1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati | Retro Review
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- Опубликовано: 26 мар 2022
- There was a lot of buzz around the Chrysler TC by Maserati. Sadly, the buying public only saw it as a very expensive LeBaron...and for the most part they weren't wrong.
Show 841 | Original Airdate 07-07-1989
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"You can't help but compare the $30k TC to the twice as expensive Allante"
It's more like; "You can't help but compare the $30k TC to the half as expensive Lebaron".
I think it was more of a competitor for the Buick Reatta
At least he didn't mention the Mercedes convertible 🤣
Hell I thought it was a rebadged LeBaron.
@@biggerchris20 A lot of people thought that. It shared some body panels, but it was it's own platform.
Every time I used to see these TCs on the road, I totally thought they were all Lebarons, too.
To paraphrase Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) in Jurassic Park….they were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.
I thought you were going for "that's a big pile of shit" lmao
"TCs had their chance, but the general public selected them for extinction."
I was just thinking that I wished there was a Retro Review for this car, and here it is... thanks Motorweek!
They in everybody dome I swear
Same
@@jjpds1 Very beautiful this Chrysler TC italian american
It was delayed for 2 years, and by that time the Lebaron convertible had already become popular at a much lower price.
FIVE years according to the narration, but that could've been starting from the first overtures between Iacocca and de Tomaso.
@@nlpnt Maybe they had already invented "Elon Musk Cybertruck Time" way back then.
isnt that george costanzas car?
@@destructoidx99 It did belong to a John Voight originally. lol
@@yusufal-kafir1539 didnt his gf dad with dementia break his car in that one episode lol
As it stands today, that sticker price is nearly $70,000 for a car that barely cleared 60 in under 10 seconds. And it’s amazing to me that you still see these cars for sale on Craigslist and Facebook. You never see them driving, but you certainly see them for sale.
To be fair, you never see them driving because out of 3 years of production only 7,300 units were sold. That is a very small amount so chances of seeing one driving around is pretty rare for that reason. Plus the car is over 34 years old. I mean even if they were brand new, and extremely popular, there would be virtually nil chanceof seeing one for most people unless you lived in California or something. You can't really judge a car fairly by that standard. I mean I have never seen an authentic Carol Shelby Mustang from the 1960's driving around either. I am sure the heck not going to say the same thing about that car. "You see them for sale, you see them in collections, but you don't see them driving around. 😂 I do get your point though.
$10k over sticker for this thing??? $10k in 1989 is equivalent to about $23,000 today. Suckers are born every day.
Insane. That was a 30% markup over MSRP! That's unimaginable even in today's stupid market.
It's a Lebaron wearing Italian clothes. Most potential buyers were smarter and passed on this expensive lump. The Allante didn't last long either.
Wait, 1989, do you actually think there was such a person who answers to the description of; a loyal Chrysler luxury buyer looking for European flair? Whoever wrote that should be in marketing
"If you're looking for a giant pile of shit with European flair, the TC might fit the bill. On the other hand, if you're looking for a giant pile of shit, you can buy a regular Chrysler for much cheaper."
I think the downfall of American luxury was that for some reason the big three all decided to poorly imitate Europe instead of do what they know to do best. Nobody wants a knockoff
@@mikelcook4028 Yeah. They should've just stuck to making unreliable, cheap cars like they were known to do. ...oh... wait...
The writer went on to work for Pontiac circa 2000 and worked on the Aztec. At least with prose like this you believe it possible.
@@jeffreypaul9428 Wanna know what’s an even bigger pile of shit and utter garbage …….The “Pontiac Aztec “, this still better looking than that trash
One of the biggest jokes of a car in automotive history.
"Introducing... the Maserati Cimmaron!"
@@Guy_de_Loimbard 😁😆💀
@@Guy_de_Loimbard😂😂😂
Wheeeeew! Here we go.
ITALIAN LUXURY WITH CHRYSLER RELIABILITY. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT FOLKS?
