1958 Chrysler 300

edited by David Barth, 22 February 2009.
Courtesy The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Photos were taken in January 2009.

Sponsor: Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealer's Association

The Chrysler 300 series was one of the most powerful and fastest sedans in the world. And though its appearance was fairly sedate, the engine under the hood all but guaranteed leaving competitors in its wake. Not all was perfect with the 300D. Chrysler introduced an electronic fuel injection system called the "Bendix Electrojector," which marked the first "computer" in a Chrysler product. The Electrojector caused a host of problems, and was unreliable. Of the few 300Ds equipped with the Electrojector system, most were reconverted back to the conventional dual four-barrel carburetor of the 300 series.

In 1958, Chrysler produced 618 of their hard-top 300D cars. 191 convertible-top models were also produced. At one time, the particular car was owned by Richard Carpenter, part of the famous pop duo, The Carpenters.

Model: 300D
Body Style: 2-door, Hard-top Sedan
Original Factory Price: $5,173
Brake Horsepower: 380 at 5200 rpm
Displacement: 392 cubic inch "Hemi" engine with hemispheric combustion chambers
Bore: 4.00 inches
Stroke: 3.9 inches
Wheelbase: 126 inches
Acceleration: 0 to 60 mph in 9.8 seconds
Top Speed: 130 mph

Donor: Ken and Joyce MacDowell