The Chrysler 300 letter series was a high-performance personal luxury car that was built in the U.S. from 1955 to 1965. It was a sub-model of the Chrysler New Yorker. After the first year, which was named C-300 for its standard 300 horsepower, 5,4 liter FirePower V8, the 1956 cars were designated 300B. Successive model years were given the next letter of the alphabet as a suffix (skipping “i”), reaching the 300L by 1965. The 300 “letter series” cars were among the vehicles built by Chrysler after World War II that focused on performance, and thus can be considered the beginning of the muscle car, though full-sized and more expensive. Do you remember these cars?
Chrysler 300 Letter Series Generations
The first of the Chrysler 300 letter series cars did not bear a letter, but can retroactively be considered the ‘300A’. The C-300 was a racecar aimed at the NASCAR circuits that was sold for private ownership to qualify for homologation purposes, with Chrysler’s most powerful engine, the OHV 331 cubic inches (5.4 liter) FirePower “Hemi” V8, due to the hemispheric shape of the cylinder head, fitted with dual four barrel carburetors, two overhead valves per cylinder with solid valve lifters, a race-profiled camshaft installed inside the engine cylinder block, stiffer front and rear suspension, and a low restriction performance exhaust system.
The 1957 model year saw the Chrysler 300 letter series move to a second generation. The 300C has an all-new appearance for products called the “Forward Look” and featuring a “yawning” wide trapezoid-shaped front grille, which was unique to the 300C, “Vista-Dome” windshield, dual headlights, and gradually rising tailfins starting from the doors. It was first exhibited to the public on December 8, 1956, at the New York Automobile Show. The wheel diameter changed from 15 in to 14 inches in this series, while continuing to use drum brakes for all wheels. The Hemi engine was upgraded to 392 cubic inches (6.4 liters) with 375 horsepower.
The 1960 model of the Chrysler 300 letter series offered a 375 horsepower “Cross-Ram” version of the 413 cubic inch (6.8 liter) Wedge Head V8 introduced in 1959 for the third generation of this car. To boost power, a special intake manifold was derived. Instead of the normal V8 central intake manifold with carburetor(s) on top, the cross-ram consisted of two pairs of 30-inch-long tuned pipes that criss-crossed so that each set fed the opposite side of the engine. The carburetors and air cleaners hung off the sides of the engine over the fender wells. These long tubes were tuned so that resonances in the column of air helped force air into the cylinders at those engine speeds.
A more formal, angular, so-called “crisp, new custom look” appeared for 1963 in the fourth generation of the Chrysler 300 letter series, ushering in the Chrysler C platform architecture. To avoid confusion with the number one, the letter “I” was skipped over, and the first iteration became the “300J.” Shared with the 300 Sport Series, Newport, and New Yorker series, this body design featured wide C-pillars, minimized bright trim. To address quality and reliability concerns, Chrysler in 1963 introduced a five-year/50,000-mile warranty, a business practice that was unheard of by its competitors in the 1960s.
The 1965 300L was the eleventh and final model in the traditional Chrysler 300 letter series. Like every other 1965 Chrysler, it featured a completely restyled body with crisp lines, slab sides, and a tall greenhouse passenger compartment. The car had grown two inches in wheelbase and three inches in overall length. Both the 2-door hardtop and the 2-door convertible body styles were available. The cross-ram 390 horsepower engine had been discontinued, leaving the 413 cubic inch (6.8 liter) engine with regular inlet manifold, single 4-barrel carburetion, unsilenced air cleaner, special camshaft, and dual exhaust as the only engine option.
The 1970 Hurst 300 lacks the single-letter suffix of the Chrysler 300 letter series and appeared five years after the last Letter Series Chrysler, the 300L. Many automobile historians do not include the Hurst 300 as a Letter Series model. The concept of the car, however, does fit with the Letter Series cars, as it was a high-performance variant of the luxury 300, built with the input of aftermarket parts manufacturer Hurst Performance. Only 485 units are believed to have been built.
Conclusion
The Chrysler 300 letter series, in many ways, was the classic muscle car. It had a massive engine and could travel and accelerate at a record level. As a result, the Chrysler 300 letter series was raced in NASCAR. Ultimately, poor sales, driven by concerns over poor fuel efficiency, did the car in. However, because of its mid-numbing size, it is part of Americana.