3:35 John: YOU EXPECT MORE THAN 4 CYLINDER ENGINES IN A 30 GRAND LUXURY CAR! LOL
Easy to forget now, but the Lebaron Convertible was a hot item in the late 80's with it's svelte shape and affordable prices. Steve Bollinger did an excellent job designing the Lebaron coupe/vert; taking a basic K-car based platform and making it look special. The shape and price is what made them so attractive... so I suspect that initial interest by buyers quickly waned as there are always going to be a few "want it first" buyers. But once they are satiated this car became a different looking loaded Lebaron for $10k more- enough to buy another whole car back then. Also think they should have gone with the Mitsubishi 3.0 V6. less peak power but way smoother and also paired with the 4 speed auto would have been a much more luxurious experience. They used that combo in many other vehicles then. But I guess TURBO carried some cache too.
This car was meant to have come to market before the aero LeBarons but was delayed until well after.
$30k with a manual roof, what luxury.
To be fair, power tops were still fairly rare - the R129 SL was mind-blowing when it debuted with a fully automatic roof that same year.
$30k C4 Corvette Convertible had manual roof as well.
Hey, now. It had an automatic firestarter built into the hard top.
Looks like a dressed up Lebaron
Shocking to find out Maerati designed the body because you're right....hard to tell the two apart.
That's why it didn't last in the market. It was delayed for 2 years, and by that time the Lebaron convertible had already become popular with good sales and a much more affordable price.
@@user-iz3gv5vo6b i had a 1989 GTC 2.5 turbo it was a sweet ride
@@P.Galore that's why people purchased the LeBaron convertible instead. Looked about the same for way less money.
maserati screwed chrysler for sure lol
The main reason why the TC exists is because Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca and Alejandro De Tomaso (who owned Maserati at the time) were good pals. This is also a precursor to modern parts sharing between Chrysler and Maserati, as various Maserati models today use off-the-shelf Chrysler parts
And I thought these were in production just because Cadillac was producing the Allante at the time and they wanted to compete.
The following year, a Mitsubishi sourced 3.0 L V6 did become available. The V6 was probably smoother but really didn't have a power advantage over the Turbo 4 because the V6 only produced about 140 hp which was less than the Chrysler turbo. The V6 was also equipped with a 4 speed automatic but it was the Ultradrive transmission which unfortunately was known for early reliability issues.
And probably ended up being rarer than the turbo 4 because everyone who wanted and could afford one of these bought the first model year.
That V6 was issue prone as well and was the same engine in minivans. So much for Maserati exclusivity.
that 3.0 also suffered from head gasket issues, but it was quite torquey at low revs, felt quick to drive. I owned one...
My dad went car shopping in 1989 and a TC was there stickered at $34k! He didn't actually buy a different new car from that dealer until 1992, and that same TC was still there, now stickered at $12k, with just 84 miles on it...
If the body was built by Maserati, couldn’t they have made it *not* look like a LeBaron?
They should have to be honest
For real, almost nothing about that body says Maserati or Italian styling. If anything, I'd almost say it looks like a JDM market version.
200hp in a four cylinder was pretty wild back then. A Cadillac 4.9 V8 set to come out 2 years later in 1991 made 200hp and that was a major achievement for a FWD V8 luxury car at the time, so a four cylinder turbo making the same horsepower in that luxury car setting is pretty awesome.
Buick was getting 300 real world horsepower from it's 3.8 V6's in 1986.
@@Followme556 what? No they weren’t. The Grand National made 235hp. Series I 3800’s made 205hp at best in supercharged form, the Series II 3800SC makes 240hp…and that’s well into the 90’s. The 300hp numbers you are referring to are from concept cars with heavily modified L36’s, and it’s just under 300hp, 297hp specifically. The 3800 and the prior 3.8 never made 300hp from factory lol.
@@ic1815 False. The intercooled GN (86-87) regularly dynoed over 300hp. Regardless of the factory rating. GN's were faster than the corvettes of that era- a full second faster in 86-87, they were the fastest production cars made in America, and in a car that was much heavier and less aerodynamic.
The 4.3 liter Vortec Turbo GMC Syclone which came in 89 also put out over 300hp. And was even faster still. Those things completely dominated the drag strip in the early 90s.
As an aside, my brother had an 83 Porsche 928S 4.7L V8, that made 300hp from the factory as well. His Grand National, btw, was faster in the quarter mile.
200hp in that era for a turbo 4 is nothing remarkable at all.
