The Great Cordoba Keychain Conspiracy, a ChatGPT story
Posted By RichC on July 28, 2025
Some collectors go for muscle cars. Others chase rare diecasts or obscure dealership brochures. But @Car_Guy_Tom? He had a more refined ambition: cornering the global market on Cordoba keychains.
It all began on a lazy Sunday morning at a suburban Chicago area garage sale. Nestled between a box of spark plugs and a velvet Elvis was a bronze medallion gleaming with elegance. Two proud lions. A noble crest. The word CORDOBA emblazoned below like a royal decree. It was less keychain and more of a statement.
Tom held it up to the light and swore he heard a faint whisper in the wind: “Rich, Corinthian… leather.”
Soon, his obsession turned into a mission. He began acquiring every Cordoba keychain he could find—on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Argentine souvenir sites, and even from a retired Chrysler executive’s estate sale. He outbid pensioners. He bartered with classic car guys. He once traded a mint-condition AMC Pacer rear window for a rare Cordoba fob with gold trim.
By the spring of 2025, Tom Appel, Publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive, had amassed what experts believed to be 98.7% of the world’s Cordoba keychains. When asked why, he simply quoted Ricardo Montalbán in a velvety voice: “It is the keychain … of great taste. And … of luxury.”
The classic TV ads from the 1980s played on loop in his garage, where rows of Cordoba medallions now hung like royal medals. Local car clubs began referring to him not as Tom, but “The Cordoba Commodore.”
Tom Appel would like Chrysler to bring back the Cordoba name
During a recent CarStuff podcast episode, Tom unveiled what he called The Corinthian Standard—a new economic theory suggesting Cordoba keychains should back world currencies instead of gold and could eventually rival Bitcoin. 
Co-host Jill Ciminillo expressed concern to the producer that Tom’s obsession with the Cordoba may require professional psychiatric help … until Tom was offered a TED Talk.
Jay Leno called. Chrysler emailed. A boutique crypto startup launched a line of NFTs based on his collection—each one redeemable for a five-minute lecture on the importance of trim packages in late-70s personal luxury coupes.
To this day, Tom refuses to sell. “It’s not about the money,” he insists, adjusting his custom Cordoba bolo tie. “It’s about preserving a legacy. And… soft Corinthian nostalgia.”
– By Guest Contributor: ChatGPT
(with a few personal tweaks) 😉
Photo Caption: Rare Cordoba keychain from Tom Appel’s private collection.
Legend has it he sleeps with two under his pillow and keeps one hanging from the
ignition of a non-running ’79 Cordoba T-Top coupe.
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