360 V8 Powered: 1980 Dodge Mirada

The Dodge Mirada succeeded the Magnum, which had already replaced the Charger in the personal luxury category. Neither attempt was overly successful, and the Mirada was in the mix for just four years. It shared the J-platform used by the Chrysler Cordoba and Imperial. The seller has a nice first-year edition (1980) with a rebuilt V8 engine and other upgrades. Located in Halethorpe, Maryland, this semi-survivor is available here on eBay for $10,000.

Dodge’s Mirada used rear-wheel drive, which was still common in Chrysler circles when the FWD K-Car was introduced (1981). 53,000 copies were produced through 1983, but more than half were sold during the first model year. A 225 cubic inch Slant Six was standard (for fuel economy rating reasons), with a 318 or 360 available as options. The seller’s Mopar was built with the latter, which has been rebuilt with a beefier camshaft and 4-barrel carburetor. Electronic ignition was also added.

This Mirada has 84,000 miles and looks good overall. It’s a shame that folks don’t take nice-running cars out into the daylight for photos, so this one has garage lighting to contend with. That may make the burgundy paint (original?) seem a little dull in places. For whatever reason, the factory rear suspension was jettisoned in favor of parts from a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner. The power steering box is from a Jeep, and the automatic transmission has also been redone.

From all indications, this Dodge is much peppier than it would have been from the factory. Considering how underpowered most Detroit cars were in those days, these changes are probably welcomed. This car has the typical velour living room interior that so many cars of the 1970s and 1980s had. As a footnote, this car was envisioned to be Dodge’s next hit on the racetrack and even had Richard Petty test it. The Mirada didn’t have the speed it needed to be competitive.