@@ic1815 "6) In their April 1986 review of the latest Buick Grand National, *Car and Driver magazine found that their test model was actually producing 290 horsepower* instead of the advertised 235, suggesting that Buick had purposefully low-balled the reported output of the turbo V6 in order to keep the cost of car insurance less expensive for Grand National owners. As Car and Driver noted in their review, their testing further showed the 1986 Buick Regal Grand National was quicker in the quarter mile than all but a handful of the most powerful Ferrari and Porsche street cars, *and even faster than the legendary Lamborghini Countach."*
The more you know.
@@Followme556 you mentioned 2 vehicles that are not 3.8’s, one that isn’t even a GM vehicle. That’s not false… the GN is known well and true to make 235hp.
The 300hp figures you are referring to are from the 547 examples of GNX’s made in 1987 in partnership with ASC Mclaren, which technically aren’t factory much like a Grand Prix ASC Mclaren. These cars were built, modified, then sent to dealers and sold as new.
Further, 200hp is quite a feat in 1989 considering as I said, V8’s weren’t making that power on a grand scale - it was niche to find that. You’re mentioning cars with at least 2 more cylinders; my comment was regarding 4 cylinders. This was pretty powerful for a 4 cylinder turbo in 89.
Love the fact that Maserati and Chrysler had such distaste for each other over this project...only for Chrysler to become its cousin by marriage and share parts with it 20 years later.😂😂😂
I love the comment of a $30K car with only a 4 cylinder when today there are 4 cylinder cars that start over$50K.
Many not even turbo :v
Agreed!
Homie... inflation, stagnant wages...
Build and quality are far superior for the newer cars you are talking about today.
In today's money that almost $70k. For a 160hp 4 cylinder 3 speed transmission is insane.
This car was probably the first project between Chrysler and Maserati prior to Fiat/Ferrari ownership (for Maserati) and FCA
I owned a 1989 Lebaron convertible, which this TC by Maserati was based on. Make no mistake about it, they weren't good cars. They felt very half-baked. Body rigidity was poor. You could feel and hear the body twisting and flexing over potholes, speed bumps, hard cornering. The 3-spd automatic was dependable but sucked out any performance the available engines offered. To slap a $30k price tag on a Lebaron with a slightly more luxurious interior was ridiculous. The Lebaron had a driver airbag starting in '89. This TC did not. Crazy. With all that said, I did like my Lebaron for what it was. A comfortable, sexy drop-top to casually cruise around in.
LOL. Too bad those buyers didn’t invest their $10K in Apple stock and waited six months for prices to go to MSRP.
I had 3 lebaron turbo convertibles back in the day. I liked them a lot. They were fun daily drivers.
If nothing else the body would've been a little stiffer by default due to the shorter wheelbase.
@@Followme556 mine was the anemic 100hp non-turbo 2.5L, but I liked it a lot.
@@palebeachbum they were good looking cars, the chicks loved them, and hey, a convertible is almost cool by default.
Its funny how things came full circle with chrysler and maserati in that now when you buy a maserati you're getting interior switchgear and trim pieces from the dodge caravan.
I know! I was looking around a Maser dealer lot a couple of years ago and one of the Ghibi's was open, so I took a seat and noticed right away the switchgear was the same as my 2013 Ram 1500. I thought that was hilarious.
There's one of these parked on the street in just down the street of my house, it's been sitting there for years. I never really noticed what it was till I walked past it one day.
I looked at the logo and was like, what the hell is that thing? Wait it's got a Maserati badge but says Chrysler on it. My son didn't believe me that it is an old Maserati.
After all these years, Chrysler and Maserati still end up related to each other.
"I only see one Lebaron. Where's your Lebaron Freddy?"
The weird backseat area reminds me of the interior of a plush coffin
Just think 30 years ago Chrysler was compared to Cadillac and Mercedes sadly now a minivan and one car.
DeLorean DMC-12, Chrysler TC, Cadillac Allanté, Buick Reatta... they all looked great but didn't offered an exciting driving experience. On the other hand, the Maserati Biturbo had an horrendous reliability record and unremarkable style, but they were absolutely amazing cars to drive. As a result, Maserati sold way more Biturbos than expected, flaws and all.
THIS car was the very best painted , highest quality car, ever sold under a U.S. brand in USA.
