1957 Chrysler 300C Hemi
Original ... Elegant ... Powerful ... Luxurious ... Responsive ...
This Stunning, Low Mileage, Low Production, Rare, Classic Chrysler 300C is all of this
and so much more.
1,918 Hardtops were produced making this 300C a very Rare find. An All Original 300C in
this condition is nothing short of
Amazing!
When these rare automobiles are found today, they get serious restorations. This gem is an
exception, other than one repaint, she
is all original with the motor, interior, and driveline all straight off the assembly line. She
has been garage kept and well maintained.
Kept in a pristine condition and believed to be correct, the odometer shows just 13,054 miles
since delivery.
This Elegant 300C is considered the most desirable of the Letter Series 300's with her Clean
lines and Fresh styling - huge front
grille and tail fins - plus a Fierce FirePower Hemi V8 which Rumbles to life with the push of a
button.
This Powerful Chrysler has her Original 392 ci. Hemi (Hemispherical Combustion Chamber) V8,
375 horsepower Engine equipped
with original dual quad carburetors, solid valve lifters, special manifolds, a full race
camshaft, and enlarged dual exhausts.
Her Hemi is mated to a factory performance modified Push-Button 'TorqueFlite' Automatic
Transmission.
The superb combination of innovative engineering and impressive performance of the Chrysler
300C makes her a legendary high-
performance luxury machine.
Designed by the talented and innovative Virgil Exner, she is a triple threat of sumptuous
luxury, speed and style.
Her handling is Responsive and Sporty mostly due to her innovative famous twin parallel
torsion bar suspension.
Body
In 1957 "lower, wider and longer" was the automaker's goal. The Chrysler 300C achieved all
three and added "fastest" just for good
measure. At just under 55" high, she was several inches lower than virtually all of the
competition, almost 79" wide and over 219" long.
The design is tasteful and clean featuring a large windshield, front door vent windows, quad
headlight face and a large, one-piece
egg crate chrome grille with an elegantly minimal chrome bumper running beneath it and two
rearward brightwork spears punctuated
by the circular 300C logo. The pronounced vestigial fins pick up just aft of the doors and
beneath the beltline flowing into twin backup
lights set above large vertical tail lamps.
From the side, the 300C looks particularly good. Her long and low proportions are readily
revealed from this angle. Also easily
noticeable from the side, you will see a forward tilt to her front end that is mirrored by a
rearward tilt to her fins creating a sleek and
balanced overall appearance.
The futuristic 300C design also marked the debut of a Jet Age tailfin styling trend that
would continue on for years. Wind-tunnel
tests showed the fins on the 300C to be functional at higher speeds, but it was their style that
caused the public to clamor for them.
ENGINE
Legendary power resides beneath the clean lines of this hood.
This 1957 300C packs a 392-cu.in. version of the race-proven Hemi engine with a standard
375hp producing a massive 420-
lbs.ft. of torque at 4,000 RPM.
The 392 brings fuel and air into the engine through a pair of Walter Carter four-barrel or WCFB
carburetors and reaches peak
horsepower at 5,200 RPM.
Today, the stock carburetors are rare pieces. The front WCFB carburetor has no choke provision.
Seemingly minor innovations, such as the SilentFlite cooling fan, bring additional
horsepower gains to the Hemi.
The fan spins like a conventional fixed unit at low engine revolutions, but above 2,500 RPM, the
fan disengages, freeing up otherwise
wasted horsepower.
TRANSMISSION
The factory performance enhanced pushbutton three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission was
standard equipment.
The 1957 model year marked the appearance of the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic
transmission, which would become a
mainstay of the Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth lineup for many years to come.
A manual override is available on first and second gears, but is overruled by lockouts of 25 MPH
for first and 70 MPH for second. The
TorqueFlite skips second gear on deceleration to prevent lurches.
Chrysler's TorqueFlite transmission was used from 1956 through the early 1990's and is said to
be one of the smoothest and most
trouble-free transmissions to have ever been designed.
DIFFERENTIAL
Putting the power through to the rear axles is a solid performer of a differential that Chrysler
used into the 1970s.
The tough 83/4-inch third-member-style carrier was available with a vast array of gear ratios.
The standard axle gear ratio was a 3.36:1
CHASSIS
Chrysler's revolutionary TorsionAire front suspension used Chrysler's famous twin parallel
torsion bar suspension system with the dual
upper A-arm connecting to lower control arms rather than using conventional coil springs.
The lack of coil-spring towers allowed for a lower engine position, a lower hood, and the lowest
beltline of all the cars in its class. It also
made room for the Firepower Hemi.
One of the main benefits of the Chrysler torsion-bar front suspension is the reduction in
front-end drive under heavy braking.
Another is a suspension that is stout enough for flat cornering, but still supple for smooth
around-town maneuvering without the rigid
ride common in the 50's.
The handling is enhanced by the low center of gravity and the design of the forward portion of
the rear axle.
BRAKES
The big 300C is equipped with four-wheel drum brakes. Cooling ductwork is incorporated behind
hidden rectangular openings under
the headlamps. Air is drawn in through tubes to cool the front drums. Total lining area was 251
square inches.
WHEELS & TIRES
The 300C runs with 14-inch-diameter steel wheels and a 9.00 x 14 tire.
INTERIOR
The interior is the best that Chrysler had to offer. Exner's Jet Age exterior styling extended
into the interior which is resplendent in
supple Tan leather and Jet Age appointments. The door panels have silver appliques and both the
wheel and glove compartment have
"300" medallions.
