Watching Chrysler commercials from the '80s makes one feel as if today's auto industry would be fine if only Lee Iacocca were still selling cars. The former Ford executive's arrival as Chrysler CEO kicked off a decade of recovery for the beleaguered company. His direct, straight-talking approach was encapsulated in his famous sales pitch: "If you find a better car, buy it."
That better car must have been Chrysler's new K-car series, for the strong sales of the midsize vehicle — as well as the company's streamlining of manufacturing plants and invention of the minivan — helped Chrysler repay its government loans seven years early in 1983.