Re: [Chrysler300] 1955: 300 or C300?

["C Bilter" <cbilter@xxxxxxxxx>]

A quick review of my 300 consumer marketing materials (as opposed to internal or FSM material) does not indicate any reference to the C-300, including in materials for the 300 Hurst and the ‘79 300; so I agree with Gil and Marshall about the internal vs. external designation.  All references were simply to the “Chrysler 300” from 1955.  It would appear, at first blush at least, that Chrysler never externally marketed the 1955 300 as the C-300 during the period in which the letter cars were built.

Also interesting is that Chrysler didn’t actually externally market the series as “letter” cars until 1962, where I find the first use of that term in the “H” owner’s supplement. This makes sense given the introduction of the “Sport Series" 300s in 1962.  Beginning in 1964, the “letter” car reference was also used in the full line Chrysler brochure for the 300-K, and again in 1965 for the 300-L. 

Further (but off point from the discussion specific to 1955) is the inconsistent marketing designation of the letters.  For example, from year to year and even within the same year Chrysler may have referred to the G for example as the “300 G” or the “300-G”  but I never see “300G” without a space or dash.

Carl Bilter

From: lettercars@xxxxxxx 
Sent: Saturday, March 02, 2013 2:07 PM
To: mgoodknight@xxxxxxxx ; r41hp@xxxxxxxxx 
Cc: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] 1955: 300 or C300?

  
I agree with Marshall. For sales/public purposes, just 300 was more than 
adequate to define the car. Technical/in house usage apparently required a 
few more letters and numbers to define its relationships, eg, C-68-300 
clearly related it to the New Yorker. I like Marshall's theory of calling it 
a C300 more frequently in later times to ensure it was thought of as a 
LETTER CAR and would not be confused with the non-letter series.
300ly, Gil Cunningham


In a message dated 3/2/2013 2:12:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, 
mailto:mgoodknight%40juno.com writes:

Hi Andy and others interested,

Here's my take on the identification of the '55's. They were marketed as 
simply 300 since that was the name given to the sub-model much as Windsor 
and New Yorker were named sub-models of Chrysler cars. For more precise 
identification mostly in technical matters each of the sub-models was given 
another identifier. For '55 the Windsor is known as C-67, New Yorker as 
C-68, Imperial as 
C-69, Crown Imperial as C-70, and then there is the 300 as C-300 and in 
some cases as C-68-300 which maybe suggests it to be a sub-category of the 
New Yorker.

Until the '56 was produced and named 300B there was little reason to call 
a '55 c-300, but as the series progressed, especially in the 60's when the 
sport 300 became a reality, it seemed important to folks during 
conversations to be certain there was an understanding that the '55 was a member of 
the lettered series of 300's.

I feel it is absolutely correct to call it by either identifier

I'm interested in seeing how others perceive this "name game".

Marshall Goodknight c300 3N552650

Please note: message attached

From: Andy Mikonis mailto:r41hp%40yahoo.com>
To: "mailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com"; mailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [Chrysler300] 1955: 300 or C300?
Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2013 12:12:08 -0600





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