I can’t help but wonder what the owners of this LeBaron coupe thought upon taking delivery of their big, new coupe. Captured in Finland by LDeren, this car is a a European-spec model, making it very different than the increasingly popular American classics finding their way to North Europe these days.
It’s hard to know exactly who in Europe was interested in these cars. I understand that the minivans were reasonably popular across the pond, but the Neon wasn’t a success and I had no idea the J-body LeBarons ever made it there.
Considering that the coupe variants weren’t even popular here, Chrysler probably figured they’d just try their luck overseas. The turn signals and taillights were changed, obviously, and I just noticed that the mirrors aren’t the same as the aerodynamically-styled units we saw over here. How many differences can you spot between this car and our model?
Not popular? They sold a heck of a lot of them in western Pennsylvania, and a goodly number of convertibles. Plus a small number of Daytonas of the same vintage. I always was under the impression that this was one of Chrysler’s success stories back then.
Very popular! Including the convertible, they sold nearly 525,000 two-doors over the production run – almost 100,000 in 1989 alone. One of which was mine, a black Highline coupe with the 2.5 Turbo I.
The convertibles were exclusively piloted by women.
My brother drove a convertible LeBaron and loved it. It was a beater by the time he got his hands on it. A friend sold it to him for $1, and he managed to get 5 or 6 more years out of it.
He loved that he could put the top down, that it was easy to work on, and that parts were cheap and readily available.
Maybe he’s the exception that proves the rule, but it was no Chick Car in his eyes.
They’re very appealing. It’s like the Wonderbread of convertibles and that’s NOT to disparage it. What’s not to like about a big, easy soft convertible with a smooth ride and superficial touches, like a digital dash and Infinity sound system? I love the LeBaron ‘verts.
My 75 year old father in law has one.
It was very much a success story. IIRC for the first few months, maybe even a year the coupe was the only model available. They weren’t as seemingly ubiquitous as aero T-Birds at the time, but still quite popular. The coupe’s styling has held up quite well after 25+ years, even if the cars themselves didn’t.
By ’90-’91 the convertibles were outselling the coupe (both among fleets and individual buyers) to the point that the coupe was discontinued after ’93. Around here (Illinois burbs of St. Louis) you still see an occasional LeBaron convertible in excellent condition, usually driven by an elderly couple that bought it new. The coupes are all but extinct.
They were all over the place in Ohio until the mid 2000s, when they all seemed to disappear at once. Grade school-aged me thought they looked cool when they were new. I think it was the covered headlights.
I don’t know about this specific car, but until the 70/80s, it wasn’t unusual in most part of Europe to have an import dealer who sold anything, be it British, American, Soviet or Japanese. Usually cars were modified directly by the importer, to comply with different regulations, mostly regarding lights.
I always thought this style of LeBaron was exceptionally handsome.
This is almost the same color as my 1989 GTC (mine had brown trim instead of black). The rear has been modified to accept the Euro license plate & the wheels are probably aftermarket, but they look good on that car. Although my car turned out to be a bit of a money pit (I bought it when it was 8 yrs. old from a used car lot), I still think that it’s one of the underrated designs of the 1980s & I still have fond memories of my car.
I will echo some others, as I saw quite a lot of these running around back when. I will go further and say that when these came out, they were uncommonly good looking, certainly for their era. Just a guess, but as popular as the convertibles were, I believe the closed models outsold them.
Even today, I like this car’s shape and proportions. It is so much more attractive than the earlier K-car LeBaron.
I couldn’t agree more, I also liked these quite a bit when they came out, and still do. I also think that these were fairly popular in Europe, as US imports go; certainly outsold by XJ Jeeps and Chrysler minivans, but you’d see them from time to time. Much less so nowadays, of course.
Personally, I thought it was a bit of a letdown when they lost their hidden headlights during the mid-cycle refresh. Despite being a throwback to another era, they helped to make the car stand out, and looked pretty badass too.
C pillar looks like it came off of an Escort EXP.
Not seeing a similarity, other than the horizontal doodad. LeBaron has a different rake, pillar tapers, rear glass wraps around.
Most of the Caravans had italian turbo diesels installed in Austria and 5 speed manuals.
In the last 2 decades the Chrysler Group had diesel engines from VM Motori, Mercedes and Volkswagen in their cars for the Euro-market. The Dodge Avenger 2.0 CRD for example had a Volkswagen diesel. And the Chrysler PT Cruiser 2.2 CRD had a Mercedes diesel.
