Introduced in 1955, the Chrysler C-300 was advertised as "America's most powerful car." And at 300 horsepower, it had the numbers to back it up. More importantly, the C-300 kickstarted a series of high-performance luxury cars that remained in production until 1965.
Known as the 300 "letter series," Chrysler's range-topping two-door spawned five different generations that included 11 cars with significant model-year changes. All but one were designed by Virgil Exner and, come 2022, they're among the most coveted Mopars out there.
The 300F is one of those cars. Launched in 1960 as the first iteration of the third-generation model, it was a notable departure from the 300E of the previous year design-wise. It also gained push-button controls for the TorqueFlite automatic, the "AstraDome" instrument cluster, and four individual bucket seats.
Chrysler didn't make notable changes under the hood, so the 300F retained the previous 413-cubic-inch (6.8-liter) "Cross-Ram" V8. Rated at 375 horsepower, it put the luxury two-door into muscle car territory.
The redesign also brought a boost in sales. While the 300E moved only 647 units, the 300F sold 1,217 examples. The coupe was far more popular at 969 units, while only 248 customers went for the convertible.
The latter is among the rarest Chryslers from the era. And with many of them locked up in barns or abandoned in junkyards, spotting a 300F on public roads is a very rare event.
The fact that "Young Exotics" managed to film one on the go is downright amazing, but this drop-top is a little bit more special than the (not so) regular 300F Convertible. Because it's finished in purple.
And not because purple wasn't available on Chrysler products in 1960. On the contrary, Mopar offered quite a few hues on some of its cars. Imperial models were available in Dusk Mauve and Dawn Mauve, while some Chryslers came in Lilac and Iris.
However, none of these hues were offered on the 300F. In 1960, Chrysler downsized the color palette available on its range-topping model to only four colors: Formal Black, Toreador Red, Alaskan White, and Terra Cotta.
On the other hand, the hue on this drop-top looks a lot like Iris, a color that Chrysler offered on the New Yorker in 1960. So maybe we're looking at a car that was purchased with a special-order paint? Because automakers used to offer that back in the day. Or maybe the car was repainted in this hue during its restoration?
Well, we'll never know the answer, but what I do know is that this 300F is probably the only purple example out there. So if one-of-248 isn't rare enough for you, this convertible might just be a one-of-one gem. Check it out in the video below.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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