Here’s how the Chrysler TC by Maserati was a $600 million flop

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In this episode I provide the history of the Chrysler TC by Maserati, a joint venture between Chrysler's Lee Iacocca and Maserati's Alejandro de Tomaso, to create a new roadster to help bring Chrysler up-market, in exchange for providing Maserati with much needed financial help. The result was a project that lasted 5 years, 2 years beyond the release of the very similar looking Chrysler LeBaron, making the TC appear to most potential buyers as a LeBaron knock-off for more than twice the price, resulting in very poor sales. Between 1989 and 1991, only 7300 were built due to contractual obligation. The $600 development meant that each car cost Chrysler over $82,000.

[@dougderby9454]

Friends dad owned a small Chrysler Jeep dealer. Of course his mom ordered one new. Still have it today with less than 20k miles.

[@nocturnalmayhem0]

why was it hardly driven? broke down too much? parts too hard to find? its not exactly a collectors cars but its still cool someone perserved one with low miles but 80s chrysler and maserati were not known for their quality.

[@dougderby9454]

@@nocturnalmayhem0 Her husband owned the dealer. She always drove a new grand Cherokee. The TC was a summer weekend car and they were keeping it as a collectible.

[@nocturnalmayhem0]

@@dougderby9454 well its prob one of a handful still in driveable shape in good condition thats awesome it got set aside as a collectors item

[@Sauceyjames]

Perks of owning a dealership, you drive each showroom car whenever you want.

[@VanquishMediaDE]

Surprisingly I actually see one every once in awhile and they still drive down the road just fine. I have leased a few Maseratis before and you will see the occasional TC owner at Maserati group day.

[@DickTruth]

I was born in '89. One of my earliest memories is my dad and grandpa discussing grandpa's new car he just bought. I remember the conversation went something like: G-pa (who was 100% Sicilian): "I just bought a Maserati!" Dad, going out to look at the car: "...That's a Chrysler." G-pa: "What are you talking about? It says 'Maserati' right there!" Dad: "...You spent $35k on a Chrysler." G-pa: "..." Dad: "..." G-pa: "...No, no! It's a Maserati!" Dad: "Alright, whatever you say..."

[@NeonKnight83]

Gramps got took

[@boosted_spirit]

They were hand-built in Italy by maserati. Definitely not just a chrysler

[@DickTruth]

@@boosted_spirit That's exactly what it is, and that's why the TC failed so hard. They took all these hand-built components sourced from exotic locations, but when they put it all together, they still made "just" a Chrysler. Except the pricetag was 3 times the LeBaron. So in that respect, it's not "just a Chrysler," I suppose.

[@omcx1e]

Like most people who comment about the TC, you have no clue what you’re talking about. Over 75% of the parts on the car were sourced in Italy. The ABS, shocks and struts were sourced in Germany. Assembly and finishing was done in Italy by Maserati and was comparable to the nicest cars of the era. The body parts, formed in hand-made jigs by Innocenti, who did all of Maserati’s body work at the time, were perfect. The paint was flawless. The hand-sewn leather interiors were arguably the best on the market. The only Chrysler parts on the car were the base engines and transmissions, the four-wheel disc brakes from the Shelby Daytona, the Infiniti stereo, and various little electronic bits. All body and interior parts are unique to the TC. Nothing came from Chrysler.The reason the car failed so big is because it was supposed to hit the market at the end of 1986, about a year before the third generation LeBaron which was intentionally designed to look like the TC. Unfortunately, because of squabbling between the Chrysler and Maserati engineers and the generally slow pace of the communist workers who build cars in Italy, the TC didn’t hit the market until 1989, more than a year after the LeBaron. That’s why it flopped.

[@DickTruth]

@@omcx1e I'll copy and paste what I commented right above your comment: "They took all these hand-built components sourced from exotic locations, but when they put it all together, they still made "just" a Chrysler. Except the pricetag was 3 times the LeBaron." You tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, and then you essentially repeat what I already said.

