Hi To All,Based upon the input of our 300 experts, the write ups have been changed as follows. Please refer any suggested changes based upon this modified R2 write up:
1955 C-300 Overview
Production
1,725 Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop
Powertrain
Engine
331 cu in (5.4 L) 300 hp V8
Transmission
PowerFlite 2-Sp Auto/One 3 Sp Man
Dimensions
Wheelbase
126 in
Length
218.8 in
Width
79.1 in
The Chrysler letter cars were born when they married the “Hemi” engine with Virgil Exner’s radically re-designed line creating what became known as “The Forward Look”.
The design was simple but strong without much chrome on the sides, creating the illusion of fast forward movement. It was named the 300 because in 1955, when it was introduced, it came equipped with Carter 4 barrel carburetors, a solid lifter camshaft, and a larger exhaust that produced 300 horsepower, the first modern American production engine to accomplish that.
The New Yorker would contribute its two-door body, the Imperial, its two-piece grill with Windsor rear quarters. Exner also included base-model Chrysler bumpers and removed many exterior elements such as back-up lights, hood ornament, side trim, and exterior mirrors.
Measured at 127.58 mph (205.32 km/h) in the Flying Mile, and doing well in NASCAR. When the C300 competed in NASCAR, it was painted to advertise that it was the “world’s fastest stock car”.
1956 300-B Overview
Production
1,102 Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop
Powertrain
Engine
354 cu in 340 hp (Opt 355 hp) V8
Transmission
2 & 3-Sp Auto/3 Sp Manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase
126 in
Length
218.8 in
Width
79.1 in
In 1956, the 300-B was released and all future models would be labeled with a
sequential letter after the 300.
The 300-B was fairly similar externally, distinguished by a new tailfin treatment, but with larger engines, two models of 354 cu in (5.8 L) Hemi V8 with either 340 or 355 hp. With the optional 355 hp 354-cu.in engine, the 300B became the first American car to produce 1 horsepower per cubic inch.
Performance of the new 300-B improved as it averaged over 90 mph in the Daytona Grand National and hit a new flying mile record, 139.373 miles per hour in the Flying Mile at Daytona Beach.
1957 300-C Overview
Production
1,918 Coup; 484 Conv Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & 2-Dr Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
392 cu in (6.4 L) 375 hp (Opt 390 hp) V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite A466 Auto/3 Sp Man
Dimensions
Wheelbase
126 in
Length
219.2 in
Width
78.8 in
The 1957 300-C is generally considered the classic year of the 300 “letter series”. New styling was brought in, with a yawning wide front grille and fins; the Hemi engine was upgraded to 392 cu in (6.4 L) with 375 hp, or as a very limited edition 390 hp version (18 built). A convertible model was available for the first time. The car had a number of red, white, and blue ‘300-C’ medallions on the sides, hood, trunk and interior.
With the introduction of the 1957 300-C, 300 Letter Cars became known as the
“Beautiful Brutes.”
The 1957 300-C did not compete in NASCAR track events, but with its 375HP hemi engine, again won the Daytona Beach flying mile, making the Chrysler 300 the fastest American car in Class 7 for the third straight year.
1958 300-D Overview
Production
618 Coup; 191 Conv Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & 2-Dr Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
392 cu in (6.4 L) 380 hp V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite A466 Auto/3 Sp Man
Dimensions
Wheelbase
126 in
Length
220.0 in
Width
78.8 in
The 1958 model year was to be the last use of the old Fire Power Hemi in the 300. The engine was still 392 cu in (6.4 L), but tuned to 380 hp as standard.
As many as 21 cars were built with fuel injection and delivered 390 hp, but the fuel
injection system was troublesome and most cars soon had it replaced with the
standard twin-quad carburetor setup.
A 300-D was driven to 156.387 mph (251.680 km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats that year, and at Daytona, one was driven to an et of 16 seconds with a 94mph trap speed.
1959 300-E Overview
Production
550 Coup; 140 Conv Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & 2-Dr Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
413 cu in 380 hp (6.8 L) V8
Transmission
3-Speed TorqueFlite A466 Auto
Dimensions
Wheelbase
126 in
Length
220.0 in
Width
79.5 in
The big news for 1959 was the new Golden Lion V8 that replaced the heavy and
expensive Hemi V8. The new Golden Lion V8 sported Chrysler’s new wedge-shaped combustion chamber design. The new 413 “Wedge” V8 continued to use dual four-barrel carburetors. Acceleration was fast at a claimed 8.3 second 0-60 time.
