These Are The Cars That Might Have Been If Chysler, Fiat, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo Were Herded Together In The 90s Instead Of 2021

Mergers and acquisitions often make for some bizarre products. In many cases they’re done to create “synergies” between companies for “efficiencies” or some other nauseating word, even if those firms have totally dissimilar cultures and make products that are far too different to ever work together effectively.

Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz experienced that with the DaimlerChrysler “merger of equals” in 1998. Now we have Stellantis with the Pentastar company being combined with a bunch of Italian brands we’d never imagine being under the same umbrella twenty years ago. I’m not sure if it will go the way of their previous ill-fated German collaboration, but I wondered out loud how it might have looked had Stellantis happened two decades ago instead of DaimlerChrysler. Actually, I wondered on Photoshop. Let’s explore.

Dodging A Bullet

The idea of Chrysler being involved with strange bedfellows goes back well over half a century. Before DaimlerChrysler and even the purchase of American Motors in 1987, Chrysler collaborated with overseas car companies, the results of which had varying degrees of success.

Before the 1978 “bailout,” Chrysler had a division overseas that included companies like Britain’s Rootes Group. These were the makers of the disastrous Hillman Avenger, sold here for just a few years as the Plymouth Cricket.

A better result was from Chrysler of Europe’s partnership with Simca that created the Horizon, sold here under that name as a Plymouth and as the Dodge Omni. This was arguably the only American subcompact at the time to be competitive with the benchmark VW Rabbit (though it initially had a Volkswagen drivetrain).

Joining forces with Mitsubishi resulted in an almost endless stream of winners for Chrysler in the malaise times and beyond, when they needed it most.

Hardcore purists scoffed at the Mitsubishi Sapporo-based Challenger (above) and the “R/T” badges on a Stealth (below), but they were far and away some of the best cars that Dodge sold at the time, if not ever.

Certainly, they were among the highest quality, most reliable, and usable Chrysler products; something that really couldn’t be said about many of the DaimlerChrysler era cars.

Some of the fruits of this labor were rather interesting and unexpected. You’d never in a million years think that we’d see a Mercedes E-Class-based chassis vehicle with an American V8 and a Dodge Charger or Challenger badge on it, but that’s what appeared around the turn of this century.

Or, how about a Chrysler-branded small Mercedes SL? It happened.

Nobody was surprised when this whole venture went south, but we were all just as perplexed when an Italian automotive giant decided to join forces with them after that. The products have been a hodgepodge similar to DaimlerChrysler; an odd mix of Fiats branded as Jeeps and, most embarrassingly, Alfa Romeo and Dodge sharing a rather less-than-spectacular compact SUV.

Could the issue have been timing? I mean, what if the whole Stellantis thing had happened back in the late nineties instead of the Mercedes disaster? Did both Chrysler and the Italians have better cars to share back then? I’m not sure but hold on because we’re going to look at some of these concoctions right now from the New Chrysler Corporation, part of what-if Stellantis circa 1998.

Mopar And Milano

I haven’t pinned down exactly when this hypothetical alternate timeline merger to form Stellantis might have taken place, but it would have been nearly two decades before it happened in our current reality. I’m offering some highlights (or lowlights) of the 1998 model year for this unholy alliance.

Alfa Cattaneo 3500SV Berlina

Alfa Romeo always had a difficult time selling large sedans. Their 164 was an outstanding product, so good that they thought it might find buyers here in the US but in the end, it still didn’t make headway against the BMWs and Acuras.

Partnering with Chrysler, Stellantis Alfa would have launched the Cattaneo as a large, luxurious performance front-drive sedan built in America. Powered by a number of different engine options, the top motor would have been the Busso V6 hooked up to a paddle-shifted automatic transmission. The cab-forward design would have been even more spacious than the 164 that shared a platform with the commodious Saab 9000. If you remember and liked how big the LH cars such as a Dodge Intrepid were inside, you’d have loved the Catteneo.

Dodge Charger R/T

Remember when Dodge gave us a Charger based on the European-developed Omni platform? The 2.2-liter four was a far cry from the Hemis of a decade or so before, but it was still a fun machine and far better handling than any Super Bee or GTX. Ultimately, buyers did accept it after the initial horror wore off.

Our new Italian-built 1998 Charger would have been just as big of a culture shock, but every bit as fun as an old school Mopar. Front wheel drive and powered by a 220 horsepower turbocharged four, the new Charger’s Chris Bangle-penned shape would have cut a dramatic profile on American streets and have had performance rather worthy of its bumble bee stripe.

Lancia Omicron

At least two people- maybe three- have been anxiously awaiting Lancia’s return to the United States, and with the 1998 Stellantis merger they’d have gotten their wish with the new Lancia Omicron.

Made in America, this mid-sized sedan would have offered the unique blend of luxury and performance found in Lancias over the years, and the US steel might not have rusted out on the showroom floors like Betas of old.

If you wanted a stronger taste of Italy with your Omicron, an Italian-built diesel motor and a five-speed would have been available.

Dodge Neon Van

Hi! That’s what the cute Neon said at its introduction in the early nineties, and in 1998, you’d have said “Hi” to the Neon Van. This Italian-built micro-transporter would have been no bigger than the Neon sedan but offered plenty of extra room inside with cathedral-high ceilings.

Based on a small vanette sold by Fiat, the Neon Van would have featured headlights and grille off of the sedan, plus add-on sail panels at the C-pillar to take some of the odd edge off of the Italian-branded version of the box.

We’d even have had a cargo version. Admittedly, I’d miss the PT Cruiser if that never happened, but at least there’d have been a crazy looking little van.

Chrysler TC

Just hearing the name “Chrysler Maserati TC” might get you to snicker, but there’s no reason that Stellantis’ New Chrysler couldn’t make a more respectable luxury coupe for 1998.

This Italian penned and produced coupe or convertible would have still been front-wheel drive, but without the K-car or Mitsubishi-based engines under the hood. Rev-happy twin cam fours and that famous Alfa V6 would have given this TC the kind of performance you’d have expected for the name.

Let’s get a TC do-over and make it right! Of course, I can see OG Chrysler TC owners and custodians of the new car getting into brawls on a regular basis as to which ones have “legit” products. The TC Registry would have been a s**t show.

Maybe They Would Have Had A Better Name Than “Stellantis” As Well

After this little experiment, I think that we can safely say that a 1998 Stellantis might not have been any better than a 2026 Stellantis. We’d also have missed out on some of the highlights of DaimlerChryslers star star-crossed partnership, and I’m not sure if there would have been an improvement in what we’d have received instead.

Ah, but what if the 1995 hostile takeover of Chrysler by Lee Iacocca and some casino owner with a last name that sounded like the VW bus-driving assisted suicide doctor went through? Now we’re talking about a lineup filled with a chrome Parthenon grilled and padded vinyl cornucopia of crap- maybe I have to investigate that next.

Top graphic base image: Chrylser