It’s said that every dog has its day, and that’s turning true for even the most maligned cars of the 1980s. From delayed development that saw it launch after the cheaper LeBaron to a gargantuan price tag of $33,000 in 1989 dollars, the Chrysler TC by Maserati saw setback after setback turn it into a punchline. However, time heals all wounds, and this expensive little Chrysler is now looking better than ever.
Lee Iacocca’s greatest flop is now an ironic fashion statement with some genuinely enjoyable elements to it. This 1989 TC by Maserati with just 22,000 miles on the clock is actually cool. No, I haven’t lost my marbles. Someone actually paid $7,500 for it on Bring A Trailer, and that’s $7,500 well-spent. Allow me to explain.
Let’s start with pedigree, something concours people value highly. The Chrysler TC by Maserati isn’t just a collaboration between an esteemed American car brand and an esteemed Italian sports car maker, it’s also a loose thread tied up by the creation of Stellantis. Some 35 years after this TC by Maserati rolled off the showroom floor, both Chrysler and Maserati are part of the same company.
Then there’s the fact that Chrysler and Maserati actually focused when dressing up the K-Car bones into a luxury cabriolet. There’s just so much leather and woodgrain trim inside this thing that if you covered up the badge on the steering wheel, you might not be able to tell it’s a Chrysler. The thickly-padded door cards wouldn’t look entirely out of place in a Mercedes-Benz SL, while even the lower console is wrapped in hide. These cars were built to a higher luxury standard than most would believe, just don’t look too deep below the surface.
Sadly, this particular TC by Maserati doesn’t feature the rare combination of a Getrag manual transaxle and a 2.2-liter turbocharged TC four-cylinder engine with a Cosworth-cast, Maserati-assembled cylinder head, but it does feature a detuned 2.2-liter turbo four mated to an three-speed automatic. For the cruiser this thing’s meant to be, it’s probably the better powertrain option, allowing the driver to just slot the lever into drive, kick back, and enjoy the sunshine.
While this Chrysler TC by Maserati isn’t currently sitting on its factory Fondmetal wheels, they were included in the auction and look excellent, even if the tires seem scary old. Speaking of minor things to tend to, the driver’s seat isn’t perfect, but it’s rare to see these cars without destroyed upholstery. Since the TC by Maserati wasn’t exactly a smash hit when it came out, time hasn’t been kind to many of them. Likewise, the paint on this car is in rather good shape, and the soft top doesn’t even look threadbare. As far as TC by Maserati roadsters go, this is one of the nicer ones out there.
The Chrysler TC by Maserati has a complicated legacy. On the negative side, this is conceptually a K-Car with added Italian cost and complexity. On the positive side, the TC by Maserati is a 1980s American car with an interior that actually seems luxurious. However, no matter which way you slice it, $7,500 for an incredibly clean ’80s top-down weekend cruiser isn’t a bad deal. Whoever bought this TC by Maserati is going to have a ton of fun with it, and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all looking for from our cars.
(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer)
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Don’t these things set themselves on fire when left in bright sunlight?
I’m sure you could get a Reatta or an Allante for this much and I know which I’d rather have.
Having had my fill of Kcars back in the day, this wouldn’t be my jam (other than being a red ragtop which is always a great combo) but it’s a unique, fun car for not too much money. I really appreciate the tone and perspective of this article, I reckon that’s why I hang around here.
As a counterpoint to the doubters: This is likely the most reliable used Maserati in the world.
A friend’s dad had one of these with the Getrag five-speed. It had more of a presence than you’d expect from its pedigree; that tan (sorry, ‘Ginger’) interior helped a lot. Sadly, I never got to see it leave the garage.
Those wheels were throwing me off. I was like is this and extra special edition that came with the chrome Sears specials, that is until I saw the pic of the actual wheels included.
I was the same way, thinking maybe there was a special edition that I hadn’t seen. I had to Google a TC to look at the rims – then I read the rest of the story and ta da!
I’d still rather have a Reatta or an Allanté (cue Kelly Bundy). But this does seem like a very nice example once the original wheels are reshod and put back on.
The Reatta has really grown on me over the years. Sharp looking and a bit quirky, definitely overpriced when new, but not really a concern now
Every time we see an Allanté my wife and I still do the Bundy Bounce. “THE NEW ALLANTE!!!”