[@Trenchbroom]

I worked as a claims adjuster for a major US insurer for a few years about 15 years ago, handling total loss vehicles after the primary adjuster on the claim had determined the car was not repairable. Most conversations about car values were rough, but TC owners? Hard to tell an original owner that his "Maserati" that he shelled out $30,000+ for 15 years prior and had a mere 15,000 miles on the odometer was only worth about $1500. I think I had five of those cars during that time, and every single time I saw that I was assigned to handle a TC I knew that the work day was going to be particularly miserable.

[@omcx1e]

Wow, you guys are robbing people blind. Even now a rough TC will bring $1500.

[@doug6191]

Galant. A car with history beyond one generation.

[@TCG2008]

Recommendation; the Toyota van

[@emilianoperezdominguez8642]

Do the HILUX 🤣🤣🤣

[@sooptiem]

Okay, who would want to make such an unreliable car with Maserati? And then COMPARE it to the Cadillac allante? and you should do the Cadillac allante. Keep the videos coming! 😎

[@JDMHaze]

I only Chrysler would be the one to do something like that and it seems they have merged again in recent years

[@GeeEm1313]

Chrysler. Duh.

[@sooptiem]

@@GeeEm1313 yeah I could see that.

[@joeyrodriguez1290]

If Chrysler tried doing this today, Maserati would probably tell them to F off

[@rturner4205]

Well, Citroen did. Engine was 3/4 of a Maserati V8.

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

An episode on the Mitsubishi Galant or Diamante would be nice!

[@MrRhino10]

Diamante magna / verada

[@deefaison3730]

I owned a '99 Galant, and it was a great vehicle

[@Cheezwizzz]

I always liked the TC, I particularly like the circular opera window

[@nater86zx]

Jalopnik did an article on that window recently, apparently it acted like a magnifying glass and burnt the interiors!

[@Cheezwizzz]

@@nater86zx You’re kidding me? 😅

[@jeremygeorgia4943]

The Reatta actually looked nice. It looked like a large sized Accord sports car. Except that it was American. I just wish it had lasted a tad longer. I kinda wish I could have owned one, but maybe it's good I never got the chance. It's pretty much impossible for me to unsee "LeBaron", in that supposed Maseratti. I suppose, it could have said "Ferrari", and I would still be thinking about the reliability of it's American siblings. I would have had to have been super rich, non-frugal, and not at all a snob, to have bought one of those. In those days, I preferred GM. Used experience would later switch me to being a Ford fan.

[@brianbartelli8731]

A good depiction of the car with one error: The 16 valve motor used an engine head specifically designed by Maserati, and yes, fabricated by Cosworth. The turbo was supplied by lHl. The block is Chrysler but was modified for the head. All this mated to a 5 speed manual transmission by Getrag. So this makes this powerplant unique vs the Chrysler turbo ll back then, and justifies the Maserati stamp on the value cover!

[@derpincorperated8644]

I feel like I’ve left this exact comment on one of your other videos but I’m surprised you don’t have larger following with the streamlined, interesting, and informative nature of your videos. Oh and the consistent quality that’s made me think I’ve said this before. Love My Old Car™️!

[@Oonagh72]

That car looks exactly like the Allante. I loved the Allante and the Reatta.

[@phantom0456]

I can't imagine spending the modern equivalent of $72k for what was literally a gussied-up LeBaron. I can't believe that Chrysler even managed to sell as many as they did. That being said, I'd still love to have one, but I love odd and quirky cars.

[@nicholascortez728]

It actually wasn't a gussied up LeBaron, despite the similar looks the TC and the third gen LeBaron actually don't share any sheet metal aside from the hood. The TC was in development before the facelift LeBaron but difficulties in development and production ment that it wouldn't debut till after the LeBaron. Had it released first like intended and with the Maserati tubed Turbo-K with a manual like intended it may have fared better.

[@omcx1e]

Other than the fact that the LeBaron was intentionally designed to look like the TC, and the base drivetrain in the TC being the top of the line in the LeBaron, the two cars have absolutely nothing in common. They share no body or interior parts. They are completely different cars.

[@omcx1e]

The TC actually initially sold very well, with dealers getting as much is $10,000 above MSRP for the first few months. Once Chrysler realized the cheaper LeBaron was going to come out before the TC instead of after as planned, they reduced the order for TC to the minimum agreed number of 7300. There were never going to be any more than that available to sell, and they sold them all.

