Daily Archives: February 16, 2012

Exclusive Muscle – Chrysler 300L

The Chrysler 300 ‘letter series’ was introduced in 1955 initially as an exclusive range for 300 hp 2 door coupés. Every year from 1955 to 1965 a new 300 model was introduced with a new suffix designtion.

Chrysler 300L, Goodwood Revival

With the introduction of the 300C in 1957 power was up to 375hp which could be ordered in hard top and soft top versions. The following year a 300D recorded a top speed of over 156 mph during the speed weeks at Bonneville Salt Flats.

Chrysler 300L, Goodwood Revival

Up to 1959 the 300 letter series vehicles had been powered by ‘Hemi’ motors that had grown to 6.4 litres / 392 cui. From 1959 onwards 6.8 litre 413 cui Golden Lion motors were used with wedge heads

Chrysler 300L, Goodwood Revival

For 1960 the 300’s ditched the separate chassis and body building technique in favour of unibody construction. 1963 was the last of the 300 letter series to be designed by Virgil Exner and his team, just 400 300J’s all hard tops were built.

Chrysler 300L, Goodwood Revival

For 1964 over a thousand dollars was trimmed from the base line price of the 300K by making leather seats extra cost optional and down rating the base engine to 360 hp with the 380 hp still available as an extra cost option and sales rocketed to 3022 coupés and 625 convertibles.

Chrysler 300L, Goodwood Revival

The 1965 300L featured today was designed under the leadership of Elwood Engel, it would be the last of the uninterrupted 300 letter series vehicles, powered only by the 360 hp version of the Golden Lion motor. 2405 coupés and 440 convertibles were sold.

The 300 letter series have become extremely sort after models, the high power motors mark them as forerunners of the 1960’s muscle cars and the low build numbers means that the rarest models can fetch prices in the range of US$500,000.

Thanks for joining me on this Exclusive Muscle edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share