Its introduction was delayed again and again as Chrysler executives faced the very real challenge of producing a “defect-free” Italian specialty car, the TC finally made it to market. Since 75 percent of the parts and labor in the car were from 109 different Italian suppliers, coordination of the pieces was more of a job than most realized.
TC was powered by a pair of turbocharged four-cylinders built off a basic block: Chrysler’s 2.2-liter Turbo II was detuned and matched with a three-speed automatic transaxle, and a DeTomaso-designed 16-valve version with 40 more horses came with a five-speed Getrag manual transaxle. Soon to come, was the 3.0L Mitsubishi V6, which was ideal for the package, and would eliminate one of the other mills. Why so many choices for such a low volume car?
Enthusiasts would naturally opt for the 16-valve turbo, which smoldered at 2500 rpm and burst into flames between 4000 rpm and 5500 rpm, but the buzziness of the engine, a notchy shifter, and mediocre chassis worked against keeping it in the range. If test drives of prototypes were representative of the production model, the TC was at heart a boulevard cruiser. Pushed hard, the suspension topped and bottomed, while the dash creaked from the cowl shake. Far happer will be buyers who never heard of double clutching or trailing brakes, and who really enjoy the kind of Chrysler products that Ricardo Montelban represented.
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