First Generation: 1955-1956
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Chrysler 300 History First Generation: 1955-1956 Officially offered for sale on February 10, 1955, the first Chrysler 300 was athletic- looking, but it didn’t have a letter at the end of its name. With 300 horsepower aboard, it was among the quickest cars of its time, getting to 60 mph in just 9.8 seconds, according to a test in Mechanix Illustrated by “Uncle Tom” McCahill, who also spurred the car up to a full 130 mph. Tom McCahill and others in the contemporary automotive press used the term “Beautiful Brutes” to describe Chrysler 300 series cars. But beyond being the most powerful production car of its time, the first Chrysler 300 was also among the best handling thanks to a heavy- duty suspension and can be considered one of the muscle car's ancestors, though much more expensive and exclusive. It was also very luxurious and handsome in a bulky linebacker sort of way. But the most prominent display of the first 300’s attributes didn’t come in any showroom, but on racetracks around the Southeast. Back in ‘55, NASCAR stock cars were in fact stock production vehicles and, except for some crude safety equipment and numbers on the doors, almost indistinguishable from the cars the public could buy. With absolutely no support from Chrysler, Mercury Outboard founder Carl Kiekhaefer campaigned a fleet of white 300s during the 1955 NASCAR Grand National season with drivers like the Flock brothers (Tim, Fonty and Bob) and Norm Nelson behind the wheel. The Kiekhaefer 300s were spectacularly dominant and overwhelmed the factory- backed Chevrolets and Fords. Tim Flock took the driver’s championship while winning 18 of the 38 races he entered and finishing in the top five an astounding 32 times. His brother, Fonty, took another three victories, while Chrysler campaigner Lee Petty took home three trophies. Suddenly, the 300 had a glorious racing heritage. Considering the short model year for that first 300 (only 1,725 were sold at a thick $4,109 base price). C-300 (1955) This was the car to start the legacy. It had Virgil Exner’s distinctive styling and the 331 hemi. The 1955 300 had a Chrysler New Yorker coupe body and smooth Chrysler Windsor side and rear-quarter body panels. Up front was a large Chrysler Imperial “egg crate” grille. Chrysler’s original manuals named it the C-300, which was an appropriate name for the car. This first of the letter series cars didn't actually bear a letter. The “C-” designation was applied to all Chrysler models, however for marketing purposes the numerical series skipped 229 numbers forward in their numbering sequence (from the Crown Imperial’s C-71 to C-300). The 300 originally stood for the 300 hp engine. It was THE first modern American production car to do so. Power came from an updated source already available; the 331 CI hemispherical head engine, the fabled “Hemi”, a “full race” cam, special manifolds, larger-than-usual exhaust dual exhaust, and topped off with 2 four- barrel carburetors. The suspension was made firmer, allowing it to sit lower thus allowing it to handle far better most cars, it was given a special performance PowerFlite transmission, but the inside was pure luxury. This caused it to be known as “The Gentleman’s Hot Rod.” And it was fast. The battle lines would be drawn, when it did 127.58 mph in the flying mile at Daytona, and averaged 92 mph in the Daytona Grand National stock car race (when stock car racing actually meant racing a stock car). It had dominated the stock car circuit, earning the Grand National championship its first year out. Initially, it was only available in three exterior colors: black, red and white, with a tan leather interior, and this was just the beginning giving way to special order exterior and interior colors to expanded standard colors. Production: 1,725 units 300 B (1956) From 1956–1965, each year's model used a new letter of the alphabet as a suffix {skipping the letter (i) which looked too much like the number one (1)}. Starting with (B) and reaching (L) by 1965, after which the “Letter Series” 300 model was discontinued in favor of “Sport 300s.” It was no surprise that the 1956 300 was pretty much a carryover machine. Actually, the easiest way to tell the ‘56 300 from the ‘55 was that it now wore the name “300-B” as the tradition of labeling each subsequent model year with the next letter of the alphabet began. Beyond that name modification and new taillights, the 300-B also featured the latest version of the Hemi V8, now displacing 354 cubic inches and making 340 hp. Plus, there was now an optional version featuring a 10.0-to-1 compression ratio