No matter what Chrysler says, the TC by Maserati is totally just a tarted up LeBaron. Same chassis, same platform, same engines, mostly the same bodywork. The 200 horsepower 2.2-liter turbo model had Cosworth-built-Maserati-finished cylinder heads, but this version with the 3-liter V6 was all Mitsubishi power. Man, Chrysler was all about farming out the work in the late 1980s, weren’t they?
This car shouts American Luxury. Put a thin veneer of padding and a herd of cow leather sheen, and buyers won’t be able to tell the difference between a bargain bin Chrysler and a Gaht-Damn Rolls Royce. This is literally the lipstick’d pig, and American wealthy took it to the dance and gave it a goodnight kiss.
That level of confidence is borderline inspirational. You don’t need to be beautiful on the inside if you cost a lot of money and have a fancy old-world Italian name.
Lee Iaccocca is truly the marketing genius everyone said he was in the era. That smooth talking cost cutting platform sharing champion could have gotten away with anything in the ‘80s. Including selling a fancy LeBaron with a Maserati price tag.
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