[@nicolem.792]

This car was like a character from a movie a la “Family Truckster” or the overwrought car in Trains Planes and Automobiles, that you could actually buy and take home. Everything wrong and glorious about the 1980’s and the vehicles it spawned rolled into one vehicle.

[@frankdeboer1347]

Do an episode on the Fairmont/Zephyr Twins as they were the first Fox bodies from Ford that eventually underpinned the majority of Ford's cars in the 80s and into the 90s. My favorite was the Zephyr Z7.

[@Sashazur]

In my 20s I drove my parents Zephyr wagon after they replaced it with a Chrysler minivan. It was reliable but kind of cheaply made.

[@ScubaSteveM45]

Yeah I discovered this since at 15 I was looking at getting my dad's '78 Fairmont woody wagon as my first car. Sadly I never got it as my dad used the wagon as a trade in since Ma's car died and Ma wound up with a '85 Cimarron

[@JesseeSage]

One that always perplexed me was the Cadillac Cimarron, a tiny car for the time with a 4 speed manual transmission. Even back then as a kid, I thought it to be silly for a luxury car brand to create something far from luxury. Great channel and content. Thx!

[@Yeen125]

The Cimarron was conceived as a competitor to the BMW 3 series and Mercedes 190. Unfortunately GM both cheapened out and rushed it to market by using an unmodified J Platform that was shared with the Caviler (and was built in the same factory in Janesville, WI).

[@AdrianInflorida]

Brand engineering at its finest (worst)

[@ScubaSteveM45]

You know the head of Cadillac has a picture of a Cimarron captioned Never Again as a warning of what NOT to do? My Ma had a used Cimarron given our family was fond of J-Bodys and I've owned a 190E and the Cimarron had zero chance of drawing buyers away from the 190E, Audi 4000, and E30 BMW it was expected to compete against

[@FWDSUXARSE]

Cadillac didn't even want to fully own up to it being one of their cars. They labeled it "Cimarron by Cadillac" 😂

[@Oddman1980]

The last time I saw one of these in person, was when a particularly dumb friend of mine slid his off the side of a perfectly straight deserted road on a sunny day and landed it in the ditch sideways. I remember the entire chassis of the car conformed to the shape of the ditch.

[@jasonhsu4711]

On the bright side, that particular Chrysler TC by Maserati never again left anyone stranded. :)

[@Oddman1980]

@@jasonhsu4711 This is true, it was reliable after that. Reliably dead.

[@itsnotme07]

Great video on a car that never should have been, at least in the form it was created. You'd think for $82k per car in 1989/91 dollars, it would have been a definite hit. Way too many bad decisions. Love the seats though...very old school Cadillac style with the pillowtop stuff, but the rest...dash gauges matched my 1988 Dodge Daytona...for which I paid $11,500 new, not $33k. lol How about the Chrysler Sebring and Chrysler Sebring Convertible platforms? And for those wanting to see these TC's in person...definitely go to the Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, PA in July every year (like in the video). Fun people to talk with in the TC club. Been to that show 10 times now with my 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible Limited.

[@300DBenz]

I love the basketweave wheels, they look exactly like the ones my mom’s 1989 Toyota Camry had.

[@ltwilliamsteward8387]

The wheels were made by Fondmetal in Italy famous for Formula One. They are perfect in everyway!

[@darrellasmith77]

Yet again another great episode keep up the great work. I'd still love to see an episode about the CRX

[@Greybush46322]

How about a Buick Riviera? I actually saw one on the road today, and thought about your channel. You are living rent free in my head when I see old cars on the road.

[@aaroncostello8812]

I always thought they were nice looking cars, and I certainly wouldn't mind having one as a cheap summertime cruiser.

[@michaelb.42112]

I just realized that this channel cures my depression. PS - As an American who grew up in the 80's, we ALL know Maserati BECAUSE of Joe Walsh.

[@braino64]

Please do a video on the Volkswagen Fox, the 1980s one that were sold in North America as a 3-door wagon and 2-door sedan

[@DM-hw4cr]

My dad had the three-door wagon. nothing but a mechanical headache

[@mathewmclean9128]

Whenever I hear the model "TC" the first thing that comes to mind is the Scion tC not the Chrysler TC.

