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Junkyard Gem: 1988 Chrysler LeBaron Turbo Sedan

Lee Iacocca's K-Cars saved Chrysler from certain oblivion in the aftermath of the 1979 federal bailout, but most of the members of the many-branched K Family Tree were really built on modified K platforms. The only genuine, 100%-K machines sold in the United States were the Dodge Aries/400/600, Plymouth Reliant, and Chrysler LeBaron; today's Colorado-found Junkyard Gem is a rare example of the very last year of the K-based LeBaron. Chrysler kept selling LeBaron coupes and convertibles here all the way through 1995, and those cars could trace their platform ancestry back to the original 1982 LeBarons that saved Chrysler… but for the real K-ness in a LeBaron sedan you must get one sold during the 1982-1988 period. This one has suffered some nasty paint damage over the decades, but its padded landau roof still looks pretty good at age 33. The base engine in the '88 LeBaron was a 93-horsepower 2.2, but this car has the optional turbocharged version with an impressive 146 horses. The cost for this engine? $700 list, or about $1,600 in 2021 dollars. The 1988 LeBaron coupes and convertibles got a five-speed manual as standard equipment, while the LeBaron sedan got a three-speed automatic at no extra cost. It appears that you couldn't get a manual transmission from the factory in this car. The "Traveler" trip computer was also standard equipment on the LeBaron sedan in 1988. As was this AM/FM radio. However, air conditioning cost $807 extra, or about $1,850 today. Other than the ravaged paint, this car still seems to be in reasonably nice condition (yes, Corinthian Leather was an option). Not many are interested in rescuing an old K-Car these days, sadly. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Ricardo-approved! Featured Gallery Junked 1988 Chrysler LeBaron Sedan View 26 Photos Chrysler Automotive History Sedan Chrysler K-car Chrysler LeBaron Junkyard Gems

Autonomous Chrysler Pacficas join Lyft test fleet

Lyft has another year of building out its autonomous driving program under its belt, and the ride-hailing company has been expanding its testing steadily throughout 2019. The company says that it's now driving four times more miles on a quarterly basis than it was just six months ago, and has roughly 400 people worldwide dedicated to autonomous vehicle technology development. Going into next year, it's also expanding the program by adding a new type of self-driving test car to its fleet: Chrysler's Pacifica hybrid minivan, which is also the platform of choice for Waymo's current generation of self-driving car. The Pacifica makes a lot of sense as a ridesharing vehicle, since it's a perfect passenger car with easy access via the big sliding door and plenty of creature comforts inside. Indeed, Lyft says that it was chosen specifically because of its "size and functionality" and what those offer to the Lyft AV team when it comes to "experiment[ing] with the self-driving rideshare experience. Lyft says it's currently working on building these test vehicles out in order to get them on the road. Lyft's choice of vehicle is likely informed by its existing experience with the Pacificas, which it encountered when it partnered with Waymo starting back in May, with that company's autonomous vehicle pilot program in Phoenix, Arizona. That ongoing partnership, in which Waymo rides are offered on Lyft's ride-hailing network, is providing Lyft with plenty of information about how riders experience self-driving ride-hailing, Lyft says. In addition to Waymo, Lyft is also currently partnering with Aptiv on providing self-driving services commercially to the public through that company's Vegas AV deployment. In addition to adding Pacificas to its fleet alongside the current Ford Fusion test vehicles it has in operation, Lyft is opening a second facility in addition to its Level 5 Engineering Center, the current central hub of its global AV development program. Like the Level 5 Engineering Center, its new dedicated testing facility will be located in Palo Alto, and having the two close together will help "increase the number of tests we run," according to Lyft. The new test site is designed to host intersections, traffic lights, roadway merges, pedestrian pathways and other features of public roads, all reconfigurable to simulate a wide range of real-world driving scenarios.

Fiat Chrysler to test automatically switching hybrid cars to electric mode in Turin

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler is piloting a project in its historic Italian home of Turin to allow its hybrid plug-in cars to automatically switch to electric-only mode when entering congested city centers. The project, which aims to maximize the environmental benefits of hybrid cars, comes as Fiat Chrysler (FCA) rolls out its first alternative-engine models, trying to make up ground on rivals which already offer a range of full electric and hybrid vehicles in Europe. The project, named 'Turin Geofencing Lab' and involving the city authorities and public transport agency GTT, is based on a prototype system with fully integrated on-board sensors allowing a car to recognize when it is entering a restricted traffic zone, FCA said on Wednesday. The sensors will then automatically turn off the combustion engine and switch to electric mode. This would allow hybrid cars to enjoy dispensations for electric vehicles in the city center, including dedicated parking spaces. The system has been initially tested on the new Jeep Renegade 4xe hybrid plug-in model. The tests could be extended to the group's other hybrid models from next year. The COVID-19 crisis has not significantly delayed FCA's plans to launch its first full-electric and hybrid models. An electric version of the Fiat 500 small car and plug-in hybrid versions of Jeep's Renegade and Compass models are due to hit the market this summer. A similar project was launched last year by German carmaker BMW and Rotterdam, with a smart-phone reminder to switch-off combustion engines when passing a virtual boundary into the Dutch city's "electric-only zone." But that did not entail such a direct link between the vehicle and the city's access platform and gates to restricted traffic zones, as in Turin's case. Roberto Di Stefano, FCA's Head of EMEA e-Mobility, said that once the Turin project was completed, it would be gradually offered to other cities, in Italy and abroad.   Green Chrysler Fiat Jeep