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When the Chrysler Letter Cars
first appeared they were associated with masculinity
and the phrase "The Beautiful Brute"
seemed to appear out of nowhere - but it fit.
As the Paul Bunyan of cars, this Chrysler created
an image of big, powerful and fast. This certainly
set it apart from sports cars and hot rods that
in 1955 were also in vogue.
What appeared to be a brilliant promotion to wrap
Chrysler models in a performance image lasted
only a few years. As other makes became involved
in stock car racing and building performance models,
Chrysler lost interest in performance. By the
time the Mustang and Barracuda arrived the Letter
Cars were coming to an end and forgotten with
the introduction of the Camaro and Firebird.
Picking the right Letter Car to buy is easy. Let
sales literature be your guide.
| Highlights |
Literature |
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1955 Chrysler 300:
Production began on Feb. 10, 1955.
An all new Virgil Exner design using
the Imperial grille.
Engine had overhead valves with hemispherical
combustion chambers, cast iron block,
8.5:1 compression ratio, 300 hp, 331
cid with two four-barrel carburetors,
solid lifters and a full-race camshaft.
Add to that a heavy-duty suspension
system.
Came only as a 2-door hardtop coupe.
Only 1,725 were built.
Won 37 NASCAR and AAA races of over
100 miles during the 1955 season,
including the NASCAR Grand National
race with an average speed of 92.05
mph and won the AAA Championship.
Recorded "Flying Mile" at
Daytona Beach, Florida, at 127 mph.
Tim Flock, who drove the winning 300
at the NASCAR Grand National, had
18 major wins in the 300 that year.
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1956
Chrysler 300B
America's fastest and highest powered
car.
Broke the passenger car world speed
record at Daytona Beach, Florida, with
an average speed of 139.9 mph. Driven
by Tim Flock.
Leather upholstery standard.
Engine: Displacement raised to 354 cid
with 340 hp. An optional 10:1 compression
ratio engine with 355 hp available.
Total production of 1,102 2-door hardtop
coupes built.
Won 21 major NASCAR races. |
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1957
Chrysler 300C:
Still the fastest and most powerful
production car in America.
The new "Forward Look".
"Motor Trend" magazine's "Car
of the Year".
Introduction of a convertible.
1,767 2-door hardtops and 484 2-door
convertibles were built.
Engine: Displacement raised to 392 cid
with 375 hp. Compression ratio of 9.25:1.
A 390 hp variation, with solid lifters,
was option, but with manual transmission
only and no power options. It was intended
for competition.
At Chrysler's test track it set a record
top speed of 145.1 mph in stock form. |
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1958
Chrysler 300D:
Last year of the first generation of
the Hemi engine.
619 2-door hardtops and 191 2-door convertibles
were built.
Engine: Displacement remains at 392
cid, but with 10:1 compression ratio,
giving it 380 hp. Electric fuel injection
system option increases it to 390 hp.
Low back pressure exhaust system available. |
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1959
Chrysler 300E:
Swivel seats standard.
550 2-door hardtops and 140 2-door convertibles
were built.
New 413 cid engine with 10.1:1 compression
ratio yielding 380 hp was no longer
a Hemi. First year of new "B"
block engine with wedge-shaped combustion
chamber design. |
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1960
Chrysler 300F:
All new body style.
10 (or less) cars received the French
Pont-A-Mousson four speed gearbox.
964 2-door hardtops and 248 2-door convertibles
were built.
Engine: Introduction of Ram Induction
manifold on 413 cid engine in standard
form put out 375 hp, but a 400 hp version
with solid valve lifters was optional.
Won the first six places in the "Flying
Mile" at Daytona, Florida, with
winning car averaging over 144 mph.
Andy Granatelli drove a supercharged
version of the 300F for a two 2 way
average speed of 172.6 mph at Bonneville
in 1961. |
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1961
Chrysler 300G:
1,280 2-door hardtops and 337 2-door
convertibles were built.
No significant engine changes. |
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1962
Chrysler 300H:
With the introduction of the new Sport
Series 300 the 300H offered nothing
that could not be found standard or
optional on the 300 Sport Series.
435 2-door hardtops and 123 2-door convertibles
were built.
Engine: 413.3 cid standard with 10.1:1
compression ration and 380 hp. Optional
new 426 cid engine available in 421
hp with 12:1 compression ration and
Short Ram Induction manifold was only
available briefly. Rare? Were any built? |
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1963
Chrysler 300J:
No convertible production. 400 2-door
hardtop coupes were built.
Separated from the 300 Sport Series
by having heavy-duty torsion bars, shocks
and springs and Ram Induction manifolds.
Engine: No significant changes. 390
hp. NOTE: The 426 cid engine with 425
hp, available in the 300 Series, was
not available in the 300J. |
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1964
Chrysler 300 K:
Re-introduction of the convertible with
625 produced. 3,022 2-door hardtop coupes
were built.
Engine: No significant changes. 390
hp. The last year for the Ram Induction
system. |
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1965
Chrysler 300L:
The last year of the 300 Letter Series
and it differed little from the 300
Sport Series. (There was no "I"
model.)
High-performance tires and suspension
system and 360 hp engine set it apart
from the 300 Series.
2,405 2-door hardtops and 440 2-door
convertibles were built. |
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The "Letter Cars" disappeared
after the "L" model while the 300 Series
continued. Both series have modern counterparts.
In 1999 Chrysler produced the 300M, but it was
short lived, and now we have the current and very
popular 300 SRT8. Although the SRT8 is powerful,
it does not stand out like "The Beautiful
Brute". Let's hope for a 300N in the future
that will place Chrysler in the spotlight.
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