Chrysler Cars
Muscle · 13 models
The 300C with the 6.1 Hemi made the rear-drive American sedan cool again. The legacy goes back to letter cars and 426 Hemis.
MuscleChrysler is the senior luxury arm of the Stellantis group in North America, sharing the LX platform with Dodge for most of the 21st century. The brand identity has shifted multiple times: in the 1950s and 1960s Chrysler was the high-performance flagship of the Mopar brands, with letter cars (300A through 300L) carrying the most powerful engines and most luxurious appointments. In the 1970s and 1980s the brand drifted toward mass-market personal luxury cars. The 21st century revival came with the 2005 Chrysler 300C, a rear-drive full-size sedan that brought American luxury sedan styling back to the segment. The 300C SRT-8 with the 6.1 liter Hemi (later replaced by the 6.4) was the model that mattered most to enthusiasts. 425 horsepower, naturally aspirated V8, rear-drive, full-size sedan, manual transmission never offered (a frequent complaint). The car was a direct-line descendant of the 1955-1965 letter cars, and Chrysler treated it that way in marketing and trim levels. Production of the 300 ended in 2023. Outside the 300, the modern Chrysler lineup has narrowed. The Pacifica minivan continues as a strong product in the family segment. The Crossfire of the early 2000s (a coupe sharing the Mercedes SLK platform) had a brief moment but was discontinued. The PT Cruiser is remembered fondly by some and ridiculed by others. On WhipJury, Chrysler submissions are dominated by 300C SRT-8 cars (especially with Hellcat swaps, which became a popular conversion as Hellcat engines became available to swap), letter cars from the classic era, and the occasional Crossfire.
Chrysler models we cover
The letter cars
The Chrysler letter series ran from 1955 (300A) through 1965 (300L). Each model year got a new letter and a more powerful engine. The 300C of 1957 was the first to break 375 horsepower with the 392 Hemi. The 300F of 1960 introduced the cross-ram intake on the 413. The 300J and 300K used the 413 RB and the 426 wedge. These were the most powerful and most luxurious Chrysler sedans of the era, and clean examples now sell for hundreds of thousands at auction.
The modern 300
The 2005 Chrysler 300 launched on the LX platform shared with the Dodge Charger. Rear-wheel drive (or AWD optional), available with the 5.7 or 6.1 Hemi V8s, and styled with deliberate masculinity that broke from the previous generation Chrysler design language. The car was a sales hit and effectively reset the brand. Two further generations refined the formula. The 300C with the 6.4 SRT-8 engine through 2014, and the regular 300S with the 5.7 through 2023, were the enthusiast picks.
The Hellcat conversion
One of the more interesting modifications in the modern Mopar scene is swapping the Hellcat 6.2 supercharged V8 into a 300 chassis (the chassis is shared with the Charger Hellcat, so the swap is mechanically straightforward). The result is a sleeper four-door sedan with 700+ horsepower and Chrysler luxury appointments. It is one of the more popular swap projects on WhipJury.
Chrysler on WhipJury
The 300C SRT-8 is the most-posted Chrysler. Hellcat-swapped 300s do particularly well in voting. Letter car submissions are rare but always memorable. The Pacifica minivan has a small but enthusiastic owner base who post their builds with pride.
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