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Junkyard Gem: 1990 Chrysler LeBaron GT Convertible

When Chrysler sprang back to life under Lee Iacocca and his K-Cars, the flagship of the new front-wheel-drive order was the luxurious new 1982 LeBaron convertible, which shoved aside the drab and antiquated Dodge Diplomat-based 1981 LeBaron. The LeBaron sedan got the axe after 1989, with only sporty coupes and devil-may-care ragtops given LeBaron badges after that. Here's an example of the third-generation LeBaron convertible, found in a Colorado wrecking yard a few months ago. There were four trim levels of LeBaron convertible available for the 1990 model year: Highline, Premium, GT and GTC. Today's Junkyard Gem is a second-from-the-top GT, which had an MSRP of $17,799 (about $43,383 in 2023 dollars). The intake manifold may bear the Chrysler name, but this engine is three liters of pure Mitsubishi 6G72 power. With 141 horsepower and 171 pound-feet, this engine was  standard equipment on the GT convertible (if you bought the GTC Coupe, you got a 175-horse 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder). The idea of a Detroit luxury machine with a manual transmission seems strange today… and it was also somewhat strange 33 years ago. The original buyer of this car almost certainly had the money for the optional automatic ($552, or $1,314 today) but preferred the five-on-the-floor manual. With a curb weight of just 2,775 pounds, this car would have been plenty of fun to drive with a three-pedal setup. The resemblance between this car and its far more expensive first cousin, Chrysler's TC by Maserati, was all too obvious to TC shoppers. Yes, that's genuine Corinthian Leather on the seats. Driver's-side airbags were rare on 1990 US-market cars, but Chrysler was ahead of the competition with this safety feature. This car nearly reached 275,000 miles during its life. Who says a convertible doesn't make a good daily commuter? It looks to have been in good condition at the end, though the driver's door latch mechanism needed to be reattached via welding repairs at some point. The retractable headlight covers are open in these photos. Chrysler ditched the hidden headlights for the 1993 LeBarons; production ended after 1995. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. There is no luxury without engineering. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In Canada, Celine Dion pitched this generation of LeBaron convertible.

Fiat Chrysler agrees to plead guilty, pay $30M in UAW probe

DETROIT  — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $30 million fine for a corruption scandal at the union that represents its factory workers, authorities said Wednesday. Company representatives gave more than $3.5 million in cash and other things of value to senior officials at the United Auto Workers, federal prosecutors in Detroit said as they charged FCA with conspiracy from 2009 to 2016. Details of the payoffs have been public for a few years and acknowledged during guilty pleas by FCA employees and others. FCA spokeswoman Shawn Morgan confirmed the company's planned guilty plea and fine. Al Iacobelli was the head of labor relations at Fiat Chrysler and co-chairman of the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center in Detroit. The government said he signed off on $262,000 to wipe out a mortgage held by UAW vice president General Holiefield, who was the center's other co-chairman. Iacobelli also approved $25,000 from the training center for a party for union vice president Norwood Jewell and the UAW's international executive board, the criminal charge states. Training center credit cards paid for more than $30,000 in meals for UAW officials at various restaurants in Southern California, the government said. “They did that with the hope that the company itself could possibly get more favorable treatment from the unionÂ’s leaders” during labor negotiations, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said Wednesday. Indeed, an indictment returned in 2017 said Iacobelli and others set up a liberal policy for credit cards to keep union officials “fat, dumb and happy." Iacobelli was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison in 2018, but the sentence was recently reduced by 18 months due to his cooperation. Holiefield died in 2015; his wife pleaded guilty to a tax crime three years later. The governmentÂ’s investigation began at the training center but stretched to other corrupt acts at the UAW. Eleven officials have been convicted, including two former union presidents. Investigators found that union dues were used to pay for golf, booze and vacation villas in California. The UAW recently agreed to have an independent monitor watch union finances and operations. Fiat Chrysler US is a subsidiary of Stellantis, a company created by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot.

FCA registers 'Cuda' trademark, but we wouldn't get our hopes up

It seems Chrysler has submitted a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office for the name "Cuda," as first reported by Motor1. Fans of Mopar will instantly recognize this as the abbreviated name of Plymouth's classic Barracuda muscle car, which occasionally bared the shortened nomenclature. Though this might seem like a sign that FCA is considering a revival of the beloved machine, we wouldn't get our hopes up. See, rumors of a 'Cuda or Barracuda revival have circulated pretty much since the moment Dodge showed the modern Challenger and when it went on sale. And some of those rumors have involved the re-registering of the 'Cuda trademark, even as far back as 2010. Over the years, each rumor died a quiet death as time went on and no 'Cudas appeared on dealer lots. There is one rumor that's recent enough to still have a slim chance of realization, circa 2015 to be exact. It predicts a smaller Challenger-based car called Barracuda that could appear as a Dodge in both coupe and drop-top versions. However, we doubt it will come true, since FCA doesn't exactly have a large development budget, and we're not sure what the company would have to gain by making another sports car to sell below the Challenger. Odds are, it would cannibalize sales from the older, completely developed, and thus more profitable Challenger. Really, this trademark filing is probably just a defensive move for Chrysler. It will ensure that no one else can slip in and snag the name for their own vehicle. It should also help ensure that Chrysler has the rights to use the name on other products such as memorabilia. Sorry to crush your dreams. Related Video: News Source: US Patent and Trademark Office via Motor1Image Credit: Chrysler Rumormill Chrysler Dodge Coupe Performance hemi cuda