These days only VM Motori, either the 2.8 liter 4 cylinder or the 3.0 liter V6. The V6 is also available in the US. (Jeep GC and Ram 1500)
Well I stand corrected; I saw the convertibles everywhere but rarely ever saw the coupes.
Same here, Perry. I mean, I did see the coupes, but it always seemed like the drop tops outnumbered them by a factor of 10:1. Especially towards the end of the model run.
EDIT: Just saw that you said the same thing further down, haha. I’ve realized from reading CC that the cars that are popular on the East Coast are sometimes radically different from what’s popular in the middle of the country. The current Chevy Malibu for instance. If I see two a week it’s a lot, but I bet you can’t take a piss without hitting one anywhere between Pittsburgh and Des Moines.
Lot of Malibus here in IL, yes, but they are outnumbered by Impalas.
Convertibles were quite common in the Bay Area but the coupe didn’t even look familiar.
I wanted my Dad to buy a Turbo LeBaron instead of the T-Bird 5.0 he eventually bought, but I think he was right in retrospect. Still, I don’t think Chrysler embarrassed itself with this model; it looks fairly clean even today.
“Not popular”???
There appears to be an “anti-Chrysler” bias in much of the articles here.
What engines did the Europeans get? Gas turbo-4? Diesel 4? V6 with huge taxes for “displacement”?
I just checked a car site here and searched for Chrysler LeBaron. Most of them have a 3.0 liter V6 and I saw a few 2.2 liter turbo engines. I don’t think that the LeBaron was ever offered with a diesel engine.
2.5, 2.2 turbo, and 3.0V6. No diesels engines in Lebaron(coupe) and Saratoga(sedan).
Disapointing! With all the black deposits on the rear of the one pictured, I was certain the powerplant was going to be diesel! I got to drive one with the lowly 2.5…stepping on the go pedal had all the response and excitement of stepping on an overripe tomato…
I believe that I read somewhere that euro LeBarons were made in Graz, Austria and in addition to having a much higher level of trim, also actually had quite good build quality. They needed it, as they cost an absurd amount of money over here. I would love to find a coupe with the 2.5 and automatic over here, as it was the most bulletproof drivetrain ever put on a K car. Most here seem to be convertibles with the Mitsu V6 and ultradrive.
Possibly so; the Caravans were made there. I’ll have to look it up. I was rather amazed at how many Chryslers I saw in Europe, both in 2000 and more recently. The Austrian-built Caravan was a very big seller, especially in the 1990s and early 00s.
I was surprised at how many of these LeBarons I saw too, including in Paris a few years back.Not an uncommon sight.
According to wikipedia, the Austrian factory (Steyr/Chrysler) was founded in 1990, production starting 1992.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostar_Automobilwerk
No mention of Jeeps in the wikipedia article, but I am under the impression that they were built also.
I checked too; the LeBaron was not built in Graz. And, yes, the jeeps most certainly were built there. The gen1 Grand Cherokee for sure, and the gen2, I’m quite sure. Maybe more too.
The PT Cruiser was/is also surprisingly popular in some part of Europe, together with the T&C.
I was in Holland in 2004 and I remember seeing a lot of PT Cruisers. Seemed odd to me at the time, but I also think it’s odd that so many Mini’s and Fiat 500’s are sold here in the US.
These were popular for a number of reasons, but taxes, peoples tastes and so on vary by country. While there has been some rationalisation of taxes and regulations etc. in EU, these don’t apply to cars or peoples preferences. So the following comment applies to the Finnish market: These were indeed somewhat popular, there was a strong Mopar importer until the early 90’s. Likewise GM and US-Ford. They were quite reasonably priced at the time, especially considering the engine sizes and equipment levels. The economy was booming, the dollar was cheap. As were foreign currency loans… Also, at the time new car taxes were fixed, so cheap car at the port meant smaller taxes (whereas now the tax is progressive and based on carbon dioxides measured according to EU standards – this is the system in Finland, different EU countries have different systems).
Performance? Yes – compared to a 1300 cc Corolla/Carina/Sierra or a 55 hp Golf these moved briskly indeed. And you could have one with a TURBO even! Equipment? Leather seats, automatic gearbox or AC would have been very expensive factory ordered extras in most cars. With european makes also such luxuries as electric windows and central locking. The americans had it all – I think they imported mostly the higher spec models, as the extras were so cheap from the factory, and there was the image to look after as well. The engines were the same as in States (mostly 3.0 and the 4-pot turbos), no diesels. I don’t think they made these in Europe then – I guess that for a moment dollar was quite cheap compared to european currencies, leading to imports of “average cars” such as Saratogas, Berettas, LeBarons etc. So not just the Cadillacs and Camaros and so on.
