I was riding a southbound bus from my neighborhood when this first- (or second-) year Chrysler LeBaron convertible caught my eye out of the eastern windows of the bus. I was super-excited. It was late September and still pretty warm outside, so I instinctively pulled the cord to request the next stop and basically told my now-ex that we were deboarding, nowhere near where we were headed. Instances like this may or may not have contributed to the demise of our long-term relationship, but then as now, I have no regrets for having taken a little detour to get these pictures.
Photographing this car was important to me, and my love of cars had been fully disclosed probably by our second date, if not the first. After all, any K-Car from any division of Chrysler Corporation was a rare find by 2013, and when new, this little red beauty was intended, along with the reborn Imperial coupe, to be the showroom traffic generator of your friendly, local Chrysler-Plymouth dealer. Additionally, my earliest family-car memories were of Mopars, as the first three automobiles that had played a part in my own life’s story were all Plymouths.
Along with the 1982 Buick Riviera convertible, the same-year LeBaron convertible (with ’82 being the first year of the front-wheel-drive LeBaron and also the second year of the K-Cars’ introduction) was viewed as the grand reintroduction of the American convertible. This was after the “final year” 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertibles had rolled off the assembly line (before returning again for ’84, throwing investment buyers of the ’76 models into hissy fits), and when everyone assumed that the U.S.-branded drop-top was gone for good.
I was in my early grade-school years when the K-Baron convertible had made its debut (selling just over 12,800 units for ’82, and just under 10,000 units the next year), but I remember the appearance of this soft-top Chrysler seeming like a big deal. Even a little kid like me could sense the excitement generated by all of the triumphant commercials starring the then-CEO, the late Lee Iacocca. He delivered his sales pitches on TV spots with such a friendly-but-no-nonsense demeanor and confidence that it seemed impossible that anything he said could be anything but the absolute truth. Whereas the teenage me would later learn the ways of irony and call B.S. on things that didn’t ring true, the young me saw Mr. Iacocca as being maybe just one or two rungs down in authority from the President of the United States.
Looking at our featured car, in all of its shrunken, right-angled, geometric glory, I suppose that one “just had to be there” to understand the excitement a car like this little Chrysler generated when it was introduced. This was also at a time when the eponymous Chrysler brand still seemed to have real luxury connotations. Around this same time in the early ’80s, my maternal grandparents were on their first of two consecutive Chrysler M-Bodies, a 1980 LeBaron sedan, this car’s larger, RWD predecessor. I had spent a considerable amount of time as a kid at Chinonis Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge on Clio Road, on Flint, Michigan’s “Miracle Mile” of car dealerships (thanks to our ’77 Volaré), and I remember thinking that the downsized K-based LeBarons seemed to give up only a little in apparent prestige to what my grandparents drove and would replace with another M-Body, an ’83 Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
An ’82 base price of $11,698 for the base LeBaron convertible equates to over $31,000 in 2020 (the $13,998 LeBaron “Medallion” convertible’s price amounts to almost $37,500 in present day), though I’m positive both convertibles were well-equipped at that price. Also, from a different perspective, the entry-level convertible cost almost 25% more than the most expensive non-convertible, the Town & Country wagon. That Chrysler moved 12,800 of these convertibles in ’82, which I think is a fairly substantial number for an expensive, niche vehicle, shows that buyers were ready for the return of the American convertible.
For those who wanted a truly elegant and stately looking convertible, the ’82 Buick Riviera was available for a staggering starting price of $23,994 (over $64,000 in 2020, a figure that splits the difference between the base prices of a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban and a Cadillac Escalade). Still, now removed from the once-everywhere nature of the K-cars, I can see the appeal of a small, elegant soft-top runabout like this red LeBaron.
Though its proportions were slightly awkward (it was too short from bumper-to-bumper on its 100.3″ wheelbase for its chunky, linear styling to look genuinely great), it combined classic, Chrysler styling cues (waterfall grille, a myriad of Pentastar emblems, etc.) with a small, manageable platform that had what was seen as new-school, FWD technology. The masterful ad campaigns that were being broadcast regularly must certainly have helped with its success and popularity.
