You haven’t likely visited Chrysler’s website in a long, but it’s still a depressing sight. By 2023, the business will only be offering the horribly antiquated 300 sedan and the Pacifica minivan. However, it wasn’t always the case. For example, Chrysler developed significantly more thrilling cars and had a more variety inventory back in the 1950s.
Back then, Chrysler was typically connected to luxury. The Chrysler Corporation employed the Chrysler and Imperial brands to offer high-end vehicles targeted at Lincoln and Cadillac offerings, while Plymouth and Dodge released more reasonably priced vehicles. In the mid-1950s, however, Chrysler also came to be associated with excellent performance. All of this was made possible by the 300 “letter series.”
While described as a personal luxury car in some ads, the first “letter series” model, the 1955 C-300, was in fact a homologation special developed for NASCAR duty. And thanks to a 331-cubic-inch (5.4-liter) V8 engine rated at 300 horsepower, it arrived in showrooms as America’s most powerful car. Come 2023 and the C-300 is widely regarded as the very first muscle car (though the matter is not that simple).
The 300 “letter series” soldiered on through 1965 and spawned 11 different cars with annual upgrades. The series is usually split into five generations, with the first one including the original C-300, as well as the 300B that followed in 1956. While similar to its predecessor design-wise, the 300B brought a few important upgrades when it hit dealerships in 1956.
The most significant of them was the larger 354-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) V8 engine. The unit, which was also a FirePower mill of the HEMI type, produced 340 horsepower, which was more than 10% more than the previous C-300. That was a significant amount of power for 1956, enabling the 300B to reach its maximum speed of 225 kph (140 mph). The 300B was the first American production automobile to produce one horsepower per cubic inch when Chrysler added an optional 10:1 compression ratio, increasing output to 355 horsepower.
Despite its luxury car status, the 300B had a successful racing career, winning the 1956 NASCAR Grand National series with the legendary Buck Baker behind the steering wheel. Baker was famous for racing his cars with next to no modifications. However, the 300B wasn’t quite as successful as the C-300 before it, selling only 1,102 units before it was replaced by the more popular 300C.
However, for 300B owners, that’s actually good news. There are very few all-original survivors of these cars, since many have been left to rot in junkyards or chained up and forgotten in barns. In other words, their value and desirability are rising. One of the cars that managed to endure decades of storage intact is the white model you see here.
In particular, the owner discloses that the Chrysler was stored in a storage facility for forty years. Fortunately, though, the 300B survived with only minor damage and remains remarkably intact but for a new paint job. Thankfully, that last one is a true Cloud White, one of three hues Chrysler offered in 1956 on the 300 “letter series” (the other two being Regimental Red and Black).
The tan interior looks unreal for something that hasn’t been altered or restored, while the 354-cubic-inch V8 is of the numbers-matching variety. And because it’s been maintained properly and it has only 35,000 miles (56,327 km) on the clock, it sounds really healthy.
The owner shares that she found the car locally in 2021 and bought it as a replacement for her 1960 Chrysler 300F, which burned to a crisp in a garage fire. I’d say she got a really nice replacement and I hope she enjoys it for many years to come.