[@gregholloway2656]

Funny, I think of the MG TC. I guess no one thinks of Chrysler...

[@nicholasfield6127]

I want one of these so bad!!! They are absolutely ridiculous and I love that.

[@MrJayrock620]

Can honestly say I’ve never seen one of these in person, and I’ve been going to cruise nights and car shows for 35 years. One of the cars I used to see everywhere was the Mazda Protege, and now I don’t even see a beaten up one roaming the streets.

[@life_of_riley88]

True, Protoge's were everywhere. So many cars are all but gone nowadays.

[@billyjoejimbob56]

Long time residents of metro Detroit, Michigan remember a guy named William M. Davidson (aka Bill). He was born in 1922, graduate of U of M and Wayne State Law, and a WWII veteran. He was the scion of a family that owned Guardian Glass, which he took charge of in 1933, teetering near bankruptcy. Bill turned it around and built it into a powerhouse supplier to the auto industry. With his growing fortune, He purchased the Detroit Pistons, and Built the team a new stadium, The Palace of Auburn Hills, which shared a large piece of land with Guardian Headquarters in the 1990s and beyond. I worked for a supplier that was adjacent to the Pistons offices and practice facility on the property. The location is about 5 miles North of Chrysler's headquarters. I remember in the early 2000s occasionally seeing an immaculate yellow TC leaving Guardian occasionally on early summer evenings. The driver looked like Bill Davidson who was still in charge into his 80s. I have always believed that Guardian was one of many suppliers that supported Iacocca's dream car, and probably lost money on every car sold, as did Chrysler. Davidson passed away in 2009. Guardian is now part of Koch industries. The Pistons were sold, moved to a new stadium in Detroit, and the Palace torn down. The TC was just a rounding error in Davidson's huge estate, but it sure would be a choice unit for a TC fan to own. Wonder where it is now?

[@nathancook1404]

I think it would be a Good Idea to make a video in the Future about Chrysler's Failed Partnership with Damiler and how Chrysler almost ended up going out of business and would later partner up with Fiat inorder to survive.

[@chadakoin1]

There was a kids cartoon called Top Cat on tv around the same time this car was available. About an alley cat who wore a hat retrieved from a trash can. He was usually referred to as TC, and the show predated this car. Whenever I hear TC, I think Top Cat.

[@bc5441]

An earlier partnership that didn’t cost nearly as much and didn’t sell nearly as well (probably because it wasn’t marketed very aggressively) is the Dodge 024 deTomaso trim package.

[@davidwaller5698]

I genuinely think this thing would’ve been at least a mentionable footnote if it released first as intended

[@mattg8369]

I have a huge soft spot for this car. I'd love to have one.

[@AdrianInflorida]

A fun quirk, the crystal cut emblem in the rear porthole windows works like a magnifying glass when sun passes thru, and has caused burn in on the interior upholstery on some TCs

[@nater86zx]

Yep. Jalopnik did an article on that recently.

[@Henry_Jones]

1980 Chevy Citation, the beginning of the end for GM

[@johna.4334]

No, the beginning of the end for GM was back in 1971 and the release of the Chevy Vega. What a disaster that turned out to be

[@Henry_Jones]

@@johna.4334 citation was worse for gm because it was a shitbox straight from the factory and it sold 4x what the vega sold burning out 4x the number of gm customers. On top of that the citation dna lived on in the j body, n body, a body, etc for decades making gm fwd vehicles always a day late and a dollar short, even when reliable. They were still dull mediocre cookie cutter cars at best.

[@michaelb6729]

Looking forward to the Bundy-Bounce in your Allante video !

[@acelacrocker2958]

When I first saw one of these, the porthole window fooled me into mistaking it for a new Thunderbird.

[@omcx1e]

The portholes were kind of silly

[@sixerjosh]

It’s been a rough week. I’m so glad I have this new episode to take my mind off it.

[@timothydemick9822]

Loved this episode! Wish it was longer and more in depth.

[@rager1969]

How do you fix low sales due to poor marketing? Raise the price. Brilliant!

[@franzvanjulio5523]

I was a kid at the time and an extreme auto enthusiast. There’s no way that I would have ever contemplated the TC competing head to head with the Allante and Reatta, much less the Mercedes. RIP to Mr. Ioccoca, but he swung and missed altogether with the TC.

