Chrysler 300L

Chrysler 300
1964 Chrysler 300-K Convertible
Overview
Manufacturer	Chrysler (Chrysler Corporation)
Production	1955–1965 1970
Assembly	Los Angeles (Maywood) Assembly
Layout	FR layout
Chronology
Predecessor	Chrysler Windsor
Successor	Chrysler 300 non-letter series

C-300
1955 Chrysler C-300
Overview
Production	1955 1,725 produced
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop
Powertrain
Engine	331 cu in (5.4 L) FirePower V8
Transmission	2-speed PowerFlite automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126 in (3,200 mm)
Length	218.8 in (5,558 mm)
Width	79.1 in (2,009 mm)

300B
Overview
Production	1956 1,102 produced
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop
Related	DeSoto Adventurer DeSoto Fireflite
Powertrain
Engine	354 cu in (5.8 L) FirePower V8 (340 hp) 354 cu in (5.8 L) FirePower V8 (355 hp, option)
Transmission	2-speed PowerFlite automatic 3-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126 in (3,200 mm)
Length	218.8 in (5,558 mm)
Width	79.1 in (2,009 mm)

300C
Overview
Production	1957 2,402 produced
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 2-door convertible
Related	DeSoto Adventurer
Powertrain
Engine	392 cu in (6.4 L) FirePower V8
Transmission	3-speed TorqueFlite A488 automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126.0 in (3,200 mm)
Length	219.2 in (5,568 mm)
Width	78.8 in (2,002 mm)

300D
Overview
Production	1958 809 produced
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 2-door convertible
Related	DeSoto Adventurer
Powertrain
Engine	392 cu in (6.4 L) FirePower V8
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126.0 in (3,200 mm)
Length	220 in (5,588 mm)
Width	78.8 in (2,002 mm)

300E
Overview
Production	1959 647 produced
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 2-door convertible
Related	DeSoto Adventurer
Powertrain
Engine	413 cu in (6.8 L) Golden Lion V8
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126 in (3,200 mm)
Length	220.9 in (5,611 mm)

300F
1960 Chrysler 300F Hardtop
Overview
Production	1960 1,217 produced
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 2-door convertible
Related	DeSoto Adventurer
Powertrain
Engine	413 cu in (6.8 L) RB V8
Transmission	3-speed automatic 4-speed Pont-a-Mousson manual (racing/special order)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126 in (3,200 mm)
Length	219.6 in (5,578 mm)"

300G
1961 Chrysler 300-G
Overview
Production	1961
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door convertible
Powertrain
Engine	413 cu in (6.8 L) RB V8
Transmission	3-speed manual 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic 3-speed "Code 281" manual (race/special order)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126 in (3,200 mm)
Length	219.8 in (5,583 mm)

300H
Overview
Production	1962 570 produced
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door convertible
Powertrain
Engine	413 cu in (6.8 L) RB V8
Transmission	3-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	122 in (3,099 mm)

The Chrysler 300 "letter series" are high-performance personal luxury cars that were built by Chrysler in the U.S. from 1955 to 1965. After the initial year, which was named 300-C, 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, after which the model was dropped.

The 300 "letter series" cars were among the vehicles that focused on performance built by domestic U.S. manufacturers after World War II, and thus can be considered one of the muscle car's ancestors, though full-sized and more expensive.

The automaker began using the 300 designations again for performance-luxury sedans, using the 300M nameplate from 1999 to 2004, and expanding the 300 series with a new V8-powered 300C, the top model of a new Chrysler 300 line, a new rear-wheel drive car launched in 2004 for the 2005 model year. Unlike the first "letter series" series, the successive variants do not feature standard engines producing at least 300 hp (220 kW), except for Chrysler's current top-line 300C models.

This first of the letter series cars did not bear a letter, but can retroactively be considered the '300A'. The 'C-' designation was applied to all Chrysler models; however for marketing purposes the numerical series skipped more than 225 numbers forward in sequence in order to further reinforce the 300's bhp rating. The 300 originally stood for the 300 hp (220 kW) engine. The C-300 was really a racecar aimed at the NASCAR circuits that was sold for the road for homologation purposes, with Chrysler's most powerful engine, the 331 cu in (5.4 L) FirePower "Hemi" V8, due to the hemispheric shape of the combustion chambers, fitted with twin 4-barrel carburetors, a race-profiled camshaft setup, solid valve lifters, stiffer suspension, and a performance exhaust system. By 1956 this would be the first American production car to top 355 hp (265 kW), and the letter series was for many years the most powerful car produced in the United States.