Photo: Hemmings
The American auto industry in the 1960s was at the peak of its game when it came to overwrought styling and pretensions toward space-age design. The cars of the era featured luxurious interiors and often boasted low production numbers to offer exclusivity.
And the Chrysler 300G was a benchmark example of the era. It marked the seventh iteration of the Chrysler 300 Letter Series which began in 1955 with the C300. The model was named for its horsepower output of 300 bhp.
But it was former Studebaker designer Virgil Exner who took the Chrysler models in the 300 series over the top in a variety of ways. During his tenure with Chrysler’s Advanced Styling Group, Exner rolled out the first of his ‘The New 100-Million Dollar Look’ cars, the 300.
While it was Exner’s baby philosophically, the 300 took the grille from the Imperial of the same year, the midsection from a New Yorker hardtop and grafted on the rear quarter section from a Windsor.
This 300G may well have been the wildest looking vehicle in the Letter series, and it featured canted headlights and what would become the last of the vaunted Chrysler tailfins. An instrument panel the company dubbed The Astradome included a semi-circular speedometer and satellite gauges housed in a chrome-trimmed plastic bubble. To make matters more forward-looking, the company’s “Panelescent” lighting cast a blue light on the gauges at night.
The 1961 Chrysler 300G convertible here represents one of 337 built, and the sellers say it received a meticulous “nut-and-bolt” restoration seven years ago. The result? A “100-point show car.”
This 300G features Chrysler’s Ram Induction system, which relied on dual Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors. The system used ‘Helmholtz resonance’ principles, and Chrysler said the design provided a ‘mild supercharging effect’ which helped provide the engine some 375 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 495 lb-feet of torque at 2,800 rpm.
The seller says all suspension and brake components were rebuilt in the restoration.
The car comes with a clean Michigan title and additional documentation, including receipts for the restoration.
This 300G is being auctioned by Hemmings and the reserve is yet to be met at $75,000.
But it was former Studebaker designer Virgil Exner who took the Chrysler models in the 300 series over the top in a variety of ways. During his tenure with Chrysler’s Advanced Styling Group, Exner rolled out the first of his ‘The New 100-Million Dollar Look’ cars, the 300.
While it was Exner’s baby philosophically, the 300 took the grille from the Imperial of the same year, the midsection from a New Yorker hardtop and grafted on the rear quarter section from a Windsor.
This 300G may well have been the wildest looking vehicle in the Letter series, and it featured canted headlights and what would become the last of the vaunted Chrysler tailfins. An instrument panel the company dubbed The Astradome included a semi-circular speedometer and satellite gauges housed in a chrome-trimmed plastic bubble. To make matters more forward-looking, the company’s “Panelescent” lighting cast a blue light on the gauges at night.
The 1961 Chrysler 300G convertible here represents one of 337 built, and the sellers say it received a meticulous “nut-and-bolt” restoration seven years ago. The result? A “100-point show car.”
This 300G features Chrysler’s Ram Induction system, which relied on dual Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors. The system used ‘Helmholtz resonance’ principles, and Chrysler said the design provided a ‘mild supercharging effect’ which helped provide the engine some 375 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 495 lb-feet of torque at 2,800 rpm.
The seller says all suspension and brake components were rebuilt in the restoration.
The car comes with a clean Michigan title and additional documentation, including receipts for the restoration.
This 300G is being auctioned by Hemmings and the reserve is yet to be met at $75,000.
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