When discussing the return of the American convertible in the early 1980s, I have often observed that that people immediately gloss over the Riviera and promptly reference the LeBaron. I honestly don’t remember seeing any ads for the Riviera (the only reference on the Buick that I could find on YouTube was this non-brand-specific clip from General Motors from ’82), which may have something to do with this. Circling back to my opening paragraphs, though, the sight of this LeBaron convertible from one of the first two model years in which it was available reminded me of the optimism I had felt as a kid that anything seemed possible in terms of new and exciting automotive products. This was easily worth having deboarded the bus that day.
Uptown, Chicago, Illinois.
Saturday, September 28, 2013.
George Costanza had gotten off that bus with you. That may or may not say something about the sanity of your decision.
The “John Voight” (spelling intentional) car! I always get a little sad when it meets its end.
Your post brought back some fond memories, my wife and i bought a new le baron convertible back in 1982 , as a second car , to go with the lebaron T and
C wagon. It was a lot of fun to drive .
Hi Jesse , I have an ’82 convert for sale . 2nd owner -excellent shape -survivor
ZERO body work -Mark Cross edition … New top , otherwise original . 262*353*5449 Madison WI area $6250 as I need room for other vehicles .
Based upon anecdotal evidence, might it be safe to say the number of convertible survivors among 1980s Chrysler products is disproportionately, and delightfully, high?
Several years ago I found one of these in the local Wal-Mart parking lot during my twice annual journey there. The seats had been covered with Lynard Skynard t-shirts and it was as a tobacco brown, not nearly as eye pleasing as this red.
Jason, I think I know that brown you’re talking about. As brown cars go, I really like that shade and think Chrysler got it just right.
But this shade of red seems to go hand-in-hand with LeBaron convertibles. My aunt had a later J-Body LeBaron convertible in a similar shade called “Claret Red”, which I seem to remember a lot of them had.
I shared in your excitement back then. I was in college and had become a real Mopar fanboi. I loved that Lee I was putting some pizaz into the Chrysler lineup and that Chrysler was out front (for a change) with modern cars.
In the back of my mind, however, were the unstated reservations. I didn’t really like the 4 cylinder fwd package that was becoming the new normal, and was not completely happy with the looks of these shrunken cars. On the convertible, that blind-quarter roof design left me cold. The car looked good with the top down, but not so much with it up. After a couple of years they fixed that by adding the small quarter windows.
Fabulous find! I have not seen one of these early models in a long, long time. And I love those wheels.
I also like the wheels on this one (which are the same as the brown convertible in the TV spot). I think they added just the correct amount of ornamentation.
I think part of the excitement with what was going on at Chrysler in the ’80s (for me, anyway) was that they seemed to be doing so much with what seemed like so little. Not only did Chrysler Corporation survive in that decade, but they thrived. A story like that seemed like the very embodiment of the “American Dream”.
I like the ’84-’86 version with the quarter windows a little better, but at this point how often are you going to drive it with the top up anyway.
Great color combo (I might be a little biased) and those wheels work with the blackwalls.
Yes, I was going to make this point. this version without the quarter windows looks more like a backyard job. I’d forgotten this early version didn’t have 4 windows.
The dual mirrors should have been standard on all convertibles, just to help combat that wide C-pillar blind spot. I’m pretty sure dual mirrors were standard only on the Medallion or Mark Cross submodels. I’m fairly certain that the base convertible for ’82 had only the driver’s side mirror.
The official car of the “Five Neat Guys”.
Am I the only one who remembers their smash hits ” Let’s Have a Party in My Rec Room” and “Who Brought the Egg Salad Sandwiches ” ?
I can only speak for myself, but those tunes are not on my radar.
How about ” Who Put the Pennies in My Loafer “, ” I’m the Goof of the Classroom ” , or “She Does It” ?
SCTV ! I had forgotten how funny that show was.
I had never heard of “Five Neat Guys” (or SCTV) before your comment yesterday (thanks, internet!).
I will say, though, that I’ve recently seen a (semi-new?) music video at my health club that features a Town & Country convertible with a Dodge 600 front end cap. I always get frustrated because I wonder if that was intentional, or because another LeBaron front end couldn’t be sourced after a collision.
Mentioning the Riviera convertible – there was an Eldorado ragtop too, but no Toronado. Olds didn’t get a J-body convertible either, those were just for Chevy and Pontiac. Always thought that was odd.
