I need foreign made Chrysler products sold under Lee Iacocca

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Pete E. Kruzer, May 30, 2008.

  1. Can someone please give me a list of any foreign made vehicles sold
    under the Chrysler name. I mean the make and mode and country. For
    example: Plymouth Voyager, Mexico,
    Include Canada and Mexico in the list.
    TIA
     
    Pete E. Kruzer, May 30, 2008
    #1
  2. I want only the ones made when Lee Iacocca was running the company.
     
    Pete E. Kruzer, May 30, 2008
    #2
  3. Pete E. Kruzer

    Lloyd Guest

    Check out The Standard Catalog of Chrysler.

    Or http://www.allpar.com/corporate/factories.html

    Minivans were never made in Mexico, BTW; Canada and St. Louis.
     
    Lloyd, May 30, 2008
    #3
  4. Pete E. Kruzer

    cavedweller Guest

    ....or was it Windsor and the United States of America? ;)
     
    cavedweller, May 30, 2008
    #4
  5. Pete E. Kruzer

    Some O Guest

    Looking for the vehicles made when many liked what they were building?
    It's so sad to see the very low prices on one year old off lease
    Chrysler products. It's also sad that none appeal to me, in fact less so
    the more I look at them. Killing depreciation someone is taking.
     
    Some O, Jun 1, 2008
    #5
  6. Pete E. Kruzer

    kmath50 Guest

    I belive that Chrysler Australia was still making cars when Iacocca
    became
    chairman, so you will probably want to include those too.

    -KM
     
    kmath50, Jun 1, 2008
    #6
  7. Pete E. Kruzer

    Steve Guest

    I really didn't like much that they made during Iacocca's tenure. K-cars
    and Minivans? No thanks (although I wouldn't necessarily throw a Spirit
    R/T or a Turbo LeBaron convertible out of the garage). The K-car may
    have saved the company, but it wasn't exactly the pinnacle of likability
    and it was kept about 5 years past the time it should have shuffled into
    the history books. The first thing I truly liked after the mid-70s
    (apart from the first 89 Cummins Ram) was the LH car, and that was
    post-Iacocca.
     
    Steve, Jun 2, 2008
    #7
  8. Pete E. Kruzer

    C-BODY Guest

    As I recall, the 1st gen K-cars did what they were supposed to do and
    get Chrysler Corp customers in to smaller vehicles. It's highly
    intersting to see how many of those cars are still around! Especially
    when compared to similar GM and Ford cars of that era!

    2nd Gen K-cars (i.e., Plymouth Acclaim, Dodge Spirit and the similar
    Chryslers) were nicer cars and seem to have some of the stoutest bodies
    ever put in a small car (of ANY maker). Many of these can still turn up
    at estate sales or on tote-the-note lots.

    The K-car Imperials had electronics and features that would rival any
    other luxury car of that era. Including electronic instrument clusters
    and self-leveling rear suspension. The 2nd Gen K-cars had many
    suspension isloation upgrades over the first ones. They were always
    improving the breed each year!

    At least some of the later Dodge Caravans could be had with allow
    wheels, ground effects, and a sport suspension from the factory. Add
    some upgrades to the turbo motor (some of which might require drag
    slicks to use the additional power!) and you have anything BUT a "boring
    minivan".

    And don't forget about the Chrysler Executive K-car limo (from the
    factory). OR the reintroduction of the convertible on the K-car
    platform (which put convertibles back on the "doable" body style list)!

    Right now, a K-car would not be that bad of a car to have, fuel prices
    and such. Later ones would be better and have nicer trim. A LeBaron
    coupe with the 4cyl could be a good commuter car now, as it was when
    new. LOTS of performance upgrades for the engines and chassis, too. Or
    a fwd Daytona Carrol Shelby Edition!

    Due to manufacturer's license fees, all Chrysler products sold in Europe
    had the "Chrysler" name on them . . . including the Viper. There was
    a joint venture to build Jeeps and Minivans in Germany, for the Euro
    market.

    Chrysler Corp trucks built for the South American market, I believe,
    were named DeSoto? Even before "globalization" became in vogue,
    Chrysler had LOTS of international presences and models of existing
    vehicles for those markets. There were many vehicles built in Mexico
    for that market that we didn't see up here (or versions thereof).

    Chrysler Australia had LOTS of interesting vehicles.

    You can probably find a comprehensive list of some of the export
    nameplates and models at the Allpar.com website.

