Chrysler
300F 'short ram' 400 hp with Pont-à-Mousson 4-speed

Why it matters

The short-ram 300F, officially the 300 F Special, was a handful of cars with a 400 hp engine and a French Pont-a-Mousson four-speed. They were built for Daytona Flying Mile runs and never sold as a regular option, and enthusiasts treat them as the most desirable letter cars.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The 300F used ram-induction manifolds with 30-inch runners, which gave strong low-speed torque but hurt performance above 4,000 rpm. Engineers removed part of the inner walls of the manifolds to make 'short' rams about 15 inches effective length, giving the 400 hp engine. The package, priced at 800 dollars, also included the Pont-a-Mousson four-speed made for the Facel Vega.

Six of these cars took the first six places at the Daytona Flying Mile at 140 to 145 mph, and one driven by Gregg Zeigler set a two-way record of 144.9 mph. Counts differ: Chrysler said seven, others say six, eight, nine or fifteen.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

There is no factory microfilm record that any were built, because the cars left the line as standard 375 hp TorqueFlite cars and were converted afterwards in a separate building, sometimes called the 'Header House'. The tell-tale is a build time of several weeks instead of a few days. Specification includes second-series Pont-a-Mousson steel-cased four-speed, a truck flywheel and clutch, short-ram manifolds with brass water fittings, 3-inch cast iron headers, a solid-lifter cam and a manual choke cable on the left of the steering column. Short rams look the same as the long rams from outside.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   300F (Chrysler 300 Club photo page) Level B Chrysler 300 Club International

   • At least 8 of these 'short ram' cars were built
   • 413 cu in (6.8 L) Wedge engine

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Chrysler 300 Club International – Chrysler 300 Letter Car History (Tony Rinaldi, rev. 2021) Level B

   • 8 'at least 8' short-ram cars built; 4 survive

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   1960 300F: Wildest of the Chrysler Letter Cars Level B Mac's Motor City Garage

   • Four Specials are known to exist today
   • set a two-way record for the flying mile of 144.9 mph

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   Nick's 1960 Chrysler 300F Page: the 4-speed Level B 300f.com

   • radical grind cam and solid lifters
   • short rams and 3084s
   • second-series Pont-à-Mousson steel-cased 4-speed transmission

   Accessed 2026-11-12
5. 5
   1960 Chrysler 300F Level B Chrysler 300 Club, Incorporated

   • optional 400 bhp backed by a four-speed manual gearbox
   • four-speed Pont-a-Mousson manual transmission

   Accessed 2026-11-12