Today I ran across this ad on a Facebook group I’m in, Finding Future Classic Cars. A ’79 LeBaron, from the early Iacocca period. Resplendant in green, I was immediately smitten. And then I realized this one was freaking loaded. With power moonroof! And soft Corinthian leather!
As the ad on Marketplace related: “1979 Chrysler LeBaron hard top coupe in very good condition and one owner. This beautiful vintage car has very low mileage and has been stored in a temperature-controlled garage. It just passed PA inspection in May 2023.”
“There is a rust spot near door by hardtop (see photo). Features include the following: power sunroof, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power driver’s side seat, Corinthian leather seats (front and back), 318 engine, posi-traction, 4 new tires (summer 2022).”
“In spring 2022: new belts, hoses, fuel pump, and tailpipe installed, cooling system flushed, cleaned, and refilled, fuel tank and carburetor cleaned and flushed. Car cover and original wire wheel hubcaps included. $10,000 or best offer. Serious inquires only. Located in Brownsville, PA.”
I believe the seller has that “yout” affliction known as ‘I believe five-digit odometer-itis.’ I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a well-maintained 115K mile car. Heck, My 2000 Town Car had 184K on it when I sold it two years ago, and the seats, albeit showing wear, still looked pretty good: no tears, and not a stitch had let go.
Not sure if it’s worth $10K but it sure is sharp! I miss coupes. Actually, I miss cars! If you have an interest, seek the seller out.
What a great time capsule for one who appreciates this car .
-Nate
They used to make cars in color! What a lovely shade, too. The soft Corinthian leather would have been enough to make this car attractive, but a power moonroof too? Amazing.
If one could figure out it’s location, imagine as a kid the fun of wandering around Chrysler’s sales bank and finding so many gems like this. Up close you notice all the little detailing that were often missed in ads, Like in this case that little extra wood in the center of the back seat, perfect to catch your eye when using the rear view mirror. Then imagining yourself grown up when you will be the important man with a car like this. History doesn’t show much love to people like Riccardo and Townsand, but as a kid you wouldn’t need to be told that they knew a thing or two.
As a huge fan of GREEN, I approve. I own two green cars at this moment, one solid (BRG) and one metallic.
I always like seeing the sun/moonroof on the old American cars, since they were so rarely ordered. I know for some of them old GM boats, having the “Astroroof” doubles the value.
My mom had an ’81 LeBaron when I was a young’n. By all accounts a fairly horrible car with the slant six, compared to the ’76 Cordoba my Dad took over driving (with the 400 “high performance” and the sunroof!). She moved to a new Audi 5000 in 1985, a 5 speed and with a sunroof of course. Boy did that warp my little mind about what “cars” were like.
I don’t know why they restyled to the “formal roof” look my Mom’s ’81 LeBaron. I guess passenger space and that was the styling trend of the downsized 80’s American iron. This ’79 is a far better looking LeBaron.
I don’t recall too many sliding sunroofs in American cars of the day either. They were certainly common in the BMW 320is that supplanted the PLCs in my area, but rarely seen in domestics. I do remember quite a few American two-doors with T-tops, but I guess few survived because of the water ingress issues.
Cadillac started offering an electric slider starting in 1970, Lincoln a little after that. Chrysler had started with one in 1969 or so on the Charger SE and Imperial, it was optional on upper end full size Mopars after that.
Could be a regional thing, I’ve seen several, they were an expensive option, so they aren’t going to be very common.
I knew sliding sunroofs were available, even on cars like the Plymouth Valiant Duster. I just never saw them in meaningful numbers on Detroit cars. T-tops were in vogue in the late-’70s and early ’80s though, and I used to see them pretty frequently on moribund PLCs and pony cars.
Just needs a 440 under the hood to be a great sleeper. I still miss my Highland Green F150. The current stable is two black and one white. Boring.
The idea of pitching these as an “Imperial Seville” was considered while they were in development, which is where all the Eagle medallions and LeBaron name came from. I always thought the “upside-down Seville” front headlight treatment was a little weird.
Cool car, the coupes are pretty rare on these. These would have probably sold better if Chrysler didn’t have the stench of death on them at the time.
How much better would these have been if Chrysler had simply rebodied the Valiant again in 1976? They kept repurposing the 1962 B-body platform until the end of the ’70s. Why not the Valiant? They were probably the two best unibody car designs ever hatched in the US. Instead we got the inherently flawed transverse-torsion-bars of the Aspen/Volare until the end of Chrysler Corporation making rear wheel drive cars.