I did also like the Eldo convertible, though I think it arrived for ’84 (as a Biarritz). 1983 brought out the rest of that initial glut of soft-top offerings: the Mustang, Cavalier, J2000 Sunbird, etc.
I had to research to see if the Dodge 400 convertible was officially an ’82 model (since it was introduced mid-year), or if it was technically an ’83. I was unable to confirm on my lunch break.
Regardless, there are a lot of these around and for sale, based on my recent internet search. Survival rates (to Jason Shafer’s point, below) seem to be higher than I would have imagined.
they were 1982’s i have an 82 Dodge 400
I remember the first time I saw one of these K-car convertibles being driven. I was behind the wheel of my Datsun B210 in downtown Bellevue, stopped at a red light. It was white with a white top, and the driver was a middle-aged lady. She had a giant smile on her face… yeah, I was there, and I know what you mean.
I really don’t believe you had to be there to appreciate what a handsome little car we see here. While it doesn’t have the heft and girth of a ’65 New Yorker convertible, it does look like its grandson.
No New Yorker convertibles after 1961, only Newport’s and 300’s, I wish there had been, I drive my ’64 Imperial Crown convertible instead, still, you brought good mental imaging. Had a tobacco brown w/Marc Cross leather int, think it was ’83.
Yeah, I was there. Chrysler was back from the clutches of death and they were bringing back the convertible. Not GM, not Ford or AMC. Chrysler. Everyone, and that includes non car people, knew what a K car was and now there was going to be a convertible. Everyone had an eye on Chrysler since they owed the government the much publicized money that they borrowed. Cars like the convertible and the K’s seemed to go a long way in the publics mind that Uncle Sam made a wise investment.
The US government did not make a loan to Chrysler — they guaranteed loans made to Chrysler by other institutions.
Great find and story Joseph, thank you! You may enjoy this Popular Mechanics review of the then new LeBaron, Riviera, and Mustang convertibles in their August 1983 issue.
https://tinyurl.com/vdzq2y3
Oh my lord was that “Living With a Ragtop” sidebar the most Boomer thing I’ve read in a long while! “A California architect complaining the rear seat was too small for the dog? The guy that wanted to meet women and still be in the air if he wasn’t on his Harley? Thank you for the lunchtime levity!
Turns out the cars were pretty solid, by the by. I’d have that Riviera, for sure!
These early ones with no rear side windows look like a third-party conversion. But it was a gutsy move on Lee’s part, and one that paid off. The K-car suddenly wasn’t just a neo-Falcon anymore.
The lack of rear quarter windows does make the top look very homemade. Like a “LeBaron Sunchaser” without a rollbar. I think the rest of it looks okay.
I believe the rear quarter windows were added when Chrysler brought convertible production in-house.
The reason the first no quarter window Lebaron convertibles look like a 3rd party conversion is because they ‘were’ done by a 3rd party (ASC, I think). Further, Chrysler’s bean counters told Iacocca it would make the car unprofitable, but Lido greenlit the car for production, anyway.
To this day, I think the 1st gen Lebaron convertible was the best looking K-car.
I know. I meant to say they really look like what they were: a third party conversion.
The only way I can explain my love for these things is perhaps by using the phrase “irrational exuberance”.
The late 70’s were a rough time. Unemployment hit about 8 percent in 1979, Iran had stormed our embassy and taken 52 hostages, inflation was out of control at 13.3 percent annually; wages were way behind. Office buildings all removed half their lightbulbs and turned off their hot water to save energy as the Middle East had jacked up oil prices. Japan was eating America’s economic lunch, and our jobs were flying overseas.
In the middle of all this Chrysler Corporation fell deathly ill, and had brought in a guy who sure seemed like a Snake-oil salesman. He started a cure of purging and blood letting and making American Trablants. Yes, Mighty Mopar, once maker of the Hemi was reduced to making “K Cars” – the emotional equivalent of Colt Firearms, maker of the 45 caliber “Peacemaker” pistol, reduced to selling cap guns. America was …depressed. It was the time of “The General Malaise©️“, and our President said so.
In short: things sucked.
However, suddenly after what seemed like years of gloom there appeared… a convertible! And an affordable convertible at that. Convertibles had almost become extinct in the 70’s when Congress had planned to ban them for our own good. Congress was in a cranky-nanny mood in those days, forcing all the states to limit speeds to 55 mph, and car makers to limit speedometers to 85 mph and keeping it that high was a battle as who needs a speedometer that goes higher the legal limit? Why? Driving is serious business citizen!
