Chrysler 300 (letter series) History

The Chrysler 300 'letter series' launched for 1955 as the C-300, named for its 300-horsepower 331-cubic-inch FirePower Hemi V8 and advertised as 'America's Most Powerful Car'. Only 1,725 were built that first year.

Each successive year took the next letter of the alphabet as a suffix (skipping 'I'): the 1956 300B, then 300C, 300D, 300E, 300F, 300G, 300H, 300J, 300K, and the final 300L for 1965 — eleven distinct cars in all. They paired big Hemi (and later wedge) V8s with upscale, restrained styling.

Fast, exclusive, and expensive, the letter cars are often cited among the postwar performance Chryslers that pointed toward the muscle-car era. The nameplate's heritage was deliberately invoked decades later by the 2005 Chrysler 300.