Then there is the question of image. There are some Finns who just must drive american. By principle. What counted for others was the fact that American cars had a good reputation, at least in the past. They probably weren’t that great by the 70’s and 80’s, but for some the old reputation counted. Politics played a role also.. Likewise, some people had principles that seated them behind the wheels of eastern block cars, but that mostly ended around 1990.
And what was the opposition (cheap “sporty” 2-door coupe)? BMW 316i is too slow and yuppie, Celica is just a toyota. Manta and Capri were gone. Saabs are for families and policemen and the ones with turbos stupidly expensive, Golf/205 gti etc. are way too small…
Also, 1980s. Hidden headlights. Miami Vice.
Question answered perfectly!
Regarding the Finns who just must drive American. Look at Finland’s 20th century history with the Soviet Union/Russia. Imagine the Finnish attitude towards the Russians. What better way to show it than by driving an American car?
He did mention there are Finns who felt opposite and drove Comecon cars. I think it’s more about them being big, fast and a good value. A buffet for less than a cheese platter, if you will.
Very handsome car, always admired these. Nose looks a little long, though, even by today’s Durante-esque standards.
My goodness, but this car has an incredibly long front overhang compared to the overall length!
Seen quite a few convertibles but never a coupe.
This car brings back fond memories of my kindergarten years. When I was a young child most of the cars were still some sort of Comecon stuff with the odd mix of European and Japanese cars -new or used- thrown in.
I still remember the walks to the kindergarten with my parents. Along the route in a parking lot a Chrysler LeBaron exactly like that was parked. It looked absolutely nothing like the other cars. To my kiddy mind it was so cool, it was just like all those American cars on TV.
As the years wore on, that LeBaron was still in the parking getting more and more dilapidated over the time, just like the environment in general. The last time I’ve seen it was around 5 or 6 years ago, I’m not sure. It was covered in a thick layer of dust and I could see the leaves and grime building up in all the crevices. What a sad ending for a car that captivated my imagination as a kid. Such is life.
Compared to the U.S. model, those bumpers look pretty shallow. I wonder if they were allowed to be less robust. Also, the U.S. model doesn’t have side marker/turn signal lights on the fenders behind the front wheels.
The wheels also don’t look familiar. They almost look like they came off a Mercury. Aftermarket rims, maybe?
The front side marker is normally in the black rub strip – you can see the plug if you enlarge the third photo.
I remember these were pretty popular for an american car in Europe… Not so as the Chrysler minivans but almost. Around the year 2000 i even saw one in Romania, where it looked like a UFO compared to a lot of Mercedes w123 stil in service.
The sunny states saw MANY of these – coupe and ragtop . . . not sure what you mean by “not popular. . . . “
I mean that I seemingly saw one coupe for every ten convertibles.
Yes those were sold in Europe for years. I came across a British auto magazine called CAR dated 1988 at a library book sale many years ago(I am thinking 1996) which I bought for 25 cents and which i still have. In this issue it had an article on older American cars(called Yank Tanks) which told of the interest these cars have in the UK because an American car could make 100,000 miles before it need a serious overhaul while the Euro cars were washed up at 60,000 miles. It also had a piece on several current(for the time) American cars that were out and that some were coming to Europe(its tag line was some are coming to Europe but that all should come) some of the cars were the Corvette, Fiero, Jeep Cherokee, Chrysler mini vans and the Lebaron. I will dig up the magazine and take a pic of the article.
Please do!
I’ve been a fan of these cars for a long time. There was a lot of good that came out of the K-cars for as plain and dowdy as the Reliant and Aries were.
Back in the early 90’s I was having trouble with my Dodge dealer’s service department, Chrysler sent up their Service Zone representative from Pittsburgh. He drove a then new Lebaron Coupe with all of the toys. He offered to take me out to lunch to discuss the issue I was having with the dealer. He even let me drive his car; it was great. I loved my Lancer, but I really loved his Lebaron.
For a long time in Western Europe, particularly the BeNeLux and Northern countries, American cars had a pretty good reputation. Even when I was in Germany in the 1970’s, it was not rare to see American cars throughout the landscape. It was something of an eye opener for me, as an American of German descent, to go to the old world and see something like a Camaro considered a “big car”. I can remember seeing odd juxtapositions of Ford Torinos and BMW 1600’s in parking lots in the Alpines.
