OK, so what do you call a Chrysler LeBaron with portholes? A Chrysler TC by Maserati! Well, not entirely of course, but that’s what my eyes told me the first time that I spied one. The TC was offered over a short three model years (’89-’91) and was considered, by some in the Chrysler organization, to be a misadventure. I have no preconceived notions (except for my snarky intro), so let’s take a look at this last year 1991 TC. It’s located in Deltona, Florida and is available, here on craigslist for $5,500. Thanks to Pat L. for this tip!
The story goes that Lee “Lido” Iaccoca, Chrysler CEO, befriended Alejandro de Tomaso, who ended up as the owner of the Maserati brand. Out of that friendship the TC (Turbo Charged) coupe was created. Based on a derivative of the K-car platform, a Q-body to be exact, the TC, assembled in Italy, proved to be only a fair seller with 7,300 copies seeing the light of day. According to automobile major domo Bob Lutz, ChryCo lost $600 M on the TC exercise. Research further states that all 1991 TCs, such as our subject car, were actually assembled in 1990.
So, what’s under the hood of this 83K mile two-seater? It’s not stated, or photographed but further digging indicates a 141 HP, 3.0 liter, Mitsubishi-sourced, V6 engine connected to a four-speed automatic transaxle. Other than claiming this car to be a “reliable driver” and “drives great” there are no additional operational details. Oh, and that 83K mile recording may not be accurate as the odometer is no longer operational.
Outside, all looks good. Two tops are included, both a removable hardtop and a folding soft top, which the seller suggests needs to be replaced. Minor paint imperfections are claimed, but the images don’t reveal them, or an issue of any sort with the finish, trim, or body panels.
My experience with convertibles in Florida could best be summed up as “watch out!”. The combination of hot sun, humidity, and frequent summer thunderstorms can do in a convertible interior pretty quickly. That, however, is not the case here. The tan leather upholstery, dash pad, door panels, and carpet have survived nicely and show no sign of wear or top-down abuse. This car has clearly been well stored and maintained.
The seller tells us that he’s selling this TC because it was his father’s, the second owner, and now that he has passed, he wants to move it on to the next owner. The concept of this car may be more valuable than the car itself if you consider the circumstances under which it was conceived, designed, and built. There were a few hundred built with a Maserati juiced 2.2-liter engine and a five-speed manual transaxle, but this isn’t one of those exalted examples. It’s really nothing special beyond the standard Chrysler fare that was offered at the time, but the American-Italian mash-up was an intriguing undertaking, something that in automotive circles doesn’t seem to occur any longer. For $5,500, I don’t think this TC will have trouble finding a new garage, wouldn’t you agree?
These were unbelievably dumb cars. Basically, a much more costly LeBaron convertible.
Disagree Bick . Believe these had the assembly and finishing touch by Maserati 🔱 in Italy 🇮🇹.
Cool automobiles, great style.
And everyone knows the reliability and build quality that Maserati was renowned for in the 90s
The only part of these assembled at Maserati was the 16-valve cylinder head of 500 first-year models equipped with a manual transmission, and even that head was actually designed and cast by Cosworth, then shipped to Maserati for final machining and assembly.
The bodies were stamped and assembled at Innocenti, which Maserati’s owner de Tomaso also happened to own at the time, tho’ to be fair Innocenti also stamped and assembled all the Biturbo bodies for Maserati at the time as well.
Despite the similar styling, the TC was actually designed first and shared no body panels in common with the LeBaron coupe/convertible. The plan was that the TC would launch first, then a couple years later the LeBaron would launch with some TC-derived styling cues and inherit some cachet from the more expensive and exclusive TC.
Unfortunately, delays in getting the TC into production meant it wound up launching after the LeBaron, so instead of the LeBaron seeming like a more attainable TC for everyman, the TC just seemed like a tarted-up LeBaron.
the TC was on the books first.The only thing that fits the TC from the Labaron is the windshield period.The Labaron was the US version of the TC as a cheaper version.If you compare the metal panels ,interior etc the is no comparison.
And, the LeBaron is the bargain of the old car hobby. All these complaints about BJ’s auctions putting the hobby out of reach of “everyman”, there are really interesting cars out there that nobody is paying attention to at the moment, and so are affordable, drivable, safe – belts and airbags, and fixable, with the major manufactures using a few engines in many models, there are parts and mechanics who know how to fix them, no, you can’t “fix” a computer module, but you can buy one.
Twenty-ish years ago I worked with an engineer who commuted in the manual transmission, Maserati-engined one he had bought new. He loved it, said it was great to drive and very quick. I think these would have done much better and have a better reputation today if they had made it to market on schedule, instead of concurrently with the LeBaron. As it is, they are very interesting and underrated cars that can be had ridiculously cheaply for what they are.
Like any car which is now cheap but was once expensive, though, it’s not easy to find good ones, and I’d expect the purchase price to be just the down payment on the maintenance costs to keep it in good shape.