Once There Were Cars: Chrysler's Iconic 300 (20 photos)

One of the most famous American cars in recent has been the Chrysler 300 for decades. With aggressive styling and powerful engines, his "career" lasted about twenty years, and therefore it still represents an excellent buy in its class.

C-300





Most people will probably think that this sedan did not exist before, but in fact it is not true, and if you know its history, then you will definitely understand why it is so stylized and why is it equipped with such engines. To understand why there was the original model 300, it is necessary to pay attention to the history.

Chrysler didn't suffer from a lack of power, especially after 1951. year when the famous FirePower engine debuted, but it was the style sold cars.



Everything changed in 1949 when a famous designer joined the company. Virgil Exner. He previously studied with legendary stylist Raymond Levy and also established a close relationship with the Italian atelier Ghia. Italians will make a large number of prototype models, which subsequently will become the prototype for serial versions. Exner's first major work in serial production steel models of 1955, which were sold through Plymouth, DeSoto, Dodge, Chrysler and Imperial divisions. So called "look ahead" seemed so ahead of the competition that General Motors and Ford were forced to completely update their models, which seemed outdated.

C-300





While most of the models mentioned were intended for the wider masses, Exner also wanted a special Chrysler, which would be produced only for the sake of image. The choice of name fell on S-300, where the letter C denoted a coupe (coupe), and the number 300 denoted power as a characteristic of the Hemi engine with a displacement of 331 cubic inch or 5.4 liters.



It was the first American production model to exceed the magic number of 300 hp, and the power was sent to the rear wheels through a two-speed automatic transmission. He accelerated with zero to 100 km / h in 9.8 seconds, and the maximum speed was 205 km/h, which was a fantastic result for a coupe weighing 1.8 tons. At The C-300 also had moments of glory in the NASCAR championship, which at the time Thoroughbred road cars were still in use with several security modifications. Chrysler model won 24 times in 38 races and reached the championship title.

300B



S-300 was of course an expensive car and cost 4100 US dollars (about 45 325 in today's money equivalent), and in addition to the more powerful engine, had a modified suspension, disc brakes, leather seats and much more equipment. During the first year of sales, buyers were found only 1725 copies.



300C



Chrysler decides to change its strategy for 1956 when the offer was divided into two models. There was a base 300 and also her premium and production versions under the Letter series icon. It means that the letter changed every year, so the 1956 model was the 300B, the model a year later was known as 300C and so on. An exception to application of such a rule was 300I, which was bypassed because the leaders felt that the letter I was too similar to the number 1.





It is worth mentioning that in 1957 the cabriolet made its debut, and a year earlier buyers could also get a three-speed manual gears. Chrysler held the title of America's most powerful car until 1957, when the Ford Mercury division introduced the 400 hp Turnpike Cruiser. The 1957 model is especially prized by collectors. thanks to his fantastic style, which many even today considered one of the most beautiful in the history of the automotive industry. In the same year, the engine volume was increased to 6.4 liters, and the power to 390 hp. The 300D version appeared in 1958. 35 cars were built with the extremely rare Bendix Electrojector fuel injection option.





The legendary Hemi will be discontinued a year later when it will replace the more modern Golden Lion with a volume of 6.8 liters. They will be equipped with version 300E. Over time, the Letter series lost its mechanical transmission, but still managed to develop maximum speed in an impressive 235 km/h. Note that the fastest was the 1960 300F, which needed less than seven seconds to reach 100 km/h.

300F



Chrysler soon stopped adding Exner touches to the design, and after This sales gradually began to decline. In 1963 came the 300J, which attracted only 400 buyers.



300J





Things improved a year later with the introduction of the 1964 300K, which was purchased by 3,647 customers.

300K



The final end of the 300 series came in 1965, after the 300L, introduced by Elwood Engel, Exner's successor. V8 engine 6.8 liters with 365 hp Acceleration to 100 km / h in 8.8 seconds. Issued 2405 copies.



300L



Public waited for the 300M, but this model appeared only in 1999. AT the period from 1955 to 1965, only 16,981 cars were produced.