The safety-cushion dash has an eye-catching speedometer is joined by an equally sized four-
function fuel, engine temperature,
amperage and oil pressure gauge, while the rearview tilt mirror is mounted to the right of the
console on top of the dash.
Air Conditioning, Air Foam Seat Cushions, and a fold-down center armrest keep the driver and
passengers comfortable.
HISTORY
The '57 Chrysler 300-C was the third version of car in Chrysler's 300 series.
A big automobile that sat low to the ground, was full of comfort and luxury while having
excellent power and handing.
The 300 'Letter Series' Started in 1955 with the C300 (which stood for Chrysler 300ci) as
the 'A' suffix. The series lasted through
1965 with 'L' ('I' was omitted) and was labeled as a precursor of the muscle car, though some
considered them to be the first muscle
cars. Even with eleven years of production, less than 17,000 were produced.
From 1955 through 1957 the 300's were the fastest American cars. Both of the the C300 and 300B
had won the NASCAR Grand
National Stock Car Championships as well as the Women's National Speed Trial Championships in
both 1955 and 1956. So it was no
surprise when the '57 Chrysler 300-C beat the unofficial stock car record at the Chelsea Proving
Grounds with an average speed of
145.7 mph.
It also won the "Flying Mile" at Daytona with a top speed of 134 mph utilizing
the 392 cu.in. 375 hp Hemi. A top
speed of 150mph could be reached by the 300C.
The 300's also dominated the sands of Daytona Beach, Florida where they won the stock
production class and took home the Tom
McCahill trophy. Tom McCahill, Mechanix Illustrated's legendary automotive journalist, was
convinced of the 300C's prowess. He called
the 1957 300C "the most hairy-chested, fire-eating land bomb ever conceived in Detroit," adding
that the car was "motorized
dynamite."
The 1957 Chrysler 300C represents the pinnacle of the first generation of Chrysler Hemi engines.
Her understated "forward look" design features what many automobile aficionados consider to be
the best use of fins - a clean, well-
proportioned design, free of the garish detailing that plagued so many of its contemporaries.
Her design from the torsion bars and frame right up to the top of the car was all new for '57.
Chrysler engineering was generally
thought to be excellent and ahead of its time and certainly this was the case for the
Torqueflite automatics, the first modern Simpson
geartrain three speed automatic ever introduced. Her automatic transmission requires no effort
on the driver's part.
The 300 did get America moving on the fast track to the horsepower and performance
revolution, and looked good while doing it.
FEATURES and OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT:
- Rear shelf speaker
- Heater - custom conditionaire
- Defogger, rear window
- Power brakes
- Power front seat, 6 way
- Power steering
- Power window
- Solex glass
- Safety Cushion Dash
- Dash Mounted Rear View Tilt Type Mirror
- Mirror, left outside
- Windshield Washer
- Torqueflite
- Air Foam Seat Cushions
- Fender Ornaments
- A/C unit
- Windshield Upper Moulding
- Tires - Wide White Wall
- Rear Window, Upper Portion Shaded
- Dual Headlights
- Mirror, right outside
- backup lights
- chrome license plate frame
- handbrake warning
- turn signals
- "SilentFlite" fan drive
- Dual Exhaust
- Electro Touch Tuner radio
- Antenna, manual
- Electric clock
- Power Windows
- Six-Way Power Seat
- Heater
- Rear View mirrors.
300C V8 ENGINE
Chrysler FirePower 392 CI / 6424 cc / 6.4 L.
Bore, stroke: 4.00 x 3.90 in.
Compression ratio: 9.25 / 1 with solid lifters
Horsepower: 375 hp at 5200 rpm
Torque: 390 ft.lb at 3400 rpm
2 four barrel Carter WCFB WCFB2334S
full race camshaft 280* intake / 270 * exhaust / 60* overlap.
DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES:
Length: 5568 mm / 219.2 in
Width: 2002 mm / 78.8 in
Height: 1389 mm / 54.7 in
Wheelbase: 3200 mm / 126 in
Front track: 1554 mm / 61.2 in
Rear track: 1524 mm / 60 in
Turning circle btw. walls: 14.6 m / 47.9 ft
Turning circle btw. curbs: 13.81 m / 45.3 ft
Drag coefficient estimated by a-c: 0.55
Engine type: spark-ignition 4-stroke
Fuel type: petrol (gasoline)
Charge system: naturally aspirated
Valves per cylinder: 2
Cylinders alignment: Hemispherical V 8
Displacement: 6435 cm3 / 392.7 cui
Power gross: 279.5 kW / 380 PS / 375 hp (SAE gross) / 5200
Torque gross: 570 Nm / 420 ft-lb / 4000
Fuel capacity: 87 liter / 23 U.S. gal / 19.1 imp. gal
Engine oil capacity: 4.7 liter / 5 U.S. qt / 4.1 imp. Qt plus 0.9 liter for filter
change
Engine coolant capacity: 24 liter / 25.4 U.S. qt / 21.1 imp. qt
This Incredible 1957 Chrysler 300C is a classic tribute to the era of fins and with survivor
status.
This Rare Beauty isn't going to be for sale very long.
Looking for the Classic American Chrysler that loves to be driven?
Would you like to enjoy driving again?
Call, Text, email or just Come By Today and we will help you realize your dream of owning
this Gorgeous Piece of American
Automobile History.
