| If ever a nickname was appropriate, the one writer | | | | 1955. They were 2nd in NASCAR in 1953 and won |
| Karl Ludvigsen came up with was perfect when he | | | | the championship in 1954. Even though the Chryslers |
| called the 1955 Chrysler C-300 the "Beautiful Brutes". | | | | more than held their own it wasn't until 1955 when it |
| This car was truly a brute in looks as well as power | | | | appears they decided to dominate NASCAR by |
| and was the car that really kicked off the | | | | basically building the C-300 especially for NASCAR |
| horsepower race when it came out with the first 300 | | | | racing. With a Firepower Hemi engine putting out 300 |
| horsepower engine in a production car. The C-300 | | | | horses from 331 cubic inches it was the hottest |
| could be considered to be the first muscle car but it | | | | production car in America. They won 22 out of the |
| didn't fit the popular description of what was then | | | | 40 races in 1955 in one of the most dominant racing |
| called a super car. To be a super car the engine had | | | | displays ever. |
| to be the biggest one in the smallest body. The | | | | Although the Chrysler C-300 only sold 1,725 cars in |
| engine was the biggest by far but the body was also | | | | 1955 they packed the showrooms with people |
| one of the largest, so it wasn't a super car even | | | | wanting to see the monster that was setting speed |
| though it ran like one. | | | | records from the drag strip to the Bonneville Salt |
| In 1951 Chrysler came out with a Hemispherical | | | | Flats and all types of speed events in between. Even |
| Combustion Chamber engine with 180HP which | | | | though it was over 50 years ago I remember when |
| caused quite a stir and gave an indication of the | | | | the 1955 cars hit the showrooms like it was |
| horsepower race that was going to heat up over the | | | | yesterday. My buddies and I were like kids in a candy |
| next 20 years. If people were surprised in 1951, then | | | | store as we went from showroom to showroom. |
| they were flabbergasted when the horsepower was | | | | That was the year Chevrolet debuted their new V-8 |
| raised to 300HP in just 4 years. | | | | and they also had the newly designed Corvette. Ford |
| The 1955 C-300 was called the "Forward Look" | | | | brought out their new Thunderbird that year. Both |
| styling. Even though it was designed by Virgil Exner, | | | | Oldsmobile and Buick were redesigned and their super |
| people joked that it was designed as much from the | | | | cars both got power increases. |
| Chrysler parts bin as it was by him. The front clip | | | | All of these and several other were exciting but the |
| along with the grill was taken from the 1955 Imperial | | | | one that topped them all was the Chrysler C-300. It |
| with the midsection from the New Yorker model and | | | | was the first American production car to have an |
| the Windsor contributed the rear quarter. Exner was | | | | engine with 300 HP and even though it weighed over |
| able to put all these together along with base model | | | | 4,000 pounds the statistics were pretty amazing. It |
| Chrysler bumpers and ended up with a design that | | | | would do 0-60 MPH in less than 10 seconds and had a |
| turned out to be one of the classic body styles of all | | | | top end of over 130 MPH depending on which one of |
| time. While it was a stripped down model with no | | | | the 3 optional rear axle ratios were used. |
| back up lights or out side mirrors it did come with tan | | | | Due to it being an automotive icon and with low sales |
| leather upholstery and the options included power | | | | numbers the 1955 Chrysler C-300's bring some eye |
| seats and windows, tinted glass, radio and heater and | | | | popping prices when they can be found. One sold |
| stylish Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels. | | | | earlier this year for $181,500. Not a bad increase from |
| Chrysler had good success in NASCAR (National | | | | the $4,000 they cost new, which was pretty pricey |
| Association Of Stock Car Automobile Racing) racing | | | | back in 1955. If you are a Mopar Collector this would |
| with their Hemi engines in the years leading up to | | | | be the crown jewel in your collection. |