Recently, a friend of mine purchased a car very similar to this Chrysler TC by Maserati, right down to the primrose yellow paint job. For all the bad jokes and teeth gnashing about the failure that was the TC, many of us are overlooking the ridiculous value these cars now provide. My colleague picked up a near-mint condition car for $3,000, and while this 1989 model listed here on craigslist is more expensive at $7,500, it’s still a relative bargain for a mildly collectible car that remains in excellent, usable condition. To be able to buy a convertible with with 34,000 miles from ’89 for under $10,000 doesn’t happen very often.
The TC had a number of missteps, for sure. It was extremely expensive when new, especially compared to its competition. It was underpowered, with a Dodge Daytona parts bin engine dropped into a vehicle meant to appeal to anyone who valued prestige and luxury. The complicated assembly process dramatically increased the MSRP and the how’s and why’s of manufacturing mattered little to the consumer who simply felt the car was overpriced for what it was. And the biggest black eye of all? The company’s own Chrysler LeBaron, which looked and felt like the same car for far less money.
The TC did attempt to correct some of these shortcomings with a later version offering a 5-speed manual and an engine breathed on by none other than Cosworth of England, but it was too little, too late. That didn’t stop many original owners from treating it like a collectible after all the hype that preceded it and the perception of the high asking price being some sort of barometer for future values. The car my friend bought looks brand new, undoubtedly kept in pristine condition by an owner who felt that the TC was destined for greater things, like so many other owners of “limited edition” pace car tributes.
But if you strip all that away and look at the TC for the things it does well, which includes being a convertible, being cheap to operate, and coming equipped with a hardtop that makes all-season use a very real possibility, it starts to look like a far better value. If we stopped expecting the TC to become collectible, we might all begin to appreciate what a tremendous value it is in a rapidly ballooning collector car environment. 160 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque isn’t spell-binding, but it’s enough to get around town, and those motors were known to respond well to upgrades. Do you think the TC should be given a closer look as a cheap summer runabout? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Jack M. for the find.
Thanks for the feature Lavery. Beautiful and comfortable convertibles the TC. 🇮🇹 🇺🇸
How about a Shelby GLH version with the five speed? Also, why no pictures of the interior or engine?
Another great write up of a car that if you follow BAT or EBay with any sense of regularity you will find examples of this popping up for $7k quite regularly. The overarching question is “is the car worth it” to the average person? The LeBarron was always an economical convertible that you could pick up used for $2-3K and drive during the summer months without breaking the bank. I suppose if I was looking for something to put away for a few years and try to make some money this might be a way to do it but beyond that I just don’t see the draw to this vehicle.
It wasn’t a “later version” that had the Getrag 5-speed and Cosworth influenced engine. That powertrain was only available the first year ’89, in a limited edition of only 500 cars. Cosworth designed and cast the 16-valve heads, paired with cams by Crane, which Maserati then finished and assembled into complete heads ready to install.
That head was the only thing credibly “Maserati” about any of these. The bodies were stamped and assembled at Innocenti, which Alejandro De Tomaso also happened to own, tho’ to be fair he also had Innocenti building actual Maseratis at the time as well.
Automatic TCs in that first year ’89 just had the regular Mopar 2.2L “Turbo I” engine — so that’s what this one should have, same as later-model Shelby Chargers and Omni GLH-Ts — then the following years all got automatics with a Mitsubishi V6.
There were also some “intercooled” Turbo IIs in these. The TC received the only automatic Turbo IIs from this generation of vehicles, I believe. I have a TII in my ’89 LeBaron GTC as well, but all of these were 5-speed.
Ah yes, my apologies, the ’89 auto-equipped TCs did all get the intercooled “Turbo II”, not the “Turbo I” as I mentioned above.
The 16v “Maserati”-headed engine was also a turbo, but apparently not intercooled AFAICT.
Beat me too it. And thanks
Why only 500 units with the Cosworth head? Because that was the minimum number of engines that Chrysler had to buy under the contract with Cosworth.
I have often wondered if the original plan was to have many, many more cars equipped with the twin-cam engine and Getrag five speed, a car that would have been far more credible as a luxury/performance automobile than the Daytona Turbo/three speed automatic cars.
The dollar collapsed in value in the late eighties, making these cars much more expensive than originally planned, and my suspicion is that the more sophisticated drive train was eliminated to control costs, as the project’s numbers spiraled out of control
After having suffered the slings and arrows of it’s mechanics, price and performance, it gets photographed in front of the Family Dollar.
But it doesn’t do 185.
Pass on this turdish fakir – buy the Sebring Limited with better Everything for less money !
Always loved the car; what a shame the ¨marriage¨ didn´t produce something more viable. Whoever signed up on the building and assembly plans was abotaging the make, or makes.
Yep…..those were that time……there are two in a buddies wrecking yard – this color and the purple/plum color one…..