Chrysler sold their whole line up in Europe in the 1980’s-90’s, but there was only a “Chrysler”, no Dodge or Plymouth. For example,the Acclaim/Spirit was sold over there, but it had a name not used here for a long time: Saratoga. IIRC, Magna-Steyr built all of the European minivans and Jeep Cherokees, but other cars were imported.
It will be interesting going forward to see how the union between Chrysler and Fiat plays out in the rest of the world.
Hopefully, it’ll play out well. The Dart has been a disaster (it seems–panned in the press and I barely see them) so I am not hopeful for the new Chrysler 200 or, for that matter, the new Cherokee.
As for the BeNeLux countries, they seem to have a more American car culture, with a love of big cars and Japanese sedans, which is surprising since they’re so densely populated. I always wanted to know more about how that came to be the case.
American vehicles ? Well sure ! Pony cars, muscle cars, land yachts, vans, pick-up trucks, anything bigger than pick-up trucks (Mack, Kenworth, Peterbilt etc.), Jeeps, etc.etc., they’re all driving around here.
Japanese sedans ? What ? Who ? Where ?….
Several US car- and truckmakers had assembly plants in Belgium and/or the Netherlands. No own carmakers (besides the tiny DAFs), so if you had the money in the fifties, sixties and early seventies you bought a big Buick, Cadillac or Chevrolet. All brands were once officially imported.
You want to see loads of US Curbside Classics in the Netherlands ? If you can spare a few minutes….here they are:
http://www.amerikaanseautopagina.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=60049
Chrysler’s new religion for efficiency in the ’80s and ’90s made the North American designs somewhat popular in Europe. It would be interesting to know the numbers. The most successful of the Big Three?
This coupe may be the swan song for coupes in the U.S. I recall it was very popular initially, but became an accessory to the convertible by the end of the run.
Are those Sundance/Shadow tail lights?
No, but similar.
My sons first car. Well used of course. Bought it his senior yr in high school, with his own money off a Honda lot. He picked it. Had all the original stuff. So he quickly learned how to change hoses, belts, battery, brake pads rear shocks. (had a pro do the struts) It lasted all thru college and a year into his first job. He had to change the radiator one thanksgiving break, and a frozen caliper. But it served him well. I think it broke a piston at 150k to end it. Just ask him what his favorite car was.
When I was growing up in the 1980s, my family made numerous holidays in Europe to visit our German friends and relatives. Being a petrolhead, I paid extra attention to the American vehicles in Europe.
In the 1980s, General Motors used to sell almost every model in Europe be it Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. The exception is SUV, large V8 vans, and pick-up trucks as well as GMC models.
During the 1990s, the model range whitted down to fewer models that didn’t overlap each other. Oldsmobile models were rebadged as Chevrolet (Alero) and Pontiac (Trans Sport).
It was always interesting to see how General Motors incorporate the separate yellow turn signal indicators in the all-red least-common-denominator taillamps. Some are well-integrated while others look a sorry-arse cheap tack-on solution. On Chevrolet Beretta and Corsica, the flush headlamps were discarded for four capsules, ruining the smooth style ( http://autobestpics.com/img/Chevrolet-Beretta-31-i-V6-GT2.jpg ). For instance, the Olds Rocket logo was moved down from the centre of taillamps on US version to the centre of red taillamps on ECE version. Bad solution: on Pontiac Trans Am, the generic white housing was tacked on the front bumper for the night illumination. See the attached photo.
Until the fourth-generation Seville and eleventh-generation Eldorado introduced in 1992, General Motors never built the ECE version of its North American vehicles in the manufacturing plants. The ones destined for European market were sent to the third-party company who did the extensive conversion work in modifying many components and certifying them as meeting ECE regulations. An article in the CAR magazine in the late 1980s had profiled this conversion process.
In 1992, the aforementioned Cadillac vehicles were first ever GM product to be built in three configurations on the same assembly lane: US market, ECE market, and right-hand-drive market. Obviously, GM had been influenced by the success of Chrylser business model in the 1980s. The Chrysler vehicles for European markets were designed from the start to be ECE version first then ‘decontent’ for the US market.
Ford Explorer and Probe were only North American vehicle to be officially sold through European Ford sales catalogue and in ECE version until Explorer suffered the bad image due to the tyre fiasco and Probe ceased its production. Naturally, a small number of Ford products have appeared in some European countries, i.e. Econoline vans in Norway.
There’s always just been something so appealing about these for me. And I think the coupe looks especially badass, especially with mag wheels. There’s something very Porsche 928-ish about the rear window and c-pillar too.