UPDATE 21/03/2024: It isn’t unusual for a seller to drop their price if they are unsuccessful with their first attempt to find their classic a new home. Such is the case with this 1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati. Originally offered for $14,750, the seller has relisted this classic here on Craigslist in Freeport, Illinois, with the price slashed to $12,750. This is at the top end of the market, but recent successful sales for similar examples suggest that the figure isn’t unprecedented. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Tony P. for the original lead, and to Rocco B. for spotting that it is back on the market.
11/07/2024: I know, I know, a collaboration between Chrysler and Maserati was a headscratcher 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 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 TCs 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 TCs. 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-liter turbocharged four. The engine bay on this survivor is tidy and there are 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.
Love these. Nice driving and comfortable cars. Elegant hardtop w opera windows 🪟 Magnifico 🇮🇹 🇺🇸
While the Chrysler TC was a decent enough car for an 80s Chrysler, Maserati will deny these even existed. At lest here we have a really nice example.
probably coulda bought 2 or 3 fox body coupes and stashed those away instead. bad investment plan! didnt some have a maserati head and a stick shift? that would be the one to have….
Only 500 of the first-year (’89) TCs were equipped with the “Maserati” 16-valve head (designed and cast at Cosworth, with cams by Crane, just finished and assembled at Maserati), all with the Getrag 5-speed manual. The rest got an auto trans and the same Turbo II mill as the Daytona. Then for ’90-on they all got the Mitsubishi 3.0L V6 with an auto trans.
V6 would be better.
No way! NO V-6, then or current, would be preferrable IMO to a nicely balanced turbo 4 like this. Much smoother, quieter, and more fun to drive.
No, I agree with John Blintz. I once traded a nice 2.2 Turbo car for a Mitsubishi V6 car… worst trade ever. The V6 was boring. Didn’t keep that car long. Have never had another 2.2 Turbo car since, but would love to. Very fun cars with lots of driving excitement!
Tempting. I live 30 miles south of Freeport.
Ice to see a clean low mileage example. These were pricey cars new.
Another drive train layout disappointment. Why should this disappointment be any different than the Allante, El Dorado, Buick Reatta and many others.
Those were strange times, in that sense. Clearly, most OEMs were thinking that RWD cars (maybe not trucks) were dead. Thus the original idea to replace the Mustang with the Probe.
Also, Chrysler didn’t have its own RWD car platform, aside from the M-Body, which was too big and going out of production. Remember, even the Chrysler “Pony Cars” were FWD back then.
I assume the Maserati platform was too expensive, and they couldn’t figure out the logistics of using the Starion/Conquest platform for this oddity. So, the world was treated to the unholy combination of Maserati and K-car. I say that with affection…
These things had all the ingredients to be the best of two worlds – American tech combined with Italian design and luxury. It should have been amazing and stunningly beautiful – but somehow it ended up goofy and just plain awkward. The proportions were off, pure and simple. But even more odd (not counting the years where another country got involved with a Japanese engine, but I digress) was its clumsy name, “Chrysler’s TC by Maserati.” When an automaker has to make the name of a vehicle into passive form, its clear there are issues.
Years ago we had a customer with one in that putrid yellow. Insisted that it was a Maserati and that Chrysler had nothing to do with it.
Lol
LOL that’s the same as the neon SRT-4 owners saying “it’s not a neon!, it’s an SRT-4”. Sorry bud, it IS a neon. I have a super clean ’99 neon R/T in my garage as a type. :)
I have had an 1989 TC for 30+years. It is original except for the paint. It was painted black by the original owner. It has been garaged for all of those years. It has under 60,000 miles on it, mostly around town, except for a couple of trips from Washington to California. There are very few little tweaks to make it perfect!
It’s for Sale $5,000 or trade if you have a
mid 70’s El Camino in daily driver condition. Preferably Black 😁
Why pay $30,000 – $33,000 for a TC when you could get a comparably equipped LeBaron for $15,000 – $17,000?
Doesn’t have the Italian 🇮🇹 fingerprints on it Ralph..
That was the problem. Chrysler’s plans were to get the TC into production first, then introduce the LeBaron a year or two later. Unfortunately with delays, it did not work.
Yup, and despite the styling resemblance, there isn’t a single body panel shared in common between the TC vs. the LeBaron.
Had the original production schedules panned out, the LeBaron would have launched later, looking like a more affordable and larger TC; instead, the TC launched later, looking like a tarted-up and shortened LeBaron.
IDK, I don’t like the view from the back but overall these seem well proportioned. Maybe with the top on not so much. That interior though. Nice. Servicing it shouldn’t be a problem with Chrysler mechanicals. I’d prefer an Allante or a last gen T bird. But overall very nice.
I think there was a song about these cars
My Masaratti does bout 95
Its not too fast
So im still alive.
These cars have actually held up well for their age
Are parts for this an issue?
Aside from superficial model-specific stuff like body panels, lighting units and trim, nearly everything mechanical is common Mopar parts-bin stuff from the K-car family — the TC’s Q-body being a shortened G-body (Daytona), which was itself a derivative of the K-body. Original shocks and struts were tailored to the car by Fichtel & Sachs but prolly interchangeable with units suitable for the Daytona, and I’m not sure if the Teves anti-lock braking system shared major components with other models.
Very nice. If I hadn’t just bought an ’87 AMC Eagle Limited wagon, I would be tempted. Who cares about performance. It’s all about having something that almost nobody else does, that’s in remarkable condition.