Still, in defiance of all this common sense and practicality Chrysler dared to build a cool car. And everyone relaxed a little. It was like the dove returning with a green leaf to Noah at Mount Ararat. Surely a sign that things must be getting better, right? And they were.
So, crude and humble as they were, I will always have a soft spot for these cars.
^^^Great comment this one. +1
My personal favorite of this generation is the 1985-86 Dodge 600ES.
The “you had to be there” reminds me of all the hype around the PT Cruiser at its launch. I was in third or fourth grade, and one of my friends got picked up in his parents’ new PT Cruiser, which they had been on a waiting list for, and had probably paid markup for. My other friends thought it was the coolest car – it even had “gangster” floor-mounted rear window switches (or that’s what we called them). I remember reading the car section of the local newspaper talking about how people were scrambling to get vanity plates for their new “Cruisers”. Years later, one of my friends in high school around 2008 often drove his mother’s Turbo, manual GT Convertible around, and many would laugh about this “chick car”. He would remind them about the “SRT-4 engine” – and it would likely beat their Civics in a race.
By the early 2010s, the “PT Loser” was known as either a crappy rental car or a beater for someone who couldn’t afford anything better. It’s still uncool in 2020 – but people might forget it wasn’t always that way.
My first car in 1993 was an ’86 Aries/600 convertible. A GREAT first car, sturdy, reliable, cheap, fun, practical, not powerful or dangerous for a youngster yet stylish. These cars were roomy enough to fit two adults comfortably in the back seat, and try finding a modern convertible that can do that.
@ lokki, I couldn’t have said it better myself. The 70’s were a dark time, what with the loss in Vietnam, a president resigning in disgrace, oil shocks showing the Great America we were NOT omnipotent, stagflation, nuclear winter, swine flu . . . Everything was hideous body fluid colours. The President asked us to tighten our belts and lower our thermostats and prepare for a future of Soylent Green. People thought in 1975 the car of the future would be a sub-Chevette 3 cylinder runabout and that a full sized family car would be an Omnirizon and everything would be wheezy and miserable.
This car and the Mustang redo promised us that lo cal could still be fun and that the future wasn’t as bleak as it seemed. The overwrought land barges of the ’70’s began to look ridiculous when something like a 1975 Thunderbird weighed well over two and a half tons, took up 20 feet of driveway space, got 8 mpg, and you couldn’t get adults comfortable in the back seat, compared with a K car
Then the Convertible came along and showed that the Practical, inexpensive K car could be fun too. Iacocca really was a genius for figuring out what Americans wanted in a car, it wasn’t THAT hard to do but definitely eluded a lot of smart people.
Very true about the excitement and optimism that these LeBaron convertibles brought with them. I was 9 years old when these were introduced, but had been told by several adults that the government had banned convertibles (I was confused by how Alfas and Mercedes SLs continued to exist, but adults are always right, you know).
When these K convertibles came out, I realized that the government must not have banned fun after all!
Does anyone remember the Car and Driver cover photography for this car? I believe it held the record for the most canceled subscriptions and self-righteous letters, so naked was the blond draped over the two-tone Mark Cross leather interior.
I was really cheering for this particular home team back in the day. Sadly, they burned us so badly that we ended a family allegiance that went back to my grandfather’s 1931 CD-8 roadster. I still remember the clever cup holders and Infinity stereos with joy-stick balance and fader controls, but I also remember the smell of burning coolant mixed with oil and panel fits that didn’t look right no matter how far away you stood.
The cover was fairly mild, but I think you’re referring to the lead picture from the article itself:
In the mid 90s,I bought an ’82 Lebaron Mark Cross convertible for the sole reason that “Three Window” as the white on white was called, reminded me of my high school sweetheart, a 1948 Plymouth “three window” convertible.I later gave the non- op “Three Window” to a friend who trailered it to Wickenburg, AZ where I assume it still resides.
The top fit looked terrible on those ’82 models right on the lots. It appeared to be a rushed job to get it on the market, the following years with the quarter windows were better. The earliest cars were rather shaky and didn’t survive long as used cars.