My 1960 Chrysler 300f Convertible

1960 Chrysler 300f Convertible

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1960 Chrysler 300F Convertible

The fabulous 300F featured in Ken’s collection is one of only 248 convertibles that can trace its design history back to the giants of automotive styling.  The 300 series started life under the direction of the talented and innovative Virgil Exner.  Before moving to Chrysler, Exner had worked for GM under the guidance of the legendary Harley Earl. Exner also worked for Raymond Loewy's own design firm.  Raymond Loewy is known as “the father of industrial design”.  He shaped the look of America for over 50 years.  Among his works were the Greyhound bus, the Coca-Cola bottle, the Lucky Strike package, the Studebaker Avanti, Air Force One livery and NASA’s Skylab space station.  It is little wonder that the seldom seen 1960 300F convertible with its luxurious power, elegant interior and exterior styling has become one of the most sought after cars of the Letter series.

The Chrysler 300 "letter series" were high-performance luxury cars built in very limited numbers by the Chrysler Corporation in the U.S. from 1955-1965.  The 300 "letter series" cars can be considered one of the muscle car's ancestors, though much more expensive and exclusive.  The Chrysler 300 letter-series cars were made famous by Carl Kiekhaefer, whose racing teams successfully campaigned the 1955-1956 models on the NASCAR circuit. The production cars appealed to affluent enthusiasts who wanted brute power wrapped in luxury and head-turning style.

The 1960 300F introduced a new, higher power 413 cu in (6.8 L) Wedge engine coupled to Chrysler's 3-speed Torqueflite push-button transmission delivering 375 hp in standard form. It featured a radical "cross-ram” induction intake manifold system consisting of two pairs of 30 in long tuned pipes that crisscrossed so that each set fed the opposite side of the engine. The carburetors and air cleaners hung off the sides of the engine over the fender wells. These long tubes were tuned so that resonances in the column of air helped force air into the cylinders at low rpm speeds. The new induction setup gave away five horsepower to the previous year's inboard carburetion but added 45 foot pounds of torque 800rpm lower.

Also new were four individual, leather bucket seats with a full length console from dash to rear seatback. A beautifully finished interior continued a tradition of comfortable motoring. The interior was so inviting that the seats literally offered themselves to driver and front passenger, automatically swiveling to allow easy access whenever a door was opened.

The bodywork was also redone for 1960, using Chrysler's new lightweight unibody construction and given sharper-edged styling with outward-tilting fins that were visually separated from sides. The "toilet seat" trunk lid contributed to a demeaning opinion of the 300F and was done away with after this one year of production.

Sources:

'History of the Chrysler Three Hundred Series.' The Chrysler 300 Site Web.28 Jul 2009. http://www.chrysler300site.com/cgibin/history.cgi.

Nerad, Jack. 'Great Classic Cars: Chrysler C-300.' AntiqueCar.com Web.28 Jul 2009. http://www.antiquecar.com/gc_chrysler_c300.php.

Willson, Quentin. The Ultimate Classic Car Book. First. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1995. Print.