#LeBaron Convertible

[crownedstoat]

1931 Lincoln Model K LeBaron Convertible Roadster

[packardbaker]

1932 Stutz DV-32 with a Convertible Victoria body by LeBaron.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1938 Lincoln K V-12 LeBaron Convertible Sedan

[mangoagate]

My title may say building kisser but it’s important to note that I’m also a car kisser

[nsdclassic]

Chrysler Lebaron Town & Country convertible

[masoncarr2244]

[automotiveamerican]

Pick of the Day: 1982 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible - Diego Rosenberg @ClassicCars.com

The car that saved Chrysler With all the love we’ve been giving full-size Chrysler Corporation C-bodies, especially the last of the convertibles, it only makes sense to have our Pick of the Day be the car that brought the convertible back to America: the 1982 Chrysler LeBaron Mark Cross Edition convertible. It is listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Orlando. (Click the link to view the…

[savageonwheels]

Car Spot: Chrysler LeBaron Woody Convertible

Remember 80s cars? How about the Chrysler LeBaron Convertible? This week's car spot.

If you can find a better convertible, buy it The mid-80s was a desperate time for Chrysler and Lee Iacocca knew he had to move fast to save the company and the K Car did it. Yup, that crappy K Car Dodge Aries, Plymouth Reliant, Chrysler LeBaron, and Dodge 400 sold over 2 million vehicles from 1981 to 1988. Lido also saw an opportunity the bring back the convertible and did that in 1983 with the…

[frenchcurious]

Chrysler CL imperial Custom Convertible Sedan Coachwork 1932 by LeBaron. - source Classic Carzone.

[les-belles-mecaniques]

Marmon Sixteen Convertible Sedan by LeBaron de 1933

[carnutzphoto]

1928 Packard Custom Eight Convertible Sedan by Hibbard and Darrin

Carosserie Hibbard et Darrin was based in Paris, France and was founded by Thomas L. Hubbard and his partner Howard “Dutch” Darrin. Thomas Hibbard and Raymond Dietrich were the founders of LeBaron, Carosserie in New York after being fired from Brewster & Co. in 1920. It was at LeBaron that Thomas Hibbard met Dutch Darrin. The two became friends, and went to Europe to sell custom cars, and decided to stay put in Paris to build cars there. The Parisian Packard dealer, Monsieur Barbezat, sold several Hibbard and Darrin cars, including this one, to an Argentinean National. The engine is a 384.8 cubic inch straight eight sitting on a 143-inch wheelbase and features a division window. It is believed that only one car was built. There are many interesting design features on this automobile including a three-position top, Marchal Headlights and an elaborate interior.

SPECIFICATIONS Model: Custom Eight Convertible Sedan Wheelbase: 143 inches Engine: 384.8 cu. In. straight eight Horsepower: 106 BHP @ 3600 rpm Transmission: Three speed-manual Brakes: Mechanical Drum Brakes Curb Weight: 4,400 lbs Price When New: $6,000

[hellfire-state-of-mind]

Miller Bros Contracting & Car Wash

a/n: this is entirely self-indulgent. there's a car wash near my house called Tommy's Express and it got me thinking about our Miller brothers running one before their contracting business really caught on. any historical inaccuracies are because i did not exist in the 1900s in any capacity. i also didn't have the brainpower to write this into a full-fledged fic. bon appetit.

so it’s around the mid-90s

when Joel and Tommy first started their contracting business, it was really slow drumming up enough work to pay the bills and they needed side work to bring in more income

baby Sarah suggested a car wash after “helping” Uncle Tommy wash the truck in the driveway

said car wash was no more than a little wooden stand at the end of the office’s parking lot with a hose, buckets, and rags and sponges

Tommy primarily did all the washing while Joel was in the office keeping an eye on the phone but he’d come out and pitch in on particularly quiet days (and when Sarah needed to burn off some energy)

Tommy is only ever clad in jean booty shorts and flip flops (no shirt because he’s a slut) and purposefully gets himself soaking wet and sudsy anytime a cute girl drives into the lot

(he has a special mixtape that he plays on such occasions and puts on a little extra show while washing, just squatting and flexing left and right. eventually Sarah learns all the words to both "Baby Got Back" and "Tootsee Roll" and Joel is pissed.)

(Tommy once caught Joel humming in the kitchen and never lets him forget it. “hey Joel, it’s your favorite song”)

anyway

you’re new to Austin

you and your old-ass 1982 Chrysler LeBaron convertible (to quote @maggiemayhemnj) that you got as a teen after earning your driver’s license – you got to pick the car, the only condition was that it had to be used

you roll in one day, long overdue for a wash

Tommy gets himself ready then does a double take after you park and he sees the car

he starts just circling it and inspecting practically every inch – “goddamn, how is this thing still runnin’?”

Joel watches Tommy fanboy over the car a bit from inside the office before poking his head out the door and calling to him to get to work

you play along with Tommy and his flirting – you can’t deny that he’s sexy – but you just can’t stop stealing glances at his older brother through the front window

and after you go inside to pay and Joel tells you to drive safe? you’re a goner

you become their first regular – because Tommy is just so thorough and even put air in your tires one time when they were low, no extra charge – definitely not because of his big brother pretending not to watch the two of you

“there’s my favorite hunk o’ junk!” – Tommy’s go-to greeting

one day you come by and it’s rattling like crazy

you go inside to pay afterwards, as usual, and Joel finally says more than just the polite sendoff – “uh, s’probably not my place to say but you should really get that noise checked out. sounds like it could give out at any second.”

