1985 Chrysler LeBaron

The legendary Chrysler Corporation was on the brink of financial disaster during the late 1970s when former Ford Motor Co. Vice President Lido 'Lee' Iacocca was appointed as Chrysler's new president and engineered one of the most stunning corporate turnarounds in history. Having successfully obtained loan guarantees from the U.S. government, Iacocca spearheaded a new-product development drive, resulting in the revolutionary 'K-Cars,' the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant. Arriving during the 1981 model year, they were the right cars at the right time and spawned a succession of companion models that saved Chrysler and revolutionized America's auto industry. The more upscale versions were known as the 400, 600, and LeBaron, sharing Chrysler's front-drive, efficient K-Car packaging.

The automobile industry had been concerned about government regulations that may outlaw the manufacture of soft-top cars. Thus, the American auto industry voluntarily ended the production of convertibles with the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado. Chrysler and Lee Iacocca re-introduced America to the convertible with the 1983 LeBaron, the first production convertible since the 1976 Eldorado. Based on the popular 'K-Car' chassis, the car was an immediate success.

Evoking Chrysler's 'Woody' convertibles of the late 1940s, the LeBaron Town & Country convertible had marine-grade vinyl faux-wood exterior trim and was priced at nearly $17,000. Designer Mark Cross inspired a special model, and 595 of them were finished by the Creative Group in Detroit. Logically dubbed the Mark Cross Package, the top-of-the-line LeBaron Town & Country convertibles included specially branded leather upholstery, power seats, and digital instruments.

The 1985 Chrysler LeBaron rested on a 100.3-inch wheelbase, slightly larger than the 97-inch platform of the Laser but smaller than the 103.3-inch platform of the New Yorker and the 112.7-inch wheelbase of the Fifth Avenue. The LeBaron Town and Country was marginally more significant at 100.4 inches, and the LeBaron GTS measured 103.1 inches. The four-cylinder Trans-4 engine with overhead camshafts was shared with the Laser, had a cast-iron block and aluminum head, 9.0:1 compression, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, electronic fuel injection, a displacement size of 135 cubic inches (2.2-liters), and produced 99 horsepower at 5,600 RPM and 121 lb-ft at 3,200 RPM. One of the major changes was the loss of the five-speed transmission, which meant the TorqueFlite automatic was promoted to the standard gearbox. The front suspension received dual-path Iso-Struts with a linkless anti-sway bar, while the rear used a beam axle with coil springs and trailing arms.

The styling remained consistent with the previous year, including the full padded vinyl roof that extended to the rear section of the back door on four-door body styles. The grille used the oval shape as the previous year's design but was now divided into eight side-by-side sections, each incorporating vertical strips and divided down the center by a bar. This design continued below the bumper rub strip.

The 1985 Chrysler LeBaron was offered in 'base', Town & Country, Mark Cross, and GTS trim. The 'base' LeBaron was available as a two-door coupe with five seats and was priced at $9,460. The sedan was priced slightly lower at $9,300, and the convertible listed for $11,900. The sedan was the most popular, with 43,659 examples sold, followed by 24,970 of the coupe and 9,196 of the convertible. The LeBaron Town & Country four-door station wagon was priced at $10,360, and 7,711 examples were built.

The exterior colors included Gold Dust, Cream, Garnet Red, Mink Brown, Ice Blue, Black, White, Nightwatch Blue, Radiant Silver, and Gunmetal Blue. These were all either Crystal or Pearl coats, and two-tone color schemes were available. The convertible body styles had low-back vinyl bucket seats with a fixed center arm/rest console, and the sedans had a cloth bench seat. The coupes had a new full-length console positioned between the high-back cloth bucket seats, with storage for cups, tape cassettes, and coins.

Intermittent wipers were now standard equipment, and new air conditioning and heat controls provided more precise settings.

The Chrysler LeBaron Mark Cross was offered as either a convertible (option code AFD) or Town & Country convertible (option code AFG), with the former priced at $15,995 and the latter at $17,000. 595 Town & Country convertibles were built along with 6,684 Mark Cross convertibles.

Although the five-passenger hatchback LeBaron GTS sport sedan was labeled as a 'LeBaron,' its styling had more in common with the Lancer than the LeBaron. It had a quad rectangular headlamp, a low profile slant back grille, an aero-styled six-window design, a sloped hood, full-width horizontally-ribbed wraparound taillamps, and 'LeBaron GTS' lettering on the decklid. The grille design had evenly-spaced vertical bars, with a Pentastar badge ornament resting above, at the center of the hood. There were bright-edged black bodyside moldings, tap striping, and 'Turbo' lettering on the front fenders (when equipped with the turbo engine).

The standard engine on the LeBaron GTS was the 2.2-liter four with electronic fuel injection. The turbocharged version of the 2.2-liter was optional, which had 8.1:1 compression, 146 horsepower at 5,200 RPM, and 168 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 RPM. The standard transmission was a five-speed close-ratio unit with an upshift light on the non-turbo engine. Its suspension used gas-charged dual-path Iso-Struts, and large-diameter sold front and tubular rear anti-sway bars. There were power brakes and power steering.

Standard equipment on the LeBaron GTS included a fold-down rear seatback and remote controls for the fuel filler door and the liftback. The exterior colors included Nightwatch Blue Crystal Coat, Gunmetal Blue Pearl Coat, Ice Blue Crystal Coat, Black Crystal Coat, Desert Bronze Pearl Coat, Cream Crystal Coat, Mink Brown Pearl Coat, Gold Dust Crystal Coat, Radiant Silver Crystal Coat, and Garnet Red Pearl Coat. Additional colors were offered for an extra fee.

The High Line was the 'base' trim package and included analog gauges housed in a mechanical instrument cluster. The Premium LS models had an electronic cluster with a digital speedometer/odometer and trip odometer, plus an electronic analog display of oil pressure, fuel level, temperature, voltage, and engine speed. Standard equipment included liftback and rear fascia striping, wheel opening, door frame surround striping, and intermittent wiper/washer. There were low-back cloth/vinyl front bucket seats with recliners and adjustable headrests, 60/40 split rear folding seatbacks, and an armrest console with a storage bin. Additionally, they had a time delay headlamp switch and courtesy light.

The list of optional equipment included the Luxury Equipment and Popular Equipment packages and Sport Handling Suspension packages. The standard handling suspension, installed on 3,143 cars, added P195/70R14 RBL performance tires. The Sport II package had cast-aluminum 15-inch wheels wrapped with P205/60HR15 RBL tires. A total of 12,436 buyers of the GTS purchased this package. Eleven thousand seven hundred seventy-nine cars were equipped with the AGT Turbo Sport 1 Package, which added 14-inch aluminum wheels and a turbocharged engine.

The LeBaron GTS four-door Sport Sedan was priced at $9,025, and 33,176 examples were sold. Twenty-seven thousand six hundred seven examples of the LeBaron GTS four-door LS Sedan were built with a factory base price of $9,970.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2022