[@leehouston5436]

ROFLLLL!!! The TC spanked the Reatta , and it’s 3.8 six made LESS hp

[@tj81164]

Would love to see the Buick Reatta in a future episode. My dream car when it came out, I had to wait 26 years before I finally could own one. Absolutely love it!

[@urself25]

I would like to see a video on the Colt (mitsubishi). I owned a 89 Eagle Vista turbo, back in the days, being Canadian. Loved it but but by the time I was given the car, It was in its final working years, back in 1996.

[@02altima02]

Lovin the videos, keep them coming 🚗

[@AWeaver1983]

I love every episode, but I'm going to be ecstatic when you do the Buick Reatta.

[@curbowman]

The Reatta episode it's already online! Yipeeee!!!! Yes, I also love the Reatta.

[@jeffreynowak1294]

I recall that my Grandma's neighbor had one of those cars, it was red. I was always curious about it as a kid who liked cars since it was so very rare, and didn't know at the time what it really was all about. Thank you for the in depth explanation. I live in and grew up in the Detroit area, and the TC was a very rare creature even way back then.

[@torstenscholz6243]

Well, with only 7300 built, it's no surprise that it was rare even in its day. I always liked the car, the design is neat and has aged well, but since it was much too close to the design of the LeBaron, which cost half as much, I can see why no one wanted it. Also, it was built in Italy, and being built in 1980s Italy already says everything about its quality and reliability.

[@ListsOf13]

Funny enough, I just talked about the TC by Maserati on my KZbin channel also, lol... Everything I do is in lists of 13, and it was one of the 13 horrible cars with Chrysler name plates... Anyways, really enjoy your channel and I'm glad you did this one!

[@andyk2763]

These are my favorite videos to watch, thanks for keeping them coming! Any plans for a video on the Chevy Celebrity (maybe mention if the stable mates too)? They were one of the best selling American cars of the time and offered a wide variety of body styles and trim levels. The Eurosport and VR also handled wonderfully and were/are my favorites. They have basically vanished from America's roadways in the last 20 years.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Front wheel drive doesn't make a sports car anyway!

[@omcx1e]

Drive a Shelby GLHS and then try and tell me that. They outperformed pretty much anything on the road until the F40 came out. The Shelby club used to go to the track with the Ferrari club and the only cars from the 80s that gave us trouble were the Testarossa’s. They would walk away from us in the straights but we would reel them back in in the turns.

[@williambrown3458]

A person who I believe is semi-retired inspects cars at a shop in my hometown (Uxbridge, MA) owns a TC where it's sitting in his shop. I still remember that conversation with him when he inspected my car. Also, I suggest a video on the Honda Element because I own one.

[@kevinbarry71]

Love the video. As I recall at the time there were reports that the glass in the Opera window in the removable hard top if hit by the sun just right would act like a magnifying glass and start a fire

[@AdrianInflorida]

Yep, I came here to post that very thing. Usually not a full blown fire, but interior upholstery has been scorched

[@saabviggen00]

The inclusion of the Kurt Vile video at the end was a cool touch

[@bolt5564]

I would love an episode about the Cadillac allante

[@Steve-gc5nt]

I'm surprised that a car endorsed by Darth Vader wasn't more successful.

[@chrisp679]

He found its lack of sales disturbing.

[@JoJoJoker]

“Wow, you own a Maserati TC & Cadillac Cimmaron? CLASSY!”

[@1114860]

@7:16 that's my car! I sold it last year. It was fun owning this very misunderstood car, even though it was truly a K-car under the skin.

[@TheBandit7613]

Were the seats as comfy as they looked?

[@sebastiend.5335]

Always loved the Allante in Tango & Cash. Thanks for another great video. Greetings from the Netherlands PS Do another euro car! :)

[@reallyrandomrides1296]

One of the best looking K-Cars ever made, though it was still no Mercedes-fighter.