that was rated at an almost unfathomable 355 hp. With that, Chrysler achieved in 1956 what Chevrolet “claimed” as an American “first” in 1957: the magical one horsepower per cubic inch. So much for “truth in advertising”. A standard for the 355hp hemi was a special three-inch exhaust system, and a choice of transmissions was available in the form of the PowerFlite two-speed automatic, and a three-speed manual. Later in the year, the three-speed TorqueFlite would become available. Twin four-barrel carburetors were still standard. In the racing arena, the increased output helped the 300 B again win the Daytona Flying Mile, with a new average speed of 139.373, a new record, as well as again, averaging over 90mph at the Daytona GN race. In fact, the 300 B dominated much of the Grand Nation circuit that year to take its second Grand National Championship. Its accomplishments from 1955 and 1956 would give it “legendary” status in the car world. The 1956 Chrysler 300B won both events that year as well. In fact, the 300s dominated NASCAR tracks in 1955 and 1956, taking the overall championship both years. Those triumphs created the legend. Success on the racetrack continued, but sales actually softened a bit. Production: 1,102 units Second Generation: 1957-1959 Virgil Exner, then Chrysler’s design chief, called his new styling direction the “Forward Look.” Upswept tailfins adorned the car’s rear flanks. And the car that best exemplified the new look was the new 300-C. This car wasn’t just gorgeous, but glamorous. From its Ferrari-like grille to the plump rear fins, the 300-C exuded sex appeal in a way no domestic car had before it. The original 300-C is still considered by many to be the most beautiful and desirable 300 of them all. More than just the sheet metal was new, as Chrysler put a whole new chassis under its cars for ‘57, featuring a torsion bar front suspension. 300 C (1957) Not being content on leaving well enough alone, Chrysler again upped the ante for 1957. The first two years of the 300 may have established the marque’s performance credentials, but it was the 300-C that gave the car an aura of greatness. The 300-C was also the first 300 available as a convertible. Another hemi engine appeared, and in standard trim, put out 375 horses, and for even more performance, a more radical cam, and 10.1:1 compression raised output to 390 ponies. The latter engines also got fatter exhaust pipes, and the manual transmission, while the standard motor received the automatic. Engine size was now at 392 CI. 375 horse engines were backed up by 3-speed automatics transmissions, and 390 horse engines got the 3-speed manual. Fins were the rage, and the 300s were not exempt. A convertible also appeared this year, while the 300 received 6 red, white and blue “300” badges, as well as a red finish in the depressed outer layers of the wheel covers. The 1957 300-C did not compete in NASCAR track events, but, with its 375 hp hemi engine, again won the Daytona Beach flying mile, making the Chrysler 300 the fastest American car for the third straight year. The strong lines, excellent engineering, high luxury level, and record setting performance were making these the most desirable cars in Chrysler’s lineup, and a powerful “Halo” car for Chrysler showrooms. Production: 1,767 Coupes; 484 Convertibles 300 D (1958) The 392 Hemi carried over from 1957, as did the majority of styling with upgrades to interior and ornamentation. The engine received another horsepower bump to 380HP. This was accomplished through 10.0:1 compression, new valve timing, new camshaft, and heavier pistons. Available, for the first time for Chrysler Corporation cars was electronic fuel injection, which added another 10 horses to the base motor. This system, although ahead of its time, proved unreliable with the electronics available at the time. Most of the 21 300-Ds built with the system were recalled and retrofitted with the stock 2 4bbl carburetors. The TorqueFlite 3 speed automatic was continued from 1957. Two carbureted Ds are known to have had manual transmissions. Performance was still world class, demonstrated when a 300-D was driven to a new Class E record of 156.387 at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and at Daytona, one was driven to an et of 16 seconds with a 94mph trap speed. But production was down, and the Hemi would disappear. Production: 618 Coupes; 191 Convertibles 300 E (1959) The big news for the 300 E was the introduction of the new “Golden Lion” V8 that replaced the tried and true Hemi. This engine had a new wedge-shaped combustion chamber, 413 CI displacement, was lighter and less expensive than the 392 it was replacing.