    C-BODY
     
    C-BODY, Jun 8, 2008
    #8
  9. Pete E. Kruzer

    Josh S Guest

    Their cornering was historical, like the 50s sloppy suspensions.
    The LeBaron GTS was better, the LH cars corner like a sports car.
     
    Josh S, Jun 9, 2008
    #9
  10. Pete E. Kruzer

    Bill Putney Guest

    You mis-spelled hysterical... :)

    Bill Putney
    (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
    address with the letter 'x')
     
    Bill Putney, Jun 9, 2008
    #10
  11. Pete E. Kruzer

    Lloyd Guest

    A sports car? Come on. They were too big and heavy to ever be
    mistaken for a sports car, and fwd?
     
    Lloyd, Jun 9, 2008
    #11
  12. Pete E. Kruzer

    Lloyd Guest

    Of course, these were called the A bodies. Only the LeBaron sedan/
    wagon, Executive Sedan, Limousine, and Aries and Reliant were K
    bodies.
    But their K-body ancestry made them too narrow for a real luxury car.
    Drag slicks on a minivan. Well, I have seen one with flame decals.
    I always wondered what executive would want to be seen in a K-car
    derived "limo."

    To me, the Lancer/LeBaron GTS were the best looking and most practical
    of them all.
    I believe it was Magna-Styr in Austria, wasn't it?
    Yes, but their presence overseas was tiny, especially compared with GM
    and Ford. That's one reason Eaton felt compelled to merge. Chrysler
    sold off its overseas assets (Simca, Rootes) long ago.
    I read Chrysler talked with BMW about a merger, but that fell through
    (BMW is mostly privately owned, and there were apparently tax
    problems), so they went with Daimler. Imagine if Chrysler had merged
    with BMW. Chrysler would have been the bigger (and presumably
    dominant) part then.
     
    Lloyd, Jun 9, 2008
    #12
  13. Pete E. Kruzer

    Josh S Guest

    It was nice. I had a GTS from new to 10 years and have sometimes
    regretted I sold it. At the time it needed about $500 in normal wear
    and tear repairs.
    The buyer bought it 2 hrs after I put a sign in it's rear window.
     
    Josh S, Jun 12, 2008
    #13
  14. Pete E. Kruzer

    Bob Shuman Guest

    The loaded 2.2L turbo 1987 LeBaron GTS that I owned for 9 years was a blast
    to drive and got great fuel economy too .. one of the nicest cars I've ever
    owned.

    Bob
     
    Bob Shuman, Jun 12, 2008
    #14
  15. Pete E. Kruzer

    C-BODY Guest

    One of the things I didn't like about the K-platform Chryslers was their
    narrow width compared to GM's similar class vehicles. None were real 6
    passenger cars, though, as they used to be, unless the middle passenger
    was 5 years old.

    Then handling was not as firm or crisp as the earlier torsion bar/leaf
    spring cars . . . by any stretch of the imagination. But they weren't
    supposed to be corner-carvers as such. Still, by the end of their
    product run, the chassis calibrations did become a little firmer and
    more "fitting for a Chrysler product" (my words). I suspected that a
    different tire choice would have helped sporting intentions, though, as
    would stiffer strut calibrations and larger sway bars. If I'd been
    inclined to purchase one, that's what I would have done.

    One thing Chrysler did, even in those "dark" fwd days, was NOT give up
    on performance orientations. Ford and GM built economy cars that were
    nothing more than that--period. The similar Chrysler products still had
    the genetics for performance in their designs. Even if the "decal
    performanc packages" might not have looked a little flaky and such, the
    little Turbo 2.2L 4 cyl was an easily-modified engine that would build
    enough power to get peoples' attention back then. Mopar Performance had
    the parts and Forward Motion carried on the Mopar FWD performance banner
    with all sorts of modified parts for that motor.

    Drag slicks on the front of a Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth minivan? Most
    certainly! Of course, with the turbo motor under the hood. And the
    modified Neons and such, running mid-high 12 second quarter miles times,
    do NOT sound like a pissed-off weedwhacker as many of the modified
    import 4 cylinders do. If you don't believe that, head over to National
    Trails Raceway and the Mopar Nationals the 2nd weekend in August. Watch
    the time trails and racing action in the fwd classes. It'll surprise
    you.

