Chrysler 300D Convertible, 1958
Chrysler 300 Letter Series II (300D) Рестайлинг
Chrysler 300 Letter Series II (300D) Рестайлинг•
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Chassis No.: LC41421
Auction: Chicago 2019
Auction date: October 26, 2019
Lot No.: S88
$70,000 | High bid
- Exterior: White
- Body: Convertible
- 1 of 191 produced in 1958
- 392/380 HP Firepower Hemi V-8 engine
- Dual Carter 4-barrel carburetors
- Dual exhaust
- Pushbutton Torqueflite automatic transmission
- Power steering
- Power brakes
- Bright White with Tan leather interior
- Power windows
- Padded dash
- Power convertible top
- Tinted windshield
- Dual chrome mirrors
- Pushbutton radio
- Heat and defrost
- Chrome wire wheels
- Whitewall tires
The recession of 1958 was severe enough that it likely impacted the sales of the new Chrysler 300D. The follow-up to the Forward Look releases that had taken the nation by storm in 1957, just 191 Chrysler 300D convertibles were produced in 1958. This fine motorcar was then considered to be the pinnacle of the namesake Chrysler line, just below the exclusivity of Imperial. The car was created with the idea of both luxury and performance in mind. Its clean but massive tail fins and oval-topped grille have made this car perhaps the most significant representative of Virgil Exner’s design ideas as well.
There was also another aspect of 1958 to be recalled—this would be the final year that the vaunted Hemi engine was featured in the 300 models. Now displacing 392 CI, the 380 HP Fire Power Hemi V-8 engine remains in its own class as a Detroit legend. Topped with dual Carter 4-barrel carburetors, hemispherical cylinder heads and dual exhaust, the Fire Power V-8 is partly the reason for the car’s rarity today, as a large number of these luxury Chryslers were bought by racing enthusiasts strictly for this incredible powerplant. This Hemi is backed by the pushbutton-operated, 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
Standard equipment on the 300 was extensive, and it included power steering and power brakes. The color combination is refined and elegant—Bright White paint with a white top and complementary tan leather interior. Inside are power windows, a padded dash, plush seating, a power convertible top and a pushbutton radio. A two-tone steering wheel completes the aesthetic. Outside is the tinted windshield, dual chrome mirrors, rear quarter side spears with integral “300D” emblems, turned-down exhaust and a set of chrome wire wheels and whitewall tires.
Truth be told, in 1958 the world was changing, and the 300D in all of its glory would forever after represent a high point in Chrysler vehicle lineages. The peak moment of the first-generation Hemi engine and Exner’s dream cars are alive in this vehicle.
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