The appearance of the 300-E was similar to the previous model. The most significant change was the use of narrow horizontal red bars highlighted by four chrome bars in place of the older egg crate grille. Red bars were also used in the narrow air scoops for the front brakes that were positioned below the headlights. Also new were the “300” letters located on the lower, driver side portion of the hood. At the rear were new taillights and a larger bumper with recessed back-up lights.
1960 300-F Overview
Production
964 Coup; 248 Conv Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & 2-Dr Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
413 cu in 375 hp (Opt 400 hp) V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite/Racing 4 Sp Man
Dimensions
Wheelbase
126 in
Length
218.8 in
Width
79.4 in
The bodywork was also redone for 1960, using Chrysler’s new lightweight unibody construction and given sharper-edged styling with outward-tilting fins that were visually separated from sides.
The 300-F introduced a new; higher power 413 cu in (6.8 L) Wedge engine delivering 375 hp (280 kW) in standard form. A new, and completely unique “Cross Ram” manifold was used, placing the carbs on each side of the engine. The design was to have a “supercharging” effect in the heart of the rpm range. Low range performance was helped with the design, but at the cost of performance over 4,000 RPM. To solve that problem, engineers removed a section of the inner walls to create the 400 HP versions. The “short” rams looked similar the longer version, but were in effect half the length. About 15 of these “short ram” cars were built, mostly for Daytona Flying Mile racecars and were called “Grand Turismos”. Six of them captured the first 6 places at the Flying Mile event, with speeds ranging from 140mph-145mph. A standard 300-F placed 7th. The short ram option also included the French made Pont-a-Mousson 4 speed manual transmission, which was made for the Facel Vega, a Chrysler powered French luxury car.
1961 300-G Overview
Production
1,280 Coup; 337 Conv Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & 2-Dr Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
413 cu in 375 hp (Opt 400 hp) V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite/3 Sp Manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase
126 in
Length
219.8 in
Width
79.4 in
The 1961 300-G saw another restyle. The grille, formerly wider at the bottom than the top, was inverted; the quad headlights, formerly side-by-side, were arranged in angled fashion, inward at the bottom, in a manner reminiscent of 1958-1960 Lincolns.
Small parking lamps below the headlights were likewise slanted and V-shaped, and the front bumper was canted up at each end, scoop-like. At the rear, the taillights were moved from the fins to the tail below them and the fins were made sharper pointed. Power windows were standard. Mechanically, the cross-ram “short ram” and “long ram” engines remained the same, although the expensive French manual transmission was dropped, and replaced by a more reliable and still expensive Chrysler
manual transmission (referred to as ‘option code 281’). A 300-G won the Daytona Flying Mile.
1962 300-H Overview
Production
435 Coup; 123 Conv Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & 2-Dr Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
413 cu in 380 hp (Opt 405 hp) V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite/3 Sp Man
Dimensions
Wheelbase
122 in
Length
214.9 in
Width
79.4 in
From 1962s 300-H, the fins were gone. New management at Chrysler decided that it was time to remove Virgil Exner’s styling cues from the lineup.
The 300-H also now shared the smaller platform of the Newport line.
Both 413’s received a 5HP boost, and the 300-pound weight savings of the smaller wheelbase gave the 300-H the best power to weight ratio of any of the letter cars.
Under the hood of the 300-H the standard cross ram intake was gone, and there was a return to the inline dual 4-barrel carb setup of the 300-E. With a slight power boost and a 300 lb (140 kg) lighter body, the 300-H was faster than the 300-G.
1963 300-J Overview
Production
400 Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop
Powertrain
Engine
413 cu in 390 hp (6.8 L) V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite/3 Sp Manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase
122 in
Length
215.3 in
Width
79.1 in
Further restyling for the 1963 300-J (the letter “I” was skipped because people would confuse it for the numeral “1”.) left the car with a smoother, more angular 1960s look. (Shared with the Newport and New Yorker series, this body design was the last one styled during Virgil Exner’s term as Chrysler’s styling chief.)
