Let’s Join Chrysler boss Lee Iacocca as he introduces yet another member of the K-car family, the luxury-flavored Chrysler LeBaron.

The LeBaron name has a complicated history with the Chrysler Corporation, the car-making company we now know as Stellantis. The badge was first applied to coachbuilt Chrysler products with bodywork supplied by LeBaron, the design house founded by Thomas L. Hubbard and Raymond Dietrich. From 1957 to 1975, LeBaron was a premium trim level for Imperial, a separate Chrysler division at the time, and from 1977 to 1981, the Chrysler LeBaron was an upscale variant of the midsized M-body rear-drive sedan. And for markets outside the USA, there were Dodge LeBarons, too.

For the 1982 model year, Chrysler recalibrated the LeBaron emblem yet again, this time for a premium version of its Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant, the company’s hot-selling K-car. For this mission, the K platform was dressed up with a formal grille, chiseled styling, a padded vinyl top, premium interior, and other luxury accoutrements. Coupe and sedan body styles were rolled out first, followed by a convertible and a station wagon with faux woodgrain trim. And with that, Chrysler had one more solid seller from the increasingly elastic K-car platform.

To launch the new front-drive LeBaron, Chrysler boss Lee Iacocca knew there was only one man for the job: Lee Iacocca. In his former job at Ford, Iacocca was compelled to dwell in the shadow of Henry Ford II, but when he moved over to the top spot at Chrysler, he was free to take the spotlight himself. With his stellar sales skills and straight-talking style he was made for the role, and he soon became an American corporate folk hero. There was even talk of a president bid in 1988, though he carefully backed away. See the Iacocca pitch at work in the commercial spot below.