2007 Chrysler 300C SRT8: a standard track day

The 2007 Chrysler 300C SRT8 carried over the SRT-engineered 6.1-liter HEMI V-8 rated 425 hp and 420 lb-ft, paired with a five-speed AutoStick automatic, and built at Brampton, Ontario. New for the year were Steel Blue Metallic and Inferno Red paint, an optional rear-seat video system with Kicker surround sound, and the SRT Track Experience, which became standard equipment rather than a purchased option for the first time.¹

Chrysler did not publish a dedicated 300C SRT8 production or sales count for 2007, and this record's own production notes state that plainly rather than estimating one. The company's own sales reports instead give 120,636 US sales for the whole Chrysler 300 nameplate across calendar 2007, a figure this record treats strictly as context for how the SRT8 sat within total 300 volume, since it covers every trim level sold that year rather than the SRT8 specifically, and is a sales count rather than a production count in the first place.²

Two prices are documented from a buyer's-guide database: $40,545 as the MSRP excluding destination, with no effective date stated for that figure, and $37,766 as the dealer invoice price. The 6.1-liter SRT HEMI, naturally aspirated and the only engine offered on the 300C SRT8, is rated 425 hp and 420 lb-ft as the factory's own advertised output, paired with the five-speed automatic and AutoStick as the sole standard transmission for the model.^3,1

A range of regular-production options and packages round out the year: a power sunroof; a 13-speaker Kicker audio system with a 322-watt amplifier; a DVD system with a center console-mounted flip-up screen; the Rear Seat Video system with Kicker Mobile Surround Sound; SIRIUS Satellite Radio, also included with Package P2; UConnect hands-free communication, also included with Package P2; and Goodyear F1 four-season tires sized 245/45/20 front and rear. Three lettered packages are documented: P1, bundling supplemental side air bags and air filtering; P2, bundling a power sunroof with a navigation radio and integrated display, SIRIUS, and UConnect; and P3, the SRT Track Experience itself, a one-day driving program with Skip Barber Racing School instruction, standard for the year rather than optional.⁴

Specification detail is extensive: the 6.1-liter HEMI is given as 370 cu in, 6,059 cc, with a 4.06-by-3.58-inch bore and stroke and 10.3:1 compression, rated 425 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 420 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm, described as an estimated SAE net figure with a 6,400-rpm limit. The W5A580 five-speed automatic's gear ratios run 3.59, 2.19, 1.41, 1.00, and 0.83, with reverse at 3.17, a 3.06 final drive, and a 2.54 overall top-gear ratio. Dimensions include a 120.0-inch wheelbase, 63.0/63.1-inch front and rear track, 196.8-inch length, 74.1-inch width, 57.9-inch height, and 5.1 inches of ground clearance, with an estimated 4,160-lb curb weight split 55/45 front to rear, a 19-gallon fuel tank, and EPA figures of 14 city and 20 highway mpg. Steering is rack-and-pinion with hydraulic assist at 16.1:1, 2.75 turns lock to lock, and a 38.9-ft turning diameter; the specification sheet itself notes Brampton, Ontario assembly and dates the model's introduction to April 2005 as the 2006 model year.⁴

Four exterior colors are documented, Bright Silver Metallic, Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat, and the two new-for-2007 colors, Steel Blue Metallic Clear Coat and Inferno Red. The interior is documented as Light Graystone over Dark Slate, the only interior color listed, with power sport seats trimmed in performance suede front and rear, heated and with memory, and a technical leather-trimmed steering wheel. Chrysler's own manufacturer claim puts 0-60 mph in the low-5-second range, though this record's own performance entry notes that the test conditions behind that claim are not stated.^1,4