I have 6 of them - I know, what I am talking about - 2 * 8V Aut, 2* V6 aut, 2* 16v DOHC 5 Speed!
yellow 8v has a new muffler, and new head gasket (old gasket burned from hard water in Duesseldorf), rest is 99% original
This is a car that I would love to have. I would get either the 160hp automatic one or the later V6 one with automatic. Sure it's not the greatest Chrysler car ever but it's worth something to me.
Yaaaaas! Finally! Thank you MW!
I think I'd like to find one with the Maserati engine and 5 speed if there's any left in good shape
I highly doubt that there are outside of a chrysler museum.
I believe it was a mitsu engine with a slight change in the output with the Maserati logo on the engine.
@@dontelindsey5846 It had a Maserati Cylinder head, according to the video. I've never seen one in real life, let alone worked on one, so I dunno personally.
@@Followme556 I've seen one. A cousin had one when I was little I'm sure most of in scrapyards by now
Good luck getting parts when it inevitably breaks down.
The 16-valve heads on the 2.2 Turbo looked great (and this engine sounds better than the normal one, as it's clearly heard in the engine beauty shots) but I firmly believe that a car costing $30k back then should by law have an engine with more than 4 cylinders. The Mitsubishi 3.0 V6 with the 4-speed auto was a good candidate and if that wouldn't be enough, then the same Maserati engine treatment (24V heads with the red multiplier cables and the characteristic Maserati scripts plus a Maserati-made exhaust system) would add that desirable European flair.
Junk. That fender trim looks like it was cut by a hacksaw. 1:37
Bring back driving gloves!!!
A Lebaron in an Armani suit. Hard to believe these things actually sold, above sticker no less.
This pile had a 68000 price tag in todays dollars
Today it would be like buying a modifed Chrysler 300 SRT modifed by Maserati. I think 65k would be a bargain. Cars now a days are stupid in price
Don't forget the $10,000 dealer markup, which in today's dollars would frankly probably still be $10,000.
@@jesseraina1614 65 for this pile is a bargain? 🤣😂
@@KevinCruz-pu2ue it’s not dealers being corrupt 🤣 it’s the garbage govt screwing everything up.
Beauty lid Ben!
RIP Mr Pat Goss
This Chrysler TC by Maserati is basically a Maserati “Modified” Chrysler LeBaron GTC!
Nice looking, but over priced for sure still unique though. Those were the days.
Remember, in 1989, 160 hp was very decent, e.g. an Audi 200 turbo had that with a five cylinder. Now, you have Mustangs with a 2.3 turbo four putting out 365hp.
94 Galant please
Good looking car with the hard top fitted
When new, this car suffered due to competition, but not from the Alante and SL as Chrysler perhaps thought. Chrysler’s own LeBaron GTC with the high output VNT motor was on sale during this time and it offered similar performance, luxury, styling, and quality (with the bonus of a back seat and an easier to use power top). I don’t know why anyone at the time would choose the TC when just across the showroom floor, all that could be had in a Lebaron, for a good ten grand less.
Lol this car and the 560 SL in the same sentence
Did he really say that the LeBaron's body was stiff? OMG, the windshield cracked if you hit a large pothole......
@@raspberrysherbet5285 Lucky you (or not, depending perspective).
You can't fool me, that's a LeBaron.
$30k…. Dear lord.
2.2 LITER TURBO INLINE-4.
As much as a Maserati tuned 2.2 sounds like fun, the 2.2 turbo is solid...
Show 841 | Original Airdate: 07-07-1989
It's so funny how John never talks about the high trunk liftover OR the totally fake dual exhaust! Completely fake .
Muy buenos autos lástima que no llegaron a México
1:40 even today alot of car manufacturers cant line up the damm chrome trim from the driver door and rear passanger door
To be honest, I don't think that it is a bad car at all, but the price tag was definitely too expensive, which made it so hated.
Due to the squabbling between the two brands, Chrysler was forced to launch the LeBaron before the TC, or the opposite was the plan. Because of this, when the TC hit the market, it just looks like a gusset up LeBaron. That’s why it failed. Also, the engine.