[@olikat8]

Got one of these with low miles, the V6, in triple black...cheap. My daughters used it for a summer cruiser, it's a back up car- cheap, easy to repair (except the brakes- flush the brakes every 2 years!), is actually based off a Daytona chassis and it gets some looks

[@jaxxmadine]

It's actually based off a LeBaron chassis. Which is a k car chassis. And you should flush your brakes that often for all your cars. More so in higher humidity climates.

[@olikat8]

@@jaxxmadine No. It's based off the shorter G-body/Daytona chassis...they are all pimped out K-cars, including the minivans. Read- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_TC_by_Maserati

[@jaxxmadine]

@@olikat8 now click that "Q Body" link inside the wiki page. It's a k car, it's a LeBaron. Cool you own one, I'm certified to repair them.

[@scottbogfoot]

Niva, riva and samara. We had a lada dealership in St.John's Newfoundland in the 80s until 89

[@RichardinNC1]

Being a Daytona owner and big Mopar fan in the 80s, I had so much hope for the TC, in bringing better tech down the line. As it turned out, the TC was saddled with standard Mopar tech. At least not until the 16v unit which I think was the basis for the Spirit and Daytona 16v engines.

[@omcx1e]

The 16 valve was actually the first engine, not a later development. The 16 valve head was designed by Maserati and built by Cosworth. It’s a different design than the one on the Turbo III engines.

[@416diy]

Great video! How about a video on the Dodge Spirit one day? I learned to drive with a black '91 Spirit with the 3L Mitsu V6. Fond memories.

[@colbybrown4085]

Thanks for another great car video!

[@jorisspee]

I absolutely love your vids man! Can you do one on the 7G Galant please?

[@VanquishMediaDE]

I see them once in awhile and they still drive the road just fine, I have leased a few Maseratis before and I would see the occasional TC owner at the local Maserati owner's club.

[@steverone7623]

I believe the kicker of the Joe Walsh song is, a Maserati wasn’t built yet that was capable of 185

[@sleepyhollow783]

How about kilometers? A stretch I know.

[@steverone7623]

@@sleepyhollow783 🤯 . Never considered it I thought he was an American

[@KJApexxmedia5511]

I got an 89 chrysler TC Maserati turbo with less than 30k miles.. for sale 4000$ motor is so clean it looks brand new good paint burgundy augusta ga..

[@markmanz8897]

Many years ago, I was in Las Vegas when they had a TC Convention. I probably saw 150 of them.

[@omcx1e]

It’s nice to see a fairly well researched and objective video about these cars. The vast majority of the videos about them are garbage. One error is the idea that the valve cover on the 16 valve engine was the only real difference. The cylinder head was designed by Maserati and built by Cosworth, and was unique to the TC. The other error is the comment that they didn’t do enough to make the TC look different than the LeBaron. When the TC went into production the third generation Lebaron didn’t exist. The LeBaron was intentionally designed to look like the TC because of the very marketing plan that is mentioned in the video. If the TC had hit the market when it was supposed to, the resemblance would not have been the problem it ended up being.

[@hannahpumpkins4359]

I almost bought a Bi-Turbo, but actually in the test drive the dealer talked me out of it citing it's reliability (I think being female had something to do with this - like, he didn't want me to get stranded someplace/taken advantage of, etc). I loved the sound of that motor though! A few years later I looked at the TC and just couldn't figure it out - it was like a mish-mosh or parts and styles; not really a sports car either since it was slow and had sloppy handling. Now I just rent Maserati's through Turo, and pick up my friends and just spend a day out in the country driving and checking out antique shops, etc.

[@20CMT08]

A honest car dealer? Rare sight.

[@houseofno]

Actually Lee Iacocca was affiliated with Ford as early as the late 1950s or early 1960s and is largely considered to be the father of the Ford Mustang. He was fired by Henry Ford II in 1978 where he landed at Chrysler shortly after. He is largely credited with saving Chrysler through the Chrysler K cars and their minivans. He was at Chrysler until the early 1990s.

[@RandomVids519]

Woo nice to see the hoovie shout out😎💪

[@farmonious420]

Wow couldn't sell them even with James Earl Jones. You should do the Subaru SVX. Keep up the great vids. Stay Happy and Healty.

[@texasyojimbo]

If you ever decide to do channel merch, I think it would be cool to have a "family tree" of K car and K-car derived platforms. I think it would be a very cool poster.

