Makes › Chrysler › 300B · Rare production · 1956 Rare
Chrysler
300B
Second letter car (354 Hemi, optional 355 hp)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1,102 Built
- Years
- 1956
- Engine
- V8, hemispherical-head, overhead valves, cast iron block · 5,800 cc / 5.8 LFactory: 354 cu in · converted
- Power
- 254 kW / 345 PSFactory: 340 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 233 (registry reported)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The 300B was the second letter car and the second year of Chrysler's 300 line. It had a bigger 354 cubic-inch Hemi and was part of a team run by Carl Kiekhaefer that won 22 of 41 NASCAR races in 1956. Its letter established the pattern of sequential letters for the series.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Chrysler 300B (Wikimedia Commons: Chrysler 300B)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
Chrysler 300B (Wikimedia Commons: Chrysler 300B)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
Chrysler 300B (Wikimedia Commons: Chrysler 300B)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model production300B cars accounted for in the Chrysler 300 Club registry as of September 2000 (1102 produced); not a count of cars known to exist today | 2333 | Surviving examples | Registry reported |
| Total model productionunits built | 1,1021,2 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
For 1956 the standard engine grew to a 354 cubic-inch Hemi with 340 bhp, and an optional 10:1 version made 355 bhp with a special three-inch exhaust. The 300B averaged over 90 mph in the Daytona Grand National and reached almost 140 mph in the Flying Mile. Only 1,102 were sold.
Styling was nearly unchanged from the C-300, except for tail lamp changes. The push-button PowerFlite control sat to the left of the dash, and later cars had TorqueFlite. Buck Baker won the 1956 NASCAR driving championship in one of the Kiekhaefer cars.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard 300B.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | V8, hemispherical-head, overhead valves, cast iron block1 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 5,800 cc / 5.8 LFactory: 354 cu in · converted1 Independently researched |
| Bore | 100 mmFactory: 3.94 in · converted1 Independently researched |
| Stroke | 85.3 mmFactory: 3.36 in · converted1 Independently researched |
| Compression ratio | 9.0:1 (10:1 optional)1 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Induction | two four-barrel carburettors1 Independently researched |
| Power | 254 kW / 345 PSFactory: 340 hp · converted1 Independently researched355 bhp with the optional 10:1 compression engine. |
| Power at | 5,200 rpm1 Independently researched |
| Torque | 522 NmFactory: 385 lb-ft · converted1 Independently researched |
| Torque at | 3,200 rpm1 Independently researched |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | 2-speed PowerFlite automatic (standard); 3-speed manual optional; 3-speed TorqueFlite late in production1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | front coil springs (last year for coils combined with rear leaf springs)1 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 3,200 mmFactory: 126 in · converted1 Independently researched |
| Length | 5,601 mmFactory: 220.5 in · converted1 Independently researched |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | 1,880 kgFactory: 4,145 lb · converted1 Independently researched |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Serial numbers run from 3N56-1001 to 3N56-2150, and engine numbers from 3NE56-1001 to 3NE56-2174. All letter cars were built in Detroit. The club notes that no body-type code numbers were used for positive identification. Compared with the C-300, the 300B has altered tail lamps and a push-button control on the left of the dash.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1956 Chrysler 300B Level B Chrysler 300 Club, Incorporated
- Only 1,102 copies were sold
- Overhead valves, High-lift camshaft, Extra stiff valve springs, Cast iron block
- Displacement: 354 cubic inches
- Bore and stroke: 3.94 x 3.36 inches
- Hemi | 9.0:1 | 2-4 bbl
- Induction 2-4 bbl
- Brake horsepower: 340 at 5200 R.P.M.
- 340 at 5200 R.P.M.
- 340/5200 | 385/3200
- 385/3200
- 2-speed Powerflite automatic transmission standard
- Last year for front coil springs combined with rear leaf springs
- Wheelbase: 126 inches
- Overall length: 220.5 inches
- Wt lbs 4145
-
2
Chrysler 300 Club International – Chrysler 300 Letter Car History (Tony Rinaldi, rev. 2021) Level B
- 1102 units built
-
3
Chrysler 300 Club International Serial Number Registry (as of September 2000) Level B Chrysler 300 Club International · 2000-09-01
- 300B 1102 ... 233 ... 21.1
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