The Dodge Mirada is an interesting footnote in Chrysler’s history, especially given the transition period wherein consumers were migrating away from large luxury coupes and seeking a smaller environmental footprint. However, that doesn’t mean they wanted to abandon the feeling of being cosseted by a luxury car, at least not on the surface. Therefore, models like the Mirada emerged, a smaller vehicle dimensionally that marketed itself as “sporty” as a way of helping shoppers adapt to the new normal of less opulent offerings. Check out this clean 1983 Dodge Mirada CMX listed here on Facebook Marketplace and equipped with the rare cabriolet roof option.
Important distinction: despite CAFE standards driving major lineup changes across the Big 3 automakers, old habits truly died hard and the Mirada was often equipped with a landau-style roof. Somewhat hilariously, the designers wanted to do away with this feature considering it wasn’t really suited to the Mirada’s design, but Lee Iacocca demanded it be incorporated. This Mirada, however, doesn’t have the landau roof but a true “cabriolet style” top, evidently done to create the appearance of a convertible. Car shoppers had funny tastes in the 70s and 80s, but Iacocca likely wasn’t wrong that it would still be a sought-out feature.
Inside, drivers and passengers undoubtedly noticed that their confines had grown smaller. The interiors were still quite comfortable, however, but perhaps not 3 passengers across the front and rear seats comfortable. Options were pretty normal inside, ranging from vinyl seats to fake woodgrain trim. This Mirada has cloth buckets with the optional wood-look finishes, and appears to be in excellent shape throughout. This example also looks to have power windows and presumably door locks, but the seller doesn’t elaborate; regardless, with just under 35,000 miles, it looks very tidy inside.
The Mirada shown here has the venerable Slant 6 under the hood, which was effectively the base engine option. At the time, the Mirada had a reputation for being a bit of a hot rod when equipped with the optional 360, undoubtedly due to the diminishing performance standards of almost every vehicle, including muscle cars. Still, with 185 horsepower, it was a respectable offering at this point in automotive history. The Slant 6 should be good for about 86 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque, which means you’ll be cruising in style slowly. Still, as survivors go, this Mirada looks the part.
That style roof was not rare it all. Many people chose its ugliness or the equally bad half vinyl. These looked best with a bare roof and the fake meatal strip across it. 1983 was the last year for the 225 in passenger cars. It was so strangled by that time, hardly worth having at all. The Lean Burn made them almost undriveable as well. They all should have been 318s. Also badly strangled, but at least with an extra 30 HP over the 90 (not 86) the slant six had. A 2bbl Super six from 5 years earlier, had 115 HP. Those ran well, too bad they didn’t have those. I believe the Canadians got those in these years. Canadians always have had greater common sense. They liked clean air as much as the next guy, but they also realized that making an engine so complicated and poor running it was going to lead to problems. On a test machine, that lean burn might have made the numbers CAFE wanted, but in the real world, they did not because a person had to have their foot in it, just to get away from a stop sign. Kind of defeats the purpose.
So i had to go peak in my librairy and pulled out the 1980 edition of ” Le guide de l’auto by Jacques Duval ” and a road test of the Cordoba/Mirada twins was present. The Cordoba was equipped with the Canada only 2 bbl 225 with the wide ratio Torqueflite and 2.71 rear end. The Cordoba performed acceptably for the size of the powerplant giving a 0-60 in the 17 second range but a very decent 20-21 mpg. Diesel like performance and economy was said. and as per our emission laws back then were a bit more relaxed had very good drivability minus a flat spot or so during hard turns. The 318 Mirada was although more quiet and relaxed was not that much better than the Slant Six.
Oh, if only this were a v-8 equipped, toupee less model, I’d be all over it!! GLWTS!! :-)
Nothing wrong with a wig 💇♂️ Moparman lol.
Nice write up Jeff however I disagree that consumers migrated away from the big luxury cars the big three started building these things and that’s what was available in a person’s budget unlike today where they finance a $85,000 dollar truck for 96 months then cry foul when they try to trade it in after 4 years and see they owe way more than it’s worth. This electric vehicle craze the federal government is on will be similar because the government regulations and things like Washington State adding $0.06 cents more per gallon to the tax raising at 2% per year forever.
I always kind of liked the styling of these Miradas. The blocky, slanted theme worked well in my eye. Check out how the dash mimics the slant of the front end. The carriage roof doesn’t do this example any favors.
A slant six Mirada– 17 sec 0-60– make sure you don’t need to get up to speed quickly.
$12,500 doesn’t seem like a bad price for this! Sure, a 318 would be better, but not every collector vehicle has to be a quarter-mile stormer. The only slant six (or ‘slant sucks’ as Mopar guys like to call it) that I ever owned was in a ‘66 Dart GT, and it managed to keep up with everything on I-5. As long as you didn’t have to do any high speed passing…beautiful car. GLWTS!!
Can’t believe this is the same model as the Black Mirada CMX, no vinyl top, the Chrysler road wheels that looked like American Racing Vectors with gray buckets and the 360 under the hood. The guy worked in my office building and the lean Dodge looked pretty sharp next to my Celebrity Eurosport sedan. That was the last Mopar I gave a 2nd glance to until the Viper hit the road.
HOW can you tell that’s a slant 6? I look at the engine pic and all I see are tubes and wires. I literally can’t see the engine. But enough of that
Even though they are smaller than the almost 21 foot Imperial of the 70s, and boxy like all 80s cars, the slant front did wonders for the styling. GM & Ford were just boxes. This had a simalance of style.
And no jumping on my case about my spelling of big words. I know how to use words …… I just can’t spell them! 🤔
I remember after working for Dodge I worked at a Buick dealership. They kept telling me that the new 6 cylinder engines were just as powerful as the old V8s. At 86 hp I don’t think so. I was raised on 3 and 400+ hp cars.