Makes › Chrysler › 300C · Rare specification · Rare production · 1957 Rare
Chrysler
300C
Convertible body of the 300C letter car – first letter-car convertible (392 Hemi)
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 1957
- Engine
- V8, hemispherical-head, overhead valves, cast iron block · 6,420 cc / 6.4 LFactory: 392 cu in · converted
- Power
- 280 kW / 380 PSFactory: 375 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 116 (registry reported)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The 300C of 1957 was the third letter car and the first to offer a convertible. Chrysler described the 300 line as the fastest and most powerful production car in the country, now with a 392 cubic-inch Hemi.
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 300C (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Dinkun Chen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chrysler 300C (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Dinkun Chen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chrysler 300C (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Dinkun Chen · CC BY-SA 4.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body style productionAll Body Styles: coupés (club history also lists 484 convertibles; total 2,251) | 1,7671 | Factory production | Independently researched |
| Total model production300C convertibles accounted for in the Chrysler 300 Club registry as of September 2000 (484 produced); not a count of cars known to exist today | 1162 | Surviving examples | Registry reported |
| Body style productionConvertible: 1957 300C convertibles produced (club registry production table) | 4843,4 | 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
The 300C had a new masculine grille and the round red-white-blue 300 medallion debuted. Smaller 14-inch wheels needed extra brake cooling, which came from rectangular openings below the headlamps leading to the front brakes. The standard 392 cubic-inch Hemi gave 375 bhp, and an optional high-performance version with manual transmission gave 390 bhp; 18 of these were built.
The convertible cost $5,359 and 484 were produced, compared with 1,918 hardtops.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard 300C.
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 block3 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 6,420 cc / 6.4 LFactory: 392 cu in · converted3 Independently researched |
| Bore | 102 mmFactory: 4 in · converted3 Independently researched |
| Stroke | 99.1 mmFactory: 3.9 in · converted3 Independently researched |
| Compression ratio | 9.25:13 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Induction | two four-barrel carburettors3 Independently researched |
| Power | 280 kW / 380 PSFactory: 375 hp · converted3 Independently researchedAn extra-cost 390 bhp engine at 5400 rpm with 10.0:1 compression was available with stick shift. |
| Power at | 5,200 rpm3 Independently researched |
| Torque | 569 NmFactory: 420 lb-ft · converted3 Independently researched |
| Torque at | 4,000 rpm3 Independently researched |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | TorqueFlite automatic standard3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | torsion bar3 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 · converted3 Independently researched |
| Length | 5,568 mmFactory: 219.2 in · converted3 Independently researched |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | 1,990 kgFactory: 4,390 lb · converted3 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.
The 300C carries six red, white and blue '300' medallions, with the two on the side spear also showing letters, and red-finished wheel covers. Serial numbers start at 3N57-1001 and engine numbers range from 3NE57-1001 to 3NE57-3338. Cars are monotone colours only, and the front has no short vertical bumper guards.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Chrysler 300 Club International – Chrysler 300 Letter Car History (Tony Rinaldi, rev. 2021) Level B
- 1767 coupés (club history also lists 484 convertibles; total 2,251)
-
2
Chrysler 300 Club International Serial Number Registry (as of September 2000) Level B Chrysler 300 Club International · 2000-09-01
- 300C ... 484 ... 116
-
3
1957 Chrysler 300C Level B Chrysler 300 Club, Incorporated
- 300C 2-dr Convertible, V-8 ... Production 484
- Cast iron block. Overhead valves with hemispherical combustion chambers
- Displacement: 392 cubic inches
- Bore and stroke: 4.00 x 3.9 inches
- Compression ratio: 9.25:1
- twin four-barrel carburetors
- Brake horsepower: 375 at 5200 R.P.M.
- 375 at 5200 R.P.M.
- Torque 420/4000
- 420/4000
- standard on Saratoga, New Yorker and 300C
- Torsion bar front suspension
- Wheelbase: 126 inches
- Overall length: ... 300C) 219.2 inches
- Wt lbs (conv) 4,390
-
4
Chrysler 300 Club International – Serial Number Registry: Letter Car Production and Survivor Count (rev. 05/21/24) Level A
- 484 1957 300C convertibles produced (club registry production table)
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