[@joeyrodriguez1290]

I'd love to see an episode of the Plymouth Roadrunner

[@ryansaylor6043]

I had an '88 Plymouth Reliant coupe. Had the Iron Duke 2.5 liter 4 cyl. Loved that little car. If you'd hit a good enough bump the radio would switch to AM on it's own. Lol. Never saw many coupe versions of the Reliant.

[@fourstar7]

Iron duke was GM, bro

[@thebionicbassplayer]

You would think time would have been kinder to the Chrysler TC by Maserati, but sadly it has not. It still looks like a badge engineered LaBaron. This episode like all on this channel, had excellent research and presentation. I had no idea it was that expensive to build, putting it in Cadillac Allante' territory.

[@torstenscholz6243]

I actually quite like the design, it looks decent and quite elegant, but then again, I also like the design of the rather similar LeBaron. Also, the LeBaron was 2+2 (although like with most 2+2 the rear seats were only for little children) while the TC was 2-seats only. Add to that a completely crazy price tag and 1980s Italian build quality and it's rather obvious why this didn't work.

[@JoJoJoker]

Why would anyone in their right mind buy this over a 450SL?

[@vassa1972]

Great video

[@alejandrominero3692]

Hope this reaches you 1st I love your channel very insightful and entertaining I always wonder what the back story was to a lot of these cars I grew up seeing on the road … I have one that I haven’t seen hardly anyone talk about maybe it’s a car for a future episode anyway it’s The Ford EXP 🤷🏽‍♂️ not the best blue oval vehicle just throwing it out there

[@MyOldCar]

I included the EXP in my Ford Escort episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZ7PpKubf8eNm7s

[@Fuji086]

Ah, the TC. My grandfather had one and bragged it up quite a bit. Then the engine blew and he left it sit for a few years before scraping it.

[@mdleweight]

I knew someone who had one and rode in it a few times. It was a valiant (pun intended) attempt to make a nice Chrysler.

[@elijahcollier8348]

Bob Lutz wrote a book called "Icons & Idiots" in the 2000s about many of the prominent men he worked under. There's a chapter about Iacocca who I think Lutz worked under after BMW. Very interesting book, highly recommended

[@wheretheredferngrows14]

Loved the Hoovie clip!

[@syxepop]

Now THAT was a HOOPTIE if ever was one... 🤣🤣🤣

[@ljhudsonjr]

Kinda reminds me of the 1992 Eldorado in the front.

[@davidwaller5698]

I would love a crossfire episode eventually. My grandma had one and basically let the tires dry rot. Every single day she talks about how bad she wants another one. She wouldn’t drive it but she’d definitely stand there and look at it

[@JDMHaze]

The fact you had to manually remove the softop was a big let down, no pun intended

[@jasonhsu4711]

Given how unreliable the Chrysler TC by Maserati was, it's a good thing that you had to manually take the top down. At least your convertible never sprayed hydraulic fluid on you. Check out this Mercedes convertible from the Car Wizard: kzbin.info/www/bejne/foOTkIt4frCJr8k

[@artdalby6108]

Had to remove the hardtop a la T-bird and early Vette. soft top under tonneau stays till needed.

[@JDMHaze]

@@artdalby6108 I'm speaking for the way they were marketing this car ... The Corvette was not meant to be upscale, it was based on performance and a bargain supercar, But the way they were advertising this as a lower level Mercedes SL competitor,

[@JDMHaze]

@@jasonhsu4711 Familiar with the car wizard and I'm familiar with how excruciating the repair can be for anything motorized especially convertibles, This was actually an issue with the older Lincoln continentals and similar... So you're definitely right about that, but I'm just speaking for the luxury aspect that they were promoting so damn hard, reliability wise I wouldn't trust anything that critical being electronic from Chrysler...

