Photo: jlord8/Instagram
Count on a G-body fan and owner of a 1986 Buick Regal T-Type to remember just about every 1980s and 1990s classic vehicle. Better yet, if said automotive aficionado is a pixel master, there’s also a visual approach to the history lesson.
The Dodge Mirada is one of those models that’s both long gone and (probably) almost forgotten. After all, it was produced for a brief period, from 1980 to 1983. And Chrysler was quite lacking in terms of cash power back then, so marketing and advertising were kept to a minimum.
This probably impacted the life of the Dodge Mirada, a traditional rear-wheel-drive mid-size coupe that did nothing to stand out in a crowd. It was a badge-engineered Chrysler J architecture sibling to the second-generation Chrysler Cordoba and Imperial. And it had both the usual styling for that age, as well as the downsized appearance needed to cope with the era’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements.
A single bright spot shone from the engine options – the availability of a 360ci (5.9-liter) V8 as the flagship unit. But that probably wasn’t enough, and the model ended up with a production run of less than 53k examples. So, it is easy to imagine why it has been a bit neglected ever since.
No worries, because the virtual artist behind the jlord8 account is the kind of social media herald that has made a personal quest out of promoting such forgotten gems. He recently turned his attention to Mirada and to make it spicier the CGI project includes a contemporary engine swap. Naturally, of the Hellcat variety.
A few design alterations were also made to make sure the reinvention is a tad more believable, but without major styling revisions that would steal attention away from the 1980s atmosphere. Yes, the bigger wheels are decidedly modern, but they’re needed to make sure traction is optimum. After all, under the hood supposedly resides a supercharged 6.2-liter monster with over 700 horsepower on tap!
This probably impacted the life of the Dodge Mirada, a traditional rear-wheel-drive mid-size coupe that did nothing to stand out in a crowd. It was a badge-engineered Chrysler J architecture sibling to the second-generation Chrysler Cordoba and Imperial. And it had both the usual styling for that age, as well as the downsized appearance needed to cope with the era’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements.
A single bright spot shone from the engine options – the availability of a 360ci (5.9-liter) V8 as the flagship unit. But that probably wasn’t enough, and the model ended up with a production run of less than 53k examples. So, it is easy to imagine why it has been a bit neglected ever since.
No worries, because the virtual artist behind the jlord8 account is the kind of social media herald that has made a personal quest out of promoting such forgotten gems. He recently turned his attention to Mirada and to make it spicier the CGI project includes a contemporary engine swap. Naturally, of the Hellcat variety.
A few design alterations were also made to make sure the reinvention is a tad more believable, but without major styling revisions that would steal attention away from the 1980s atmosphere. Yes, the bigger wheels are decidedly modern, but they’re needed to make sure traction is optimum. After all, under the hood supposedly resides a supercharged 6.2-liter monster with over 700 horsepower on tap!
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