Makes › Chrysler › C-300 · Rare production · 1955 Rare
Chrysler
C-300
First 300 letter car: Hemi 331 with 300 hp, 2-door hardtop only; NASCAR champion (Kiekhaefer team)
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA · CC BY 2.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1,725 Built
- Years
- 1955
- Engine
- V8, hemispherical-head Hemi, solid lifters · 5,420 cc / 5.4 LFactory: 331 cu in · converted
- Power
- 224 kW / 304 PSFactory: 300 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 205.32 km/hFactory: 127.58 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Virgil Exner (styling), with ideas from the Ghia studio
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 271 (registry reported)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The C-300 of 1955 was the first Chrysler letter car and is regarded by many as the first American muscle car. Its 300 hp Hemi was the first postwar production engine to reach that figure and the most powerful engine available to the public since the supercharged Duesenberg SJ.
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 C-300 (Wikipedia article: Chrysler 300 letter series)
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA · CC BY 2.0
Chrysler C-300 (Wikipedia article: Chrysler 300 letter series)
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA · 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 productionC-300 cars accounted for in the Chrysler 300 Club registry as of September 2000 (1725 produced); not a count of cars known to exist today | 2713 | Surviving examples | Registry reported |
| Total model productionunits built (1955 model year) | 1,7251,2 | 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
Chrysler had limited money, so the C-300 combined the New Yorker body shell with an Imperial front clip and Windsor rear flanks. It used the first Hemi in a Chrysler 300, with twin Carter WCFB four-barrels, solid lifters and a full-race camshaft, and it won 18 NASCAR races in 1955. Tim Flock reached a 127.580 mph two-way average in the Daytona flying mile and went on to win that year's NASCAR Grand National Championship.
The base price was about $4,100 and 1,725 were built.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard C-300.
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 Hemi, solid lifters1 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 5,420 cc / 5.4 LFactory: 331 cu in · converted4 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | twin Carter WCFB four-barrel carburettors1 Independently researched |
| Power | 224 kW / 304 PSFactory: 300 hp · converted4 Independently researchedRating standard not stated. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | improved PowerFlite automatic; 3.54:1 rear axle1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Final drive | 3.54:11 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 205.32 km/hFactory: 127.58 mph · converted1 Independently researchedTwo-way flying-mile average at Daytona Beach by Tim Flock, not a maximum speed. |
|---|---|
| 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 C-300 sits 1.5 inches lower than the New Yorker hardtop and has a 150 mph speedometer, special Goodyear Super Cushion six-ply tyres, heavy-duty shocks and a front stabiliser bar. It has a '300' badge, checkered-flag emblems, wire wheels with chrome centres and twin grille openings. Dual exhaust pipes are a quarter-inch larger than the New Yorker's.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1955 Chrysler C-300 Level B conceptcarz.com
- just 1,725 examples were built
- company's first HEMI engine ... solid valve lifters
- Twin Carter WCBF 4-barrel carburetors
- an improved PowerFlite automatic transmission, and a 3.54:1 rear axle
- a 3.54:1 rear axle
- 127.580-mph two-way average in the flying mile
-
2
Chrysler 300 Club International – Chrysler 300 Letter Car History (Tony Rinaldi, rev. 2021) Level B
- 1725 units built (1955 model year)
-
3
Chrysler 300 Club International Serial Number Registry (as of September 2000) Level B Chrysler 300 Club International · 2000-09-01
- C300 1725 ... 271
-
4
1955 Chrysler C-300 Level B Sports Car Market
- dual-quad 331-ci Hemi V8 delivered 300 horsepower
- 331-ci Hemi V8 delivered 300 horsepower
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