Chrysler bids farewell to the Hemi-engined 300C
After nearly 20 years, the very last 300C has been made; with it goes seemingly the last interesting Chrysler
Chrysler has produced its final saloon car with a Hemi V8 in it. Feels like the black armbands should be on and the flags flown at half mast - this is real end-of-an-era stuff. The very last 300C has rolled off the assembly line in Canada; by the end of the month all production of 300Cs will cease. And Chrysler will be left with a North America lineup of Pacifica minivan and Pacifica plug-in minivan. Jeez.
The 300C went out as we all remember it cruising in: with a big V8, and looking moody as hell. Looking not all that different to how we in the UK remember 300Cs, in fact; the second generation introduced in 2011 did not sell as well here, but it was easily recognisable as so many of the fundamentals were carried over. So it’s hardly like opportunities to get a 300 have been scarce.
This final Velvet Red car was one of the 2,000 final edition models (spoken for in 12 hours), with special badges to mark it out as one of the last. All 2023 300Cs, returning to the lineup for a final fling after two years away, got a 3.09 limited-slip diff, a sports exhaust and active damping. Plus the 6.4-litre V8, of course, with 485hp and 12-second quarter-mile potential. It ends a Hemi-powered 300 story that stretches all the way back to 1957, when the first one was launched with 392 cubic inches and 375hp. In 1957!
It seems as if this 300C will be going to a customer; certainly there’s no mention in the press material of Chrysler keeping it for posterity. It’s been quite the success story over nearly 20 years, at least in the home market, with annual sales only dipping below 30,000 units in 2019 and less than 15k last year. For the first four years of the 300C’s in the US, it sold more than 100,000 units, peaking at 144,000. Its most successful year in Europe was 2006, when more than 14,000 examples found homes.
But then between 2015 and 2018, just 30 300Cs were sold in Europe, which sort of says it all. The car is old now, demand has waned, and Chrysler needs something new. It’ll be one hell of a wrench though, surely, with this gone and the Challenger/Charger soon to follow - the Hemi V8 won’t exist in any new production cars. Which felt like a day that would come, it was just always in the future. Not right now.
But time waits for no man (or car maker), so here we are. Chrysler’s brand CEO Chris Feuell said: "Chrysler brand is proud to mark the legacy of the Chrysler 300C as a true automotive icon, one of the original muscle cars representing bold American luxury. As we celebrate the last Hemi-powered 300C off the line with our Brampton team members, we’re also excited to work together as Chrysler brand moves forward to a sustainable all-electric future as part of the Stellantis Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.” A big, bad, battery-powered saloon might not be the silliest idea in the world, especially after that Charger EV. And for a Hemi Merry Christmas in 2023, check this out - a 2005 300C (so in the cheaper tax bracket), with a couple of SRT goodies and less than 60k, for £7,995. There's your legacy, chaps.
Most of the ones I remember seeing were first generation and were registered around 2008.
Yes, the interiors are cheap. But it feels like you're driving an armchair and with that Hemi soundtrack there's just something about it that brought a smile to my face. 0-60 is allegedly under 5 seconds, I just remember it felt way faster than it had any right to when I test-drove it.
The first and original Chrysler 300 came out in late '54 for the '55 model year and had a 331 Hemi.
This was followed by the 300B for 1956 model year with a 354 Hemi.
Then the 300C for the 1957 model year with the 392 Hemi.
I went to try a 2005 Chrysler 300C when they came out, I really wanted it to be great and had "managed my expectations" about interior quality and chassis sophistication, it just had to be like a Monaro (crude but noisy and fun) and I'd have bought one.
It wasn't. I can't remember anything about it that wasn't completely crap and disappointing. I was also left wondering what sort of work shy knock kneed horses they used for their "horsepower" measurements because it felt nowhere near the claimed 340bhp. Probably the most disappointing new car test drive I can recall, I cannot imagine how rubbish one of the diesel ones must be.
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