.O. Box 3504

Kalamazoo, Michigan 49003

www.chryslerclub.org

Dues: $35/year; Membership: 5,000

National Chrysler Products Club

26 Belmar Road

Hatboro, Pennsylvania 19040

www.ncpcir.com

Dues: $25/year; Membership: 450

SPECIFICATIONS

Base price: $6,364

ENGINE

Type: OHV cast-iron V-8

Bore and stroke: 3.91 x 3.31 inches

Displacement: 318 cubic inches

Compression ratio: 8.5:1

Horsepower @ rpm: 120 @ 3,600

Torque @ rpm: 245 @ 1,600

Valvetrain: Overhead valves, pushrods and rockers, hydraulic tappets

Main Bearings: 5

Induction system: Carter BBD-8233S two-barrel carburetor

Electrical system: 12-volt, 325A battery, 60A alternator

Exhaust system: Single

TRANSMISSION

Type: TorqueFlite, hydraulic torque converter with planetary gears

Ratios: 1st 2.45:1

2nd: 1.45:1

3rd: 1.00:1

Reverse: 2.22:1

DIFFERENTIAL

Type: Chrysler corporate 8.25-inch

Ratio: 2.47:1; 2.94:1 optional

Drive: axles Semi-floating, flanged

STEERING

Type: Recirculating ball with power assist

Ratio: 15.7:1

Turns, lock-to-lock: 3.50

Turning circle: 40.7 feet

BRAKES

Type: Four-wheel hydraulic, power assist

Front: 11.58-inch ventilated disc

Rear: 10-inch drums

Total swept area: 375.29 square inches

CHASSIS & BODY

Construction: Steel unit-body with isolated front crossmember

Body style: Two-door, five-passenger hardtop coupe

Layout Front: engine, rear-wheel drive

SUSPENSION

Front: Independent, unequal-length A-arms, transverse torsion bars, anti-roll bar, telescoping shock absorbers

Rear: Rigid axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, telescoping shock absorbers

WHEELS & TIRES

Wheels: Forged alloy

Front/rear: 15 x 7 inches

Tires: Goodyear radials

Front/rear: P205/70R15

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

Wheelbase: 112.7 inches

Overall length: 209 inches

Overall width: 72.7 inches

Overall height: 53.3 inches

Front track: 60 inches

Rear track: 59.5 inches

Ground clearance: 10.2 inches

Shipping weight: 3,453 pounds

CAPACITIES

Crankcase: 4 quarts

Cooling system: 30 pints

Fuel tank: 18 gallons

CALCULATED DATA

Hp per c.i.d.: 0.377

Weight per hp: 28.78 pounds

Weight per c.i.d.: 10.86 pounds

PERFORMANCE

0-60 mph: 10.53 seconds

¼ mile ET: 17.84 seconds at 79.4 mph

Top speed: 106 mph

(Figures listed are for a 360-cu.in. V-8-equipped 1980 Mirada tested by Motor Trend)

PRODUCTION

28,633 Miradas were produced for the 1980 model year