[@ThisOldCarChannel]

I had one. It was a POS

[@elizabethcherry920]

I knew someone who had one with the 2.2 turbo cosworth ( actually he and others say that it was Lotus who made that engine) I do know that it doesn't share any components with the Chrysler 2.2 and that because of the fuel lines leading up to the fuel injectors had a problem coming apart thus catch on fire. Now I am 55 years old and I was looking into buying one and I remember that the V6 was made available only with the Automatic, while the turbo engines were manuals, the reason for the car to originally come out with the 160hp turbo is that the 200hp one was not ready, with the 200hp engine it was fast but not by todays standards. I wished I could have afforded the car back then, love them then and still do today

[@boosted_spirit]

The maserati 2.2 engine was a chrysler 2.2 bottom end with a dohc maserati head. The TIII 2.2 with the lotus head was used in the spirit r/t and a few daytonas and had 224 hp. The lotus head 2.2 is still competitive with modern 4 cylinders. The spirit r/t ran 0-60 in under 6 seconds and could do the quarter in 14.5 seconds stock. The spirit r/t was the fastest mass produced sedan in the world for the 2 years it was built.... 150+ mph in an 80s tech chrysler sedan is my kind of fun.

[@mathewmclean9128]

Great episode. Thank you. Can you please make a video about the pantera?

[@ScubaSteveM45]

This car would have been fantastic if it was RWD, then it's handling would have matched it's looks

[@omcx1e]

Yes, RWD would have been great but far more expensive than the already astronomically expensive TC project.

[@ScubaSteveM45]

@@omcx1e you'd think if they sunk that much money into the project they would have made sure the power went to the proper axle like the European roadsters they were trying to replicate.

[@omcx1e]

They should have..

[@houseofno]

Mopar - Chrysler s aftermarket performance brand used to sell kits for rear drive conversions but these were primarily for use in race car applications and were not street legal. You also had to fabricate your own rear subframe for the rear suspension. Mopar also sold 2.2 Turbo upgrades to take the engine up to 300 hp but again these upgrades often made the engines no longer suitable for street use.

[@houseofno]

​​@@ScubaSteveM45Your assumption that all European cars were rear drive is incorrect. MINI has been front wheel drive since 1959 and Saab has been exclusively front wheel drive. You're also overlooking Audi, Polo, Fiat, Renault, Citroën and Volkswagen, to name a few.

[@BillLaBrie]

I remember a Mopar engineer saying he knew it would bomb when they decided to keep the cowl height the same as the LeBaron. “Nice k-car. What’s with the pitchfork?”

[@artdalby6108]

Neptune's spear. Maserati logo from the statue in Torino.

[@BillLaBrie]

@@artdalby6108 yeah, thanks for the autism.

[@ksquine]

Lido had definitely lost the plot by this point. All through is long career he seemed to know just the right car for the times...Mustang, Lincoln Continental Mark series, Maverick, Mustang II, Grenada, K-cars, Minivans, etc. Not all great cars but they sold like crazy. To make the TC with LeBaron derivative styling and K-car engines was just insane. What did Maserati contribute except assembly and leather work?? Even that porthole hardtop was a throwback to 1956 T-Birds. If it had sexy Italian styling or had Maserati running gear, maybe.

[@BillLaBrie]

He and Alejandro were buds.

[@ksquine]

@@BillLaBrie I dunno....a real friend would have talked him out of it. DeTomaso should have pushed harder for better styling.

[@gokartbob6478]

1987 LeBaron, 165.000 miles (my daily driver)

[@raylamp4505]

As a former chrysler flat rate tech of this time the TC was straight junk to diagnose, work on it paid almost 4hrs just to prep because quality was so poor.

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

Built 1989 to 1991 meant that the development was probably during the roaring late 80’s so Chrysler probably was going through a time of high confidence,,, or maybe over confidence. GM gets overconfident all too often also.

[@Vicus_of_Utrecht]

There's 3 for sale around me right now. Crazy given how few were sold

[@JakobKsGarage]

You forgot to mention the interior igniting opera window lens, which worked like a magnifying glass in the sun. Se Jason Torchinsky's Jalopnik article on that.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

The Chrysler TC is basically a K-car Frankenstein which combined the Chrysler K-car platform with the Maserati's Italian roadster style and a Mitsubishi engine...

[@jonathankleinow2073]

I swear there was one TC or another listed in the classifieds on Sanibel Island every week for years. I saw a few puttering down Periwinkle Way when I lived there.

[@TechnicolorDojo]

One of these sits across the parking lot at my work and I have to constantly keep myself from inquiring about purchasing it.