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The 1958 Chrysler 300D was a reworking of Virgil Exner’s 300C styling for 1957. It had the same manta-ray-mouth grill and sweeping, gothic-style fins of its predecessor. 300D performance also continued apace, with 5 more bhp under the hood. It was a good thing too, since this behemoth weighed in at over 2 tons! It’s a good thing gas was cheap.
Having purchased the superlative 300C by DM (and FM), I wasn’t planning on acquiring the 300D. But seeing the magnificent proportions of this image in a Matador Red hardtop coupe sold me. Plus, it was a hardtop. I couldn’t just have the convertible, now could I? This image has the same nifty features of the 300C, right down to the real leather seats. DM puts a lot of effort in their images and it shows time after time. No wonder they rate so high with collectors, this one included.
These days, with cars all looking like multi-colored blobs of mercury, a vehicle with the grace and panache of the 300D stands out a mile. I sometimes wish some manufacturer would take the designs of the 50’s and 60’s, combine them with today’s technology, and put them on the street. Would they sell? Well, take a look at the sales figures for the PT Cruiser and the “new” Thunderbird and decide for yourself. The issue price is $119.80.
(06/06/2002)
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