1920 Chrysler 300F Coupe - Motorclassica 2014
POST-WAR CLASSIC (US) E2-03
The Chrysler 300 series was designed by Virgil Exner, an American designer heavily influenced by his work with Ghia in Italy in the 1950's. The 300 series cars are considered the very first muscle cars, the 300 badge referring to 300 HP, and their expense and exclusiveness led to the nickname "The Banker's Hotrod". They were produced with the trademark natural interiors with a limited range of exterior colours available.
The dawning era of muscle cars took a powerful turn with the 1960 Chrysler 300F. In the formative years of factory performance, automakers reserved their hottest engines for their largest, and usually most-expensive models. early Chrysler muscle cars were best expressed by the stylish and exclusive "letter-series" machines. The first of these was the 1955 C-300 with its 300-bhp Hemi-head V-8. The 1960 Chrysler 300F continued the tradition of power and panache with its special trim and sporty interior that boasted four bucket-type leather seats and a full-length console.
Chrysler specified its most-advanced engines for these image leaders. A dual-quad 413-cid wedge replaced the Hemi in the 1959 letter-series. It made the same 380 bhp as the previous year's standard 392-cid Hemi, but was 100 pounds lighter and simpler to build. For 1960, the 413 gained a radical ram induction system in which each four-barrel carburettor fed the opposite cylinder bank via 30-inch "outrigger" tubes. The length of the runners was calculated to produce a super-charging effect in the hear of th rpm range.
Ram induction was available on 361-and-83-cid Dodge and Plymouth engines, but only Chryslers and Imperials could get the 413, and only the 300F had ram induction standard. Horsepower was 375; optional "short-ram" tubes, which looked the same but differed internally, yielded 400 bhp at 5200 rpm and 465 lb-ft of torque at 3600.
Pushbutton TorqueFlite automatic was standard, but a French-built four-speed manual was optional for just this season, ending up in only a few 300Fs.
Chrysler built 964 300F hardtops and 248 convertibles for '60, a peak year for letter-series performance.
-- Information taken from the podium.
1920 Chrysler 300F Coupe - Motorclassica 2014
POST-WAR CLASSIC (US) E2-03
The Chrysler 300 series was designed by Virgil Exner, an American designer heavily influenced by his work with Ghia in Italy in the 1950's. The 300 series cars are considered the very first muscle cars, the 300 badge referring to 300 HP, and their expense and exclusiveness led to the nickname "The Banker's Hotrod". They were produced with the trademark natural interiors with a limited range of exterior colours available.
The dawning era of muscle cars took a powerful turn with the 1960 Chrysler 300F. In the formative years of factory performance, automakers reserved their hottest engines for their largest, and usually most-expensive models. early Chrysler muscle cars were best expressed by the stylish and exclusive "letter-series" machines. The first of these was the 1955 C-300 with its 300-bhp Hemi-head V-8. The 1960 Chrysler 300F continued the tradition of power and panache with its special trim and sporty interior that boasted four bucket-type leather seats and a full-length console.
Chrysler specified its most-advanced engines for these image leaders. A dual-quad 413-cid wedge replaced the Hemi in the 1959 letter-series. It made the same 380 bhp as the previous year's standard 392-cid Hemi, but was 100 pounds lighter and simpler to build. For 1960, the 413 gained a radical ram induction system in which each four-barrel carburettor fed the opposite cylinder bank via 30-inch "outrigger" tubes. The length of the runners was calculated to produce a super-charging effect in the hear of th rpm range.
Ram induction was available on 361-and-83-cid Dodge and Plymouth engines, but only Chryslers and Imperials could get the 413, and only the 300F had ram induction standard. Horsepower was 375; optional "short-ram" tubes, which looked the same but differed internally, yielded 400 bhp at 5200 rpm and 465 lb-ft of torque at 3600.
Pushbutton TorqueFlite automatic was standard, but a French-built four-speed manual was optional for just this season, ending up in only a few 300Fs.
Chrysler built 964 300F hardtops and 248 convertibles for '60, a peak year for letter-series performance.
-- Information taken from the podium.