Platinum White Exterior
Tan Leather Interior
331 Hemi V8
Automatic Transmission
This was the car to start the legacy. It had Virgil Exner’s distinctive styling and the 331hemi. The 1955 300 had a two door coupe body and clean, simple Chrysler Windsor side and rear quarter trim. Up front were two large Imperial “egg crate” grilles. This first of the letter series cars did not actually bear a letter. Chrysler’s original manuals named it the C-300, which was an appropriate name for the car. The “C-” designation was applied to all Chrysler models, and the 300 stood for the engine horsepower.
It was THE first modern American production car to achieve this output. Power came from an updated source already available; the fabled “Hemi”331 cubic inch hemispherical head engine, modified with a “full race” cam, larger dual exhaust, and topped off with 2 4-barrel carburetors. The suspension was made firmer, allowing it to handle far better than most cars. It was given a special performance PowerFlite transmission, while the inside remained pure luxury.
Notably, it was fast. The battle lines would be drawn, when it did 127.58 mph in the flying mile at Daytona, and averaged 92 mph in the Daytona Grand National stock car race. This car dominated the stock car circuit, earning the NASCAR and AAA championships its first year out.
The car was only available in three exterior colors: Black, Tango Red and Platinum White, combined with a luxurious tan leather interior.
Production: 1,725 units
