The Chrysler 300D

In 1958, America’s Cold War with Russia raged on, as well as the global space race. These conflicts brought NASA into the American lexicon and saw the United States developing rockets and satellites to explore and conquer outer space. For the average American who wished to experience the thrill of high speed space travel, the American made hot rod was the next best thing. In 1958, Chrysler introduced the 300D from its 300 line of hot rod cars. The fourth in what would be a line that spanned over a decade, the 300D is one of the rarer of that line.

Features and Specifications

Much like the 1957 Chrysler 300C, the 300D was redesigned in comparison to the earlier 300A & 300B hot rods. The 300D featured a modified windshield and tail lights that did not fully fill in the tailfins. Other design improvements included a leather-trimmed interior that featured individual seats. Like other Chrysler cars at the time, the 300D featured torsion-bar front suspensions. However, due to their power, the torsion bars in the 300D were beefed up compared to the earlier 300A & B.

The Chrysler 300D came in two different styles: the two-door, hard-top version and the two-door convertible. The hemi-powered engine for the 300D was an ohv V-8 and came with the option to upgrade to 392 cubic inches. The 300D engines ranged from 375, 380, to 390 horsepower options. An example of this power was showcased in 1958 when a 300D was driven to 156.387 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats. However, only 35 cars were built with the 390 horsepower engines since their fuel-injection engines were troublesome and ultimately required replacement. The replacements and standard horsepower vehicles featured twin-quad carburetor setups.

The market price for the 300D ranged from $4,929 to $5,603 depending on the added features and specs.

Production

Production of the 300D in 1958 was rather limited, especially when compared to past years and models. Chrysler produced 618 two-door, hard-top 300Ds. As for the two-door convertible version of the 300D, only 191 cars were produced. In total, 809 300Ds were produced by Chrysler. This is down significantly compared to the earlier Chrysler 300 models. For example, 1,725 300As were produced by Chrysler in 1955 and 1,102 Chrysler 300Bs were made in 1956. The 809 300Ds produces is even more stark when compared to the similar 300C model. Just a year earlier, 2,402 300Cs were produced. It is believed that a downturn in the economy, which caused the Recession of 1958, is what caused the downturn in Chrysler 300 production.

Advantages

Given its status among Chrysler’s 300 line of hot rods, the 300D was a highly sought-after vehicle with many positive selling points. The 300D was described to have the best-looking tailfin of the Mopar line of vehicles. Additionally, due to its size and power, the 300D was considered a great car for long-haul road trips. This was especially important at the time since air travel was not as accessible as it is today, and road trips were often the preferred method of family travel at the time. Finally, since there was such limited production of the 300D, it had the potential for future high appreciation. Meaning, for a collector looking at the 300D with a long-term view, purchasing one represented a potential future windfall.

Disadvantages

While the limited production of the 300D led to high future appreciation, it did lead to some difficulties at the time in 1958. Since there were only 809 300Ds produced, the supply was rather scarce, thus making it more difficult to acquire one. Additionally, the combination of low production and high-powered engines caused the 300D to be on the higher end price wise. Meaning, the average family was not likely able to own one. Another drawback related to the 300D’s high-horsepower, hemi engine was the fact that they were gas guzzlers. This meant owning one required even more income than the average car. Combined with high market prices, the cost of operating the 300D priced many American families out of owning one.