1960 Chrysler 300F

Low $9,000-$15,000
Avg. $23,000-$47,000
High $29,000-$65,000

The value of Chrysler 300s has risen to the point where serious professional restorations on shabby cars might still leave you with enough of a margin to safely turn a profit after you've had your fun and won your prizes. For instance, the November 2000 issue of Hemmings lists a 300F hardtop needing a complete restoration with an asking price of $9,900. On the other end, a 300F hardtop described as a "stunning fresh restoration" is offered for $47,000, and both prices accurately reflect the current market levels for the tin-tops. For convertibles add $10,000 for a rough car and $25,000-$30,000 for a show-ready restoration. With a four-speed gearbox, who knows? Add air and the optional engine and we believe you would have a car with close to six-figure potential.

The Epitome of Early '60s American Luxury Muscle

When the first Chrysler 300 "Letter Car" burst onto the automotive scene in 1955 it caused a quiet sensation among enthusiasts. Here was a car with a 331-cu.in. Hemi V-8 engine that reached the magical-and previously unattainable-300-bhp mark. This powerhouse was wrapped in an elegant package of a two-door hardtop body with a full leather interior and checkerboard grilles grafted from the '55 Imperial.

Quickly dubbed the "banker's hot rod" and the "beautiful brute," at the hands of Tim Flock, the broad-shouldered 1955 c-300 in 300-R (Race) trim broke the existing speed record on Daytona's sand course. In the hands of Flock and others, the 300 won the championship in both NASCAR Grand National and AAA stock car racing for the 1955 season.

For 1956 the 300B's power came from a 354-cu.in. Hemi that produced 340 horsepower and helped the second series Letter Car break the world's passenger car speed record by thundering down Daytona Beach in Florida at an average of nearly 140 mph. Flock's final record of a 147.05-mph lap still stands as the old Daytona Beach course record.

The 300C for 1957 offered buyers a choice of engines: a 392 good for 375 bhp, or a massaged 392 that developed 390 horsepower. This optional V-8 was intended mainly for drags and stock car work and came with only stick shift and solid lifters. The C also carried the tall Exner-designed fins that somehow looked better on the nearly plain flanks of the 300 than they did on the other, more heavily trimmed Chrysler models.

The 1958 Chrysler 300Ds marked both firsts and lasts for this series. A first was optional Bendix Electrojector fuel injection, originally installed on about 25 percent of the Ds. But the system was literally more trouble than it was worth, and the majority of 300Ds had the temperamental units replaced with a standard dual four-barrel carb setup. This would be the last year of the Firepower Hemi V-8. For 1959 it would be replaced with the 413 "Wedge" V-8 which was just as mighty a powerplant but lacked the mystique of the legendary Hemi.

The 300F for 1960 was the first unibody car of the Letter Series. Its emphasis continued to be on luxurious high performance, limited production cars with distinctive styling touches and identification to set them apart from the other Chryslers. The F would enjoy strong sales-the best 300 results since 1957-by finding customers for 964 hardtops and 248 convertibles. Luxury touches included power swivel seats as standard equipment, and two horsepower versions were available - a 375-horse 413 was standard while a solid lifter 413 pumping 400 bhp is a rare and desirable option today.

Another rarity on the 1960 300F would be the French Pont-A-Mousson four-speed gearbox. No precise records exist on the number of cars so equipped but it has been said that seven to ten 300s with this option were produced, including at least one convertible. Finding a car with this option today would give you the most desirable of 300Fs and would add considerably to the car's collector market value, particularly if it was teamed with the optional 400-horse 413.

The 300F's new unibody featured tailfins canted at a noticeable angle and the usual 300 trademark of the falsie spare tire embedded in the trunk lid, a styling device borrowed from the Imperial. The engines, meanwhile, boasted a Ram-tuning induction manifold option. Cross-over ram induction fed each bank of cylinders from carburetors placed near the opposite bank. The F-series cars continued the 300's winning ways by capturing the first six places at Daytona in the Flying Mile competition, with a top end of nearly 145 mph.

For years Chrysler 300 Letter Series cars could be bought for relatively little money by collectors. While their drivetrains were admired for their power and fine engineering, the bodies left a lot to be desired in terms of construction quality and longevity, as the dreaded tinworm would devour MoPar sheet metal like it was flimsy shirt cardboard. There are even instances of entire Chrysler trunk floors dropping onto the road without warning, as the cars would rust so severely after a few years on the road.

SPECIFICATIONS
Base price: Hardtop $5,411; Convertible $5,841
Base weight: Hardtop 4,270; Convertible 4,310
Body and frame: Two-door, five-passenger, all-steel unit construction
Wheelbase: 126 inches
Length: 219.6 inches
Front tread: 61 inches
Rear tread: 60 inches
Suspension:
Front: Torsion bars.
Rear: Semi-elliptic leaf springs with hydraulic shock absorbers.
Steering: Power-assisted standard
Brakes: Power-assisted drums, hydraulic internal expanding
Engine: 413 c.i.d. overhead valve V-8, cast iron block (solid lifter on 400-bhp engine) 375 bhp @ 5000 rpm standard. 10.1:1 compression ratio.