“Last Spring, we introduced the beginning of a totally new class of automobiles. Chrysler LeBaron. A new kind of Chrysler. Lighter, leaner. Smaller outside, but spacious inside. And packed with all kinds of comfort, convenience, and luxury touches. Yet, for all this elegance, affordably priced.” So says a brochure showing the 1978 Chrysler LeBaron. This two-door example is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Sherwood, Wisconsin and the seller is asking $8,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip!
This car is from the first generation of the LeBaron sneaking back into “Chrysler” after having spent a couple of decades as an Imperial model. This unique model was made from 1977 until 1981 and would be the last of Chrysler’s rear-wheel drive LeBarons, as the name would be front-wheel drive cars until the end of the run in 1994 when they were based on the Dodge Spirit and Plymouth Acclaim AA-body.
The unique rear quarters showed up on the LeBaron coupe such as this example. The four-door sedan or four-door station wagon didn’t have that look. This car appears to be bald, does it have a vinyl top? I don’t see the trim at the base of the c-pillar and it’s somewhat unusual to see one without a vinyl top. It also seems to be wearing oversized shoes, are those 16″ wheels? They look bigger than the standard 15″ tires/wheels and it looks higher than normal because it has air shocks in the rear. Unless I was planning on pulling a trailer, I’d lose those, but that’s just me. The seller has included many good photos, including underside photos.
The missing vinyl top could be due to this car being a base model LeBaron. There don’t appear to be any power options and the seats are optional all-vinyl. “Ribbed Cortez velour cloth-and-vinyl” was the standard seating material in the base model LeBaron and probably would be more comfortable year-round. Velour would have been standard in the LeBaron Medallion and leather was an option. The vinyl seats look good other than some seam separation in the driver’s seatback seen in this photo showing the backseat.
This is Chrysler’s 318-cu.in. OHV V8, which had 155 horsepower and 245 lb-ft of torque with a four-barrel carb. It sends power through a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic to the rear wheels, but a four-speed manual would have been available. It looks great under the hood with a few upgrades. This car is from Tennessee and looks rock-solid, has 80,000 miles, and runs great, or did last summer but it’s been parked since then. Given the overall appearance of this LeBaron coupe, I have to believe it could be on the road again pronto. Any thoughts on this one?
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