“oh, you could hear that, huh?” “darlin’, you’d have to be deaf not to hear it. jus’ want you to be safe.”

as luck would have it, it craps out just a few days later

you dig out the Miller Bros Contracting & Car Wash business card – the only one you’ve ever kept because it has Joel’s number on it – and walk a couple blocks to the nearest payphone

Joel answers and you’re all anxious and apologetic that you didn’t know who else to call

he just says “i’m on m’way”

you have to resist the urge to curl up and hide when Joel parks his truck in the space next to you and grabs a toolbox out of the bed

you stand off to the side, watching respectfully as he fiddles around under the hood before determining it’s a battery issue

“thought i told you to get it looked at”

“i did but the guy said i need a whole new battery and i just don’t have that kind of money lying around right now”

“how much did he quote you on it?”

however much it was, it’s way too high and Joel knows it – greedy bastards taking advantage of single women who don’t know any better

“tell you what, lemme give you a jump jus’ to get ‘er going and i’ll fix it up for ya”

and he does not take no for an answer - "i ain't leavin' you to deal with any more sleazy mechanics"

you follow him back to his house where he tells you to go ahead and park in the driveway

he opens up the garage and starts grabbing tools when he stops and curses himself, turning to you and rubbing the back of his neck

“i, uh. i'm missing a pretty important part. you're more than welcome to wait here while i go run and get it, i won’t be long.”

you start to protest, he’s done so much for you already, you’re fine with just borrowing their phone book and calling a tow, but Joel is not having it

next thing you know, you’re sat on the living room floor with baby Sarah munching on a bowl of cereal and watching Wakko Warner sing about all 50 united states and their capitals

Tommy finally comes downstairs and sees the two of you hanging out and almost has a heart attack before turning on his Charm

you flirt with each other for a few minutes before he joins his older brother outside

“what’d’ya do to my favorite hunk o’ junk?”

“don’t even think about it”

“what? i didn’t say anything.”

“you were ‘bout to”

“well-”

“if you’re gonna stand there and bother me, at least make yourself useful and hand me that thing”

eventually Joel finishes up and heads inside to see Sarah sprawled halfway across your lap on the floor

“uh…your, uh, you’re good to go. lemme just, uh, take her and i'll see you out.”

the sight of Joel carrying his baby girl up the stairs to her bed is enough spank bank material to last you for weeks

he comes back down and leads you back out to your car, passing Tommy on his way in and he gives you a cheeky wink

your driver’s door is already open with the keys in the ignition so all you have to do is get in and drive away

instead, you stall by trying to offer some money to cover the cost of the parts and Joel shuts you down immediately

“you’ve already given us enough of your money, s’the least i can do”

“well, sure, but i was paying for a service. that's not the same thing.”

“you know what, you actually did me a huge favor by keeping an eye on Sarah for me. so how ‘bout we call it even?”

“okay”

and before you can even think, you step forward and kiss him

and Joel kisses back

you barely pull away and Joel grips your wrist

“what was that for?”

“…your tip?”

he just laughs and leans in, lips not quite touching again

“drive safe, darlin’”

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt LeBaron convertible

1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt LeBaron convertible

1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt LeBaron convertible

1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt LeBaron convertible at the Pebble Beach Concours show a few years ago.

"At the end of 1939 Walter Chrysler hired the legendary designers Alex Tremulis and Ralph Roberts of the LeBaron studio to design and construct two different show cars: The Golden Arrow, which was a futuristic dual cowl phaeton, later renamed the Newport, and the Thunderbolt Convertible. These would be two of LeBaron's final projects. America's involvement in World War II forced the company to halt production after just five examples of each car were built. Of the five Thunderbolts built in 1941, four are known to have survived, each was finished in a different color and they were all displayed at the auto shows across the country to promote the Chrysler brand. The groundbreaking design challenged traditional automobile design eliminating the traditional radiator grille in favor of air intakes and adding a fully retractable powered hardtop and a streamlined body with concealed headlights, push button power door switches, and a curved one-piece wraparound windshield. This car was later sold to the vice president of Mexico." -PB catalog.

[toskarin]

There, on the corner, was a convertible... a LeBaron.

"What about me, Mom?"

"You're #1 son, too."

"Then how come Gord gets a LeBaron and I don't?"

Gord shook the keys. "Because they love me more than they love you."

[uscarssince1935]

1937 Lincoln Model K LeBaron Convertible

My tumblr-blogs:

www.tumblr.com/germancarssince1946 & www.tumblr.com/frenchcarssince1946 & www.tumblr.com/englishcarssince1946 & www.tumblr.com/italiancarssince1946 & www.tumblr.com/japanesecarssince1947 & www.tumblr.com/uscarssince1935

[chicinsilk]

US Vogue May 1984

Allison Houtte is wearing an evening dress. Blue, black and white silk print. By Oscar de la Renta. The car, the 1984 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible, Mark Cross Edition.

Allison Houtte porte une robe de soirée. Imprimé de soie bleu, noir et blanc. Par Oscar de la Renta. La voiture, le cabriolet Chrysler LeBaron de 1984, édition Mark Cross.

Photo Eddy Kohli

vogue archive