on 2040-cars

Auto blog

1986 Chrysler LeBaron owned by Lee Iacocca to cross the auction block

Enthusiasts will have the opportunity to bid on an overlooked piece of Chrysler history during the huge Bonhams auction taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona, on January 16. Offered without reserve, this LeBaron Town & Country Convertible was first registered to former Chrysler boss Lee Iacocca, and it has covered only 20,500 miles since. The LeBaron Town & Country shares its K platform with numerous Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth models built between 1981 and 1989. Nearly every nameplate built on it was mass produced and mass destroyed, but this wood-sided droptop is a rare exception. It's one of 1,105 examples built, and its connection to the man who saved Chrysler (and helped create the original Ford Mustang, the infamous Pinto, and Chrysler's first minivans, among many others) likely helped it reach its 34th birthday in like-new condition, a fate a majority of Ks could only dream of from the wrong side of the Pick-N-Pull fence. Bonhams stated the Town & Country comes from Iacocca's personal collection. The auction house doesn't mention how long the influential executive owned it for, or how many miles he put on it. What's certain is that Iacocca undoubtedly knew there was nothing exhilarating about the 97-horsepower engine that came standard in the LeBaron, so he paid extra for a turbocharged version of the fuel-injected, 2.2-liter four-cylinder that put 146 horses under his right foot. It spun the front wheels via a three-speed automatic transmission.  Our archives indicate Chrysler charged $17,595 for the Town & Country Convertible in 1986, and priced the turbo four at $628, figures that represent about $42,300 and $1,500, respectively, in 2020. While Chrysler's K-based cars haven't set the collector world on fire yet, Bonhams expects this exceptionally clean example will sell for anywhere between $20,000 and $25,000 when it crosses the auction block in sunny Scottsdale. To quote Iacocca, "if you can find a better car, buy it." Or, if you're into faster Mopar products, his personal, 6,500-mile Dodge Viper — the very first regular-production example made — will also cross the block in Arizona. Featured Gallery Lee Iacocca's 1986 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country Convertible (high-res) View 21 Photos Chrysler Auctions Convertible Classics

President Trump to visit Michigan on Wednesday to attend auto-related event

President Trump will visit the Detroit area on Wednesday for the first time since taking office, the Detroit News reports this morning, to meet with officials of automakers, suppliers and unions, and to attend a rally of autoworkers. Trump might use the event to announce his intentions to roll back fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks. The automakers agreed to the standards, which set a goal of a fleet average 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025, under President Obama, but they have lobbied Trump to repeal them. "This is a continuation of a dialogue with the auto industry leaders, and also going back and reconnecting with a lot of the people who elected him," Chris Liddell told the News. Liddell is former chief financial officer of General Motors and now assistant to the president for strategic initiatives at the White House. Trump might also use Wednesday's visit to advocate the House Republicans' proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Later Wednesday, he will attend a campaign-style rally in Nashville, and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has said the president intends to hit the road to sell the American public on the Obamacare replacement plan. The auto industry has been high on Trump's agenda - and a focus of his rhetoric to return manufacturing jobs and facilities to the United States. During his first week in office, Trump met privately at the White House with the CEOs of Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler, and GM CEO and Chairman Mary Barra and Ford CEO Mark Fields are members of Trump economic advisory groups. He has criticized Ford and GM for making cars in Mexico and took credit when Ford scrapped plans for a new plant there. Related video: Government/Legal Green Chrysler Ford GM Fuel Efficiency Detroit Michigan

2019 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan gets sinister S package

If you prefer shuttling your kids and their juice boxes to soccer practices and piano recitals with a smaller carbon footprint, but you wanna look gangsta doing it, then has Chrysler got a minivan for you. Starting in July, the automaker will offer the murdered-out S Appearance Package on the Pacifica Hybrid, too, following its "wildly successful" debut in the gasoline combustion version last fall. The details appear to be mostly the same as on the gas versions. Buyers will get lots of exterior gloss black accents, including grille surrounds, eyebrow headlamp accents, and window and rear valance moldings. The front and rear Chrysler wing badges are likewise done in black, but the Hybrid version comes with a special teal insert to highlight its green bonafides. The "Pacifica," "S" and "eHybrid" badges also get the "Black Noise" finish. A black roof rack and 18-inch wheels with "Black Noise" finish are now standard. Inside, the S Appearance brings black seats with gray accents and the "S" logo, light gray stitching and black accents on the wheel, and light gray stitching and the imaginatively named Anodized Ice Cave bezels on the instrument panel and door trim. Everything else in the interior is as blacked-out as your hard-as-nails, tree-hugging soul. You can order the S Appearance Package on the 2019 Pacifica Hybrid models with any exterior paint color, not just black, starting next month, for $595. It'll arrive in showrooms in the fall. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid S Appearance Package Image Credit: Fiat Chrysler Design/Style Green Chrysler Minivan/Van Electric Hybrid chrysler pacifica hybrid options package trim