I’d rather have a Reatta though and *almost* bought one this past summer but chose an Opel GT instead.
Yeah, I appreciate the effort to preserve the original wheels, but the chrome Caravan rims are not it.
I’ve dumped on Kcars before—and $7500 isn’t exactly F-it money to many of us, but I don’t think it’s a bad price for something looking that good & also that rare/weird. If I saw it at C&C, I’d certainly wander over in hopes of getting an honest impression of how it drives/how they actually like it.
Drive what you like*
*safe, streetworthy/not a public menace
>and I’ll note I haven’t always kept to that back in the day.
Hey in Indiana pa on FB you can get a 1989 TC Burgundy automatic with 32,000 miles with poor clearcoat and some loose chrome for $2,000.
The problem with this is that underneath is an 80s K car so it’s still the shiniest most well polished turd rather than a basically good car made shiny and chrome. I have similar feelings about the Cadillac Allante. Conversely a Lexus GS is a,good car because it’s a Camry under there with all its strengths and some glitz on top.
Maserati and Chrysler are owned by the same company, now.
Chrysler’s lineup is… lacking.
Maserati has little name recognition in the US, anymore.
Methinks it’s time for a rebirth of the Chrysler TC by Maserati!
From some angles and the driver seat it looks nice. Until you lift the hood and see that horrendous k-car 2.2. I had a Dodge Daytona Turbo. Trust me.
I believe one of these takes a starring role in the music video for Kurt Vile’s “Loading Zones”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mbh43HgT4U
35 years later, the TC is selling better than Lee Iacocca ever dreamed.
This is actually better resale value than any current Maserati, so that’s nice.
Lee Iacocca’s greatest flop was the 1981 Chrysler Imperial. change my mind
That isn’t entirely on him, he came to Chrysler in 1978, and development on the new Imperial was already well under way for launch in 1980.
Even though it was exactly his sort of car and the kind of thing he ordinarily would have been all about, he actually explored canceling it, recognizing that a struggling company with a poor reputation launching an expensive luxury coupe in the middle of a recession was not a great business move, and that coming out with a frivolous halo model so soon after receiving government guaranteed loans would expose the company to public criticism.
But, Lee concluded that the program was too far along and too much had already been spent on it to justify canceling, so he suggested a few last minute tweaks to improve chances on the marketplace and called in a favor from Frank Sinatra to help market it and just put it out there and hoped for the best.
The TC by Maserati is entirely Lee Iacocca’s doing though, it was his baby start to finish
It may or may not be his greatest flop but I still have a dream of stuffing a Viper motor in an ’81 Imperial for a senselessly stupid sleeper build.
Only interested if it will go 185
But you’ll lose your license and then you won’t drive
I’ll just ride in the trunk of my limo
185 kph, maybe.
I doubt it.
Did TC stand for Tony’s Chrysler?
No. No. All day no. Don’t care if it’s concours perfect and a Q not a K. This still screams K car in lipstick.
And the answer is never K car.
Red Green would disagree
Red and I usually agree about keeping your stick on the ice, and about women finding you handy if you aren’t handsome, but I can’t agree on this one.
I really dig that it has both the soft top and the optional hard top. Drive all winter with those great distinctive porthole windows and summer with the top down.
And did you guys advance this piece in the lineup once you saw Rootwyrm had reappeared, just to try to further coax him out? 😉
Certainly reminds me of the Allante from Cadillac. they would have likely been competition back then. I do wonder which is worse in the end, the turbo 2.2 or the Northstar. Both have bit of a reputation for lack of longevity.
In 1989, the Allante would have had the 4.5 V8, which is a decent engine despite the HT4100 origin
Nice that it still has the hardtop with the porthole windows. I’m assuming they are not the early ones that work like magnifying glasses to set the upholstery on fire when parked in the direct sun.
I think this might be the first TC I’ve seen in a LONG time that isn’t that pale yellow that looks so good on them.
That was a really popular color
And not available on the regular LeBaron. Which, if I were buying back then, I’d insist on. “It’s (kinda) a Maserati damnit!!”
I was thinking kinda the same thing; all I’ve ever seen them in is that pale yellow or purple
There was one of those cruising around last spring. Took a second to figure out it wasn’t a LeBaron.
Man I caught myself looking at these last week somehow, and honestly, it looks pretty good