    A few years ago, I got a cold drink from the Duchess Shop on the north
    end of the track. As I sipped the drink, I noticed that a high school
    guy was putting the slicks on the front of his modified Neon sedan,
    using a torque wrench, too. Watching was his father who was a Mopar
    owner and enthusiast. I could easily visualize a grandfather also
    watching, remembering how they used to drag race when HE was that age.
    The Mopar car hobby is a definite multi-generational and diverse group
    of enthusiasts! Oh, and in the car show area, there was a suicide-door
    Plymouth Acclaim sedan which some guys did in their auto shop, custom
    paint and interior and all (any one part of their "changes" would have
    been more than what the car was bought for, I suspect).

    In order to understand the significance of the K-car platform and its
    many factory-based configurations, you have to remember that in that
    particular period of the automotive industry, there was little to get
    excited about in product or much else. The fact that Chrysler was doing
    something different from a single vehicle platform was unique. Every
    model year brought a new upgrade of some sort, whether in interior trim
    or chassis or engine. They were credible cars for that period of time
    and still had the Essence of Chrysler in their designs.

    Sure, some of the trim items had the molded-in stitching in the
    castings, BUT if you looked closely, you could see the lint from the
    thread of the pattern they used to make the molds from. GM or Ford
    would not have gone to that much trouble, I suspect, to use such a high
    quality molding process from their original pattern piece.

    The LeBaron Coupes and similar Dodge sedans were the best ones of the
    breed . . . and the last ones on that platform.

    The first year I went to Mopar Nats, others of our Mopar club had gone a
    year or so before that. The "car of choice" for our guys was the
    LeBaron Convertible, so I called Thrifty and got one reserved. It was a
    Turbo 2.2 with 3-speed automatic. We got into Columbus on the late
    flight, so we got the car and headed for the motel. I could tell the
    converter was a little looser than I suspected.

    The next day, after having been at the track all day, we had gotten to
    the off ramp and red light to get off the freeway and head to the motel.
    I was sitting there at the red light and decided to check out the stall
    rpm on the converter. I nailed the brake and started easing into the
    throttle. It didn't seem unusual when the tach got to 2000rpm, but when
    it kept going until it was "stalled" at 3000rpm, that got my attention
    as NO stock converter would stall that high, especially a 4cyl. That
    rpm was reserved for the likes of 440s and such.

    About that time, the light turned green and our guys in front of us
    drove off. I had put the trans in "N" after the quick stall check, then
    put it in "D" and made a quick start to catch up. Well, the front tires
    squalled when I did that (not from a "neutral drop", as they did it
    after it had gotten back in gear in "D"). It was enough tire noise that
    it got the attention of our friends in front of us.

    As for the Chrysler limo vehicles, it was certainly a more fuel
    efficient conveyance than the alternatives . . . of gas drinking
    Cadillacs and Lincolns . . . and still was what it was. They were
    fitted out pretty nicely inside, too. After all, Chrylser execs had to
    have something upscale to travel in that was current production "new".
    They were just enough counter-culture to be cool. But for those that
    used limos for "conspicuous consumption" or to look big shotty, only the
    larger Lincolns would do, with all due respect.

    All in all, to judge the K-cars by what GM built in the same market
    segments and consider them to be boring or uninteresting by that measure
    is not completely justified. They might have appeared that way on the
    surface, but when you got to looking around at the way the cars were
    built and configured (even WITH a K-frame for the engine, just like
    Chrysler used on the B-body rwd cars!), and how the exhaust system on a
    Dodge Shadow Turbo was about 2.75" at the inlet to the catalytic
    converter, decreasing a little at each exhaust section (a little smaller
    on the converter out flow side than the inlet, a little smaller on the
    outlet side of the muffler than the inlet, etc.) was a good indication
    that all it would need to make more power was a cat-back exhaust system
    and some other upgrades for the motor. By comparison, if anybody
    thought about doing the same thing to a Chevy Cavalier, you might have
    grabbed the Yellow Pages and looked under "Mental Health" for anyone
    considering doing that to a Cavalier (complete waste of time as the
    architecture of the Chevy was NOT designed for such power increases nor
    would the chassis have supported such activities, either).

    In the back of the second book on Chrysler Police Cars, there's a
    mention of some police package turbo cars. An account of something like
    the last gen fwd Dodge Charger turbo in the hands of a Deputy Sherriff.
    He was on normal patrol when he spotted a speeder coming toward him. He
    made the u-turn and nailed the throttle in pursuit. He happened to look
    down and see the certified speedometer reading of 130+mph and was
    surprised at several things. One was that it got that fast so quick.
    Second that it did it with the legendary high speed stability of prior
    Chrysler police cars. He was impressed and the speeder was surprised to
    see him so quickly, hehe.

