For Sale at Auction: 1961 Chrysler 300 in Carmel, California

Chassis No. 8413114430
Engine No. 9-12HPR41

Virgil Exner fundamentally revolutionized the Chrysler Corporation's design language after joining the company in 1949. His "Forward Look" philosophy brought dramatic proportions, low rooflines, sweeping fins, and jet-age ornamentation to Mopar products, helping propel Chrysler, Dodge, DeSoto, and Plymouth from conservative postwar forms into some of the most daring American designs of the 1950s and early 1960s. By the end of his tenure, however, Exner's flamboyant full-size concepts were compromised by Chrysler's hurried move toward downsized 1962 models, a decision that contributed to his ouster that year. The 1961 Chrysler 300 G represents one of his final and most charismatic Chrysler designs. As the seventh model in the celebrated 300 "letter series," it paired Exner's last great finned silhouette with the second-year "AstraDome" instrument cluster. Period advertising memorably described it as "a rare kind of car for a rare kind of man."

The 300 G offered here was acquired by The Casa Bella Macchina Collection in 2019 and presents as a striking example finished in factory Mardi Gras Red over tan leather with a black power-operated soft top. Reportedly restored from the ground up as a California car using original or NOS components, it embodies the model's celebrated blend of power and luxury appointments. Beneath its long hood sits the original 413 cu-in cross-ram V8, date coded 12 September 1961, fed by dual four-barrel carburetors and breathing through dual exhaust. In addition to the standard power brakes, power steering, power windows, power soft top, and push-button TorqueFlite transmission, this example was further optioned with six-way power front seats, a seven-button Golden Touch Tuner radio, power antenna, and tinted glass. One of just 336 300 G convertibles produced, and one of just 54 examples finished from the factory in rare Mardi Gras Red per the Chrysler 300 Club, this example captures both the elegance and exuberance of Chrysler's final finned flagship.