With arguably the exception of the 1960 and 1961 “toilet seat” [Plymouth] Valiant and Dodge Lancer—and I'll throw the 1969–1973 full-size “fuselage” models into the mix as well—Chrysler had some crazy good designs from 1955 through 1973. None more fantastical, sorry, my blog, my opinion, than its 300 series of cars, which first debuted in 1955. Our well-worn Facebook Marketplace gem here is a 1962 Chrysler 300 Sport.
The Chrysler 300 began life in 1955 as an exclusive, high-performance two-door based on the New Yorker. More precisely, the C-300 used the New Yorker's two-door hardtop body, with some Windsor and Imperial design elements thrown into the mix. The original C-300 was followed by the 300B in 1956, the 300C in 1957 and so on through the 300L in 1965. There was no 300 “I” because Chrysler skipped the letter “I” to avoid having it confused with the number “1.”
There actually were plans for a 300M for 1966. An early proposal called for a 426-cubic-inch V-8, while a later version was to get the new 425-horsepower 426 Hemi. But Chrysler executives decided the letter cars had lost their exclusivity and canceled the project. From 1966 through 1969, there was still a Chrysler 300, but it was no longer part of the traditional letter series.
Then, in 1970, Chrysler resurrected the 300 name for the limited-production 300 Hurst. Despite the “H” in its name, this wasn't another letter car, nor did the H stand for “Hurst Shifter.” Hurst Performance helped turn the regular Chrysler 300 into a rather outrageous special edition, complete with a 440-cubic-inch V-8, distinctive white-and-gold paint scheme and other Hurst-specific goodies. Only about 500 were built.
The original C-300 was called the 300 because its 331-cubic-inch Hemi V-8 was rated at 300 horsepower, making it the most powerful American production car of its day. It was also very much a performance car, with Chrysler building it specifically with racing in mind. The C-300 went on to make quite a name for itself in NASCAR and other competition.
Chrysler hadn't necessarily planned on creating an ongoing “letter series” from the start, which probably helps explain some of the awkwardness of the naming scheme. The letters simply evolved into the way Chrysler identified each year's 300 as the series continued.
In an attempt to broaden the 300's appeal, Chrysler introduced a less expensive, non-letter 300 Sport like this for 1962. It was offered as a two-door hardtop, convertible and, for the first time in the 300 line, a four-door hardtop. The Windsor name was dropped from Chrysler's U.S. lineup for 1962, with the new 300 Sport taking its place while the Newport became the entry-level Chrysler.
While buyers could order the 300 Sport with some serious hardware—including a 413-cubic-inch V-8—the standard engine was the 305-horsepower, 383-cubic-inch V-8, which this car has. The optional 413 came in a 340-horsepower four-barrel version, while the 380-horsepower dual-four-barrel version from the 300H could also be ordered in the 300 Sport.
By 1962, the styling excesses of the late '50s had grown long in the tooth. These cars have sometimes been referred to as “plucked chickens,” a description supposedly used by outgoing Chrysler design chief Virgil Exner to describe the finless 1962 Chryslers. The big fins of the 1957 cars were gone, leaving what looked like a somewhat awkward transition between the wild Exner era and the more restrained designs that followed.
The famous Chrysler push-button automatic transmission controls, to the behind the steering wheel to the left, were still around in 1962, but Chrysler abandoned them for the 1965 model year in favor of more conventional column- or console-mounted shifters.
For sale out in bucolic Painesville, Ohio, a good thirty minutes east of Cleveland, the asking price is $5,500. Supposedly 120,000 miles on her 64-year-old ticker, it was parked back in 1992 and apparently hasn't moved since. The engine allegedly turns over, but to what degree it actually runs isn't disclosed.
Bet you a Kennedy half-dollar it does not run.
It doesn't look too bad, but not too good either, frankly. Still, it looks like it hasn't spent the last 34 years sitting in a grass field, either. There's rust, but nothing too immediately disconcerting. I mean, I wouldn't touch this thing with a pole of any length, but that's just me.
Despite the homely rims, this is a super-cool mid-century car. I'd rat-rod it, keeping the body as is.
Somewhat amazingly, given the price point and its apparent condition, the sale is pending.
From 1999 to 2004, Chrysler resurrected the 300-nameplate affixing it to an LH-series based sedan they called the 300M; picking up where the letter cars left off in 1965. From 2005 to 2023, a Chrysler 300 was a large sedan available in rear-wheel- and all-wheel-drive.
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