    Oh . . . and don't forget that the K-cars came with a HEMI! Even if it
    was a 2.6L Mitsu engine.

    Enjoy!

    C-BODY
     
    C-BODY, Jun 12, 2008
    #15
  16. Pete E. Kruzer

    Steve Guest

    There's no question WHATSOEVER that the K-cars were the best engineered
    cars of the 80s. But the majority of them were kinda like today's Camry
    or Accord- a soulless lump that you soon came to wish would die and it
    never would :-/


    Not really. They didn't get great gas mileage for the power they had
    (nor did any 80s car) except for the manual-transmission turbo models. A
    normally-aspirated 2.5L automatic transmission K-car was an exercise in
    patience while trying to merge into traffic, and not many of them would
    break 30 MPG on the highway. The 1993 LH cars were a breath of fresh
    air- 30 MPG and 214 horsepower when needed- without a turbo.
     
    Steve, Jun 17, 2008
    #16
  17. Pete E. Kruzer

    Ed Treijs Guest

    Anyone who ever had to replace the crappy original K-member design when it
    cracked would disagree. The bizarre collection of hoses and wiring used to
    kluge together the various Bosch bits on TBI models was another inelegant
    and failure-prone area. And the windows in the rear doors liked to seize up.

    (Seized windows were the easiest to deal with. I went to the junkyard,
    found a K-car with working rear windows [the tough part], made sure the
    door colour and pinstripe matched my car, and the interior was the same
    design and colour, and just swapped doors. The junkyard got my old door
    with non-working window. Swap took five minutes.)

    Up here in Ontario, I see more Fieros on the road, day in and day out, than
    I do K-cars; considering that the Plymouth Reliant swapped best-selling car
    status with the Ford Tempo and Pontiac 6000 in the '80s, that's pretty sad.

    There are plenty of '80s Chrysler minivans still around, but K-cars are gone.
    That's about right.
     
    Ed Treijs, Jun 17, 2008
    #17
  18. Pete E. Kruzer

    Steve Guest

    Same could be said for early Ford Taurii, and even moreso for the GM
    X-cars. THOSE were horrific in every conceivable measure.

    When was the last time you saw an operational Chevy Citation? Olds
    Omega? Or an 86 Escort? ANY Japanese car from the 80s (except a Toyota
    Land Cruiser- which had a Chevy-derived engine anyway). The 80s were the
    black pit of automotive engineering. Interestingly, the most common
    thing from the 80s that I see today are early 4-liter powered Jeep
    Cherokees (XJ chassis, not the FSJ Cherokee). An amazing product for a
    little company that was 2 years away from buyout when it came up with
    the design.
     
    Steve, Jun 17, 2008
    #18
  19. Pete E. Kruzer

    Ed.Toronto Guest

    True, but every once in a while I do see an X car. My brother had a
    Citation that he loved. Drove it to the Yukon and sold it for more
    than he paid for it. Quite a roomy interior for a compact car. I have
    no comment about the mechanicals, though. And his Citation was back
    around 1994.

    It would have been nice if the basic K-cars were a leeeeetle bit
    bigger. The GM FWD A-bodies were just a little too big in my opinion.
    On the other hand, K-wagons had excellent interior room given the
    external dimensions.
    Remember that I'm writing from:
    --Ontario (rust belt central)
    --Canada (smaller cars were always more popular here than in the US)

    The '80s Japanese cars I notice (note the choice of word) most
    frequently are hidden-headlight Prelueds and the occasional Accord.
    Then there is whatever "sport compact" a high-school boy can afford to
    put a crappy body kit on.

    Hell, a couple of days ago I saw a 'Vette....Chevette that is....with
    reversed chrome Moon rims and fat tires go cruising by. Okay, I should
    lay off the midday beer, but still.

    GM FWD A-bodies are still somewhat in evidence, although they were
    built through the early '90s. RWD A-bodies, not so much. The most
    common '80s RWD would be a clapped-out Crown Victoria.
    Fieros. In Ontario and Ohio, I see Fieros. Apparently they have good
    fuel economy as well. And if they haven't caught fire already, they
    should be okay.

    ....Ed
     
    Ed.Toronto, Jun 20, 2008
    #19
  20. Pete E. Kruzer

    Steve Guest


    The last self-motivated Fiero I saw was a couple of years ago. Guy that
    worked here drove it every day- but of course it had an LT-1 V8
    transplant, too. He even had a sticker made for it that said
    FierOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

    ;-)
     
    Steve, Jun 20, 2008
    #20
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