The First Wedge Letter Car

For 1959 the 300E, series MC3-H, replaced the Hemi with the first performance version of the RB-family 413-cu-in "Golden Lion" wedge V8, two in-line Carter AFB four-barrels on 10.1:1 compression, carrying the same 380 hp rating as the 1958 Hemi; the Chrysler 300 Club itself notes that horsepower was unchanged despite the engine-family change. TorqueFlite was the only transmission offered, and swivel front seats, upholstered in "Living Leather" natural tan leather with a perforated basket-weave pattern, came standard.^1,2,3

Production totaled 690 cars, 550 hardtops and 140 convertibles, agreed on by both the Chrysler 300 Club and Over-Drive's fact sheet, though Over-Drive words the hardtop figure as "deliveries" rather than production. That total fell sharply from 809 the year before, and Over-Drive's own fact sheet attributes part of that drop to buyer resistance to the change from Hemi to wedge power, an explanation this record carries as the source's own stated reasoning rather than an independently verified cause.^2,1

Two specification points are disputed. Overall length is given as 220.9 in by Over-Drive against 220.2 in from the Chrysler 300 Club's model page, with the factory AMA sheet and the owner's manual supplement agreeing with Over-Drive's 220.9 figure. The engine's rated rpm is disputed more sharply: the factory AMA sheet, the owner's manual supplement, and Speed Age's own road test all agree on 380 hp at 5,000 rpm, while Over-Drive's compiled fact sheet instead prints "380 @ 6000 RPM"; this record keeps the Over-Drive figure in the primary engine row but treats the three agreeing sources as the stronger reading.^1,4,5,6,3

Speed Age tested a 300E hardtop at a pre-introduction showing at the Chrysler test track, running 0-60 mph in 8.3 seconds and averaging 12.4 mpg across its test runs, with an estimated but unmeasured 140 mph top speed. Sports Cars Illustrated's later test, at a heavier 4,715-lb test weight with a 3.31 Sure-Grip axle, ran 0-60 mph in 8.7 seconds and the standing quarter-mile in 17.2 seconds at 92 mph. The two tests' half-second gap in 0-60 time sits alongside their difference in test weight and axle equipment rather than pointing to any documented mechanical difference between the two test cars.^3,7

The 300E's suspension ran 40 percent stiffer front torsion bars than standard and 50 percent stiffer seven-leaf rear springs rated at 135 lb per inch, with full-time power steering at a 15.7 gear ratio and 3.5 turns lock to lock, and 12-inch, 2.5-inch-shoe vacuum-power-assisted drum brakes totaling 251 sq in. Appearance changes for the year replaced the egg-crate grille with horizontal red bars and four chrome bars, added red accents to the brake-cooling scoops below the headlamps, and moved "300" lettering to the lower driver's side of the hood alongside new taillamps and recessed back-up lamps. Six exterior colors were charted, from Formal Black and Radiant Red through Copper Spice, with no two-tone combinations offered for the year. Curb weight ran 4,440 lb for the hardtop and 4,610 lb for the convertible per the factory AMA weight sheet, with a 23-gallon fuel tank and 14 x 6.5-inch K-type wheels shared across both bodies.^6,4,1,5