Looks like a LeBaron with tacked on after market bits. I remember when this launched I thought, wow this is it? The Allante had flaws, but it was an attractive vehicle and these vehicles were not in the same class.
We need a retro review of the 2000 Lincoln ls pleasee
Please review the W126 560 SEL!!!
Among my favorite cars , don't care what anyone else else thinks
Yeah imo its really good, just overpriced
I love the end song
The first time i saw this car was on a episode of Miami Vice 😁
Ah, the Maserati Hubris by Chrysler.
You got your wish, John. They put the Mitsu minivan oil burner 3.0 in there. Did that make it more luxurious?
The wheelbase is hilariously short in profile shots.
It has that 80s Maserati hallmark "loaf of bread" center armrest.
$30k, brisk sales, and dealers asking $10k over MSRP. Ha! I actually chuckled.
That ruched leather looks disgusting as they have aged.
Also, I can't believe the Chrysler people didn't call you guys out back then on dropping the 's from Chrysler in the official name. I guess they were so mortified about a K car with the top cut off being pressed into racetrack duty.
Has anyone ever campaigned one of the 16v versions in 24 Hours of Lemons racing?
Good call on the paint quality. Most of these have been abandoned or thrown away, but I've never seen one with particularly badly degraded paint. Score one for the Maserati build process, I guess.
3:52 40 more HP option at no cost??
Looked like a winner back in the late '80s. But with build quality and engine reliability being acutely suspect it didn't last very long. It didn't even get the upgraded Shelby 2.2. But I get it if that higher HP would tear the chassis in half.
The styling differences between this and the LeBaron which cost half of the price were just to minimal. Without the hardtop on, it was basically a LeBaron with a grill swap.
if you ever saw them parked next to each other you'd be able to see that the TC proportions and body lines looked MUCH better, but yeah the underlying DNA was clearly the same
I might seem bizarre but it’s still a beautiful car In my opinion
had one back in the day, rarely a week would go by where I wouldn't get stopped by at least one person commenting on the car and saying how good it looked in person, sometimes 2-3 people in a single day.
A Quick Look
For some reason I remember thinking TC was Town Country, sans the & .
Where's your TC, Freddy?
Love them seats 💺
Who was the target buyer for this car?
Ah the late lamented Chrysler TC by Maserati.
You forgot the "un" 🤣
@@will89687 good one! 🤣
Geez those chrome trim pieces were loose and almost falling off already like so many 80's American cars
0-60 MPH:
9.8 SECONDS
Cheesy ass pimp: hey girl wanna ride in my Maserati
Cute girl: Oh hell no
Looks like an Allante kit car bolted to a Plymouth Sundance with the roof chopped off (basically a LeBarron, the same cheaply made platform Chrysler used for literally everything). I’m surprised they sold any of these.
But it was still better than anything that Ford and Chevy had at the time
My neighbors got a tan with a red interior sitting in the driveway
They couldn’t give this thing away.
1989 Chrysler TC BY MASERATI.
Was a pos from the get go. As a decades long Chrysler flat rate dealer tech. We were paid approx. 4 hours to prep this junk because the fit and finish was so bad, don't even get me started on the diagnostic procedures from the multi country electronics. An absolute junk.
Its the Cimmaron for Chrysler.
Basically. Someone around here where I live actually has one in pretty good looking condition, though.
I just got one free..learning about it now Oct 2022
I just got one 1/3/24
Stellantis first attempt...
Scotty Kilmer will love this video
Kilmer is about as fake and hack as this car's build quality.
As a kid I always saw the car as kind of a joke...
BRAKING - 60 MPH:
118 FEET
“Dealers on the west coast are selling the TC for up to $10,000 over asking price”…. To who?!?!? 🤣
The same idiots that would pay 20 or $30,000 over sticker for a Bronco
Looks like a Lebaron that cost 3x as much as a Lebaron. No wonder it failed.
Uau que carro da hora esse é bonito 👍👍👍
Funny Maserati are together again today. Still nothing to be excited about.
0:37. and the answer, NO
1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati | Retro Review
Great car
car was only popular in california, im not surprised...
It's a Lebaron.
Winter test home: top down. Huh??
The 3.0L v6 6g72 only made 140hp lol
Is that the one that cost Chrysler $600 million in fail-bux?