I know, I know, a collaboration between Chrysler and Maserati was a head scratcher 35 years ago and still is. Lee Iacocca, then Chrysler’s CEO, had more hits than misses in his long, storied automotive career. But his attempt to bring back some of the magic of Chrysler’s Letter Series cars from the 50’s and 60’s with a pricy, prestigious, European built front-wheel drive luxury coupe met with very disappointing sales. Over the course of three model years (1989 – 1991), the TC sold only around 7,300 units and didn’t return for 1992. We see nice, low-mileage, examples of the TC here on Barn Finds fairly regularly, but this is one of the lowest mileage TC’s we’ve featured with only 7,400 miles on the clock.

Here’s a nice, unrestored survivor that has obviously led a very pampered life. No history is given about previous owners, where it’s been, and how it became such a time capsule. Of the limited colors offered that first year, I think Exotic Red looks the best on these TC’s. The original paint is shiny and presentable as is everything I’m seeing in the supplied photographs. The TC’s black convertible top looks good as does the matching red removable hardtop with Thunderbird-esque porthole windows.

Chrysler wanted to surround the driver and passenger in 80’s luxury and comfort and they succeeded. Ginger colored hand-stitched Italian leather can be found on the comfy bucket seats, dash, armrests, and rear fascia panels. And there’s power everything: 6-way power seats, power windows, power steering, power locks, power mirrors, side window defoggers, cruise control, air conditioning, an automatic transmission, and a 10-speaker AM/FM cassette stereo. Based on the photos, the TC’s interior is in like-new condition and very attractive.

In its first year of production, TC’s came with a 160-horsepower 2.2-titer turbocharged four. The engine bay on this survivor is tidy and there’s only 7,400 miles on the original engine. So, what do you think of this shiny red time capsule? These joint-venture luxury coupes were primarily hand-built in Milan, Italy, and some think they’re currently a bit of a bargain today. Their other advice is to buy the best TC you can find and pamper it, because restoring one would be just too costly. This low-mileage original 1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati is currently residing in Freeport, Illinois, and is for sale here on craigslist for $14,750. A big thanks to TP (Tony Primo) for sending this TC our way!