The letter-series convertible was dropped, leaving the hardtop. The only engine
available was the 413 cu in (6.8 L) ram-induction V8, with an increase of 10 hp from 1962. A redesigned and more sumptuous interior featured an oddly squared
steering wheel. The 300-J was faster than the standard 300-H of the year before, with a 142 mph (229 km/h) top speed, 8.0 seconds 0-60 mph, and a standing quarter mile time of 15.8 seconds with a terminal velocity of 89 mph.1964 300-K Overview
Production
3,022 Coup; 625 Conv Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & 2-Dr Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
413 cu in 360 hp (Opt 390 hp) V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite/4 Sp Manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase
122 in
Length
214.9 in
Width
79.4 in
The convertible returned for the 1964 300-K.
The “cross-ram” engine became an extra-cost option available on the 300-K only. A 413 cu in (6.8 L) Wedge with a single Carter AFB 3614S 4-barrel carburetor, a regular
intake manifold, and 360 hp was the new standard engine.
Leather upholstery was no longer standard either.
All this reduced the baseline price by over a thousand dollars, and sales responded with the largest total ever.
1965 300-L Overview
Production
2,405 Coup; 440 Conv Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & 2-Dr Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
413 cu in 360 hp (6.8 L) V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite/4 Sp Manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase
122 in
Length
215.3 in
Width
79.1 in
The 1965 300-L was the final year of the traditional letter series. A complete restyle, with crisp lines, slab sides and a tall “greenhouse”—styling cues introduced by Elwood Engel when he succeeded Virgil Exner as Chrysler’s styling boss—brought a sleek mid-1960s linear look to the cars.
Dropped was the panoramic windshield that had disappeared from other Chrysler models in 1961.
The cross-ram engine was no longer available; the 413 cu in (6.8 L) engine with
regular carburetion and inlet manifold was the only one supplied.1970 Hurst 300 Overview
Production
501Produced
Body and Chassis
Body Style
2-Door Hardtop & One Convertible
Powertrain
Engine
440 cu in 375 hp (7.2 L) V8
Transmission
3-Sp TorqueFlite/4 Sp Manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase
124 in
Length
224.7 in
Width
79.1 in
The 1970 Hurst 300 lacks the single-letter suffix of its forbears and appeared five years after the last Letter Series Chrysler, the 300-L. It was a high-performance variant of the luxury 300, built with the input of aftermarket parts manufacturer Hurst Performance. Only 501 units are believed to have been built.
The Hurst 300s were all 2-door and shared a white and gold paint scheme similar to the Oldsmobile and Pontiac Hurst models of the day. The scooped hood and trunklid (with a molded spoiler) are both fiberglass. All Hurst 300s had satin tan leather
interiors that were straight out of the Imperial and could be had with column- or
console-mounted 727 Torqueflite automatics. All came with the 375 hp 440 cu in (7.2 L) 4-barrel TNT V8 engine.From: Andy Mikonis <r41hp@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 14 at Mon, Feb 17 - 12:31 PM
To: Anthony Rinaldi <awrdoc@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Chrysler 300 Club <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Mark Souder <MRS954@xxxxxxx>, Tony Bevacqua <tonysru2@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] 2015 Diamond Jubilee- 60 At The 60thA few thoughts:Cast iron Torqueflite is A466, not 488300-C NOT the fastest car at Daytona Flying Mile. Yes it won class 7, but a Pontiac in class 6 was faster.
Four-speed 400HP 300-Fs were never called "Specials" until the 1990s. Burt Bouwkamp said they were trying to foist these off to NASCAR as a regular production option, so calling them specials would have been counterproductive. There is some documentation that they were developed under something called the "Gran Turismo Program"Short rams do look different than long rams - they are flat on top where the inner divider is absent.Yes, the 400HP Fs took the first six places at Flying Mile, but it's worth noting a 300-F also took 7th place, a 375HP car.I would remove "or" in the phrase "mostly for Daytona or Flying Mile"Fifteen short ram cars is a reasonable guess, we don't have a firm number.Article by G. Moon in 1988 says there were 21 fuel injected Ds.The 1961 3-speed manual was not a racing transmission. It was a new-for-1961 heavy duty manual intended for anything corporate-wide with a 361 or larger, including police, taxi, and high-performance packages.Don't think the 3-speed was particularly expensive. We have some documentation it was a $150.60 option on a 375HP 300-G, which is about $9 more than a 7-button radio with rear speaker.It's worth noting 300-G also won Daytona Beach Flying Mile, but didn't break the Fs record. Another G went faster than the F but was disqualified.
__._,_.___
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network
Archive Sitemap