RE: [Chrysler300] 1955: 300 or C300?

["Rich Barber" <c300@xxxxxxx>]

I have heard that story, also, but cannot recall any confirmation.  However,
I don't believe in coincidences.  Hoping that John, Gil and/or others will
share their thoughts on the Cunningham/C3 story.  My mom was a Cunningham,
so I'm always interested in any link to that grand old Scot-Irish name.  

>From Wikipedia:  C3
 
Most Cunningham automobiles were high-performance prototypes that Briggs
Cunningham and his team built specifically for racing in the 1950s. A few,
adapted for street use, were personal vehicles. In 1952, Cunningham
introduced the Continental C3 road car. Production began in his West Palm
Beach plant where his team of mechanics installed 331-cubic-inch Chrysler
hemi V-8s in racing chassis. These were shipped to Turin, Italy to be fitted
with aluminum and steel bodies by coachbuilder Vignale, after which they
were returned to the Florida plant for completion. There were 25 Continental
C3s produced: 20 coupes and five convertibles. They sold for $8,000 to
$12,000. Notable owners included Nelson Rockefeller and a member of the Du
Pont family. Of these 25 cars, 24 are known to have survived.

For Google images of the C3, see:  http://tinyurl.com/azqkyws  Hmmm-- a
high-performance, luxury coupe in a creamy white, with a 331 Chrysler hemi
engine under the hood, a gaping grille and minimal decorative trim.  Would
have made a great ride for James Bond.

Barber, Rich Barber	
003	

-----Original Message-----
From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Michael Moore
Sent: Saturday, March 02, 2013 3:51 PM
To: Andy Mikonis
Cc: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] 1955: 300 or C300?

Somewhere I read that Briggs Cunningham had a hand in their birth and the C
stood for Cunningham and Chrysler engineering referred to it that way..
I bet John Lazenby knows!
Mike Moore
300H
On Mar 2, 2013, at 10:12 AM, Andy Mikonis <r41hp@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I have always wondered, is it correct to call a 1955 a "C300" instead of
just "300"? The car doesn't have C300 on it. Neither did the sales brochure,
advertising, or some articles I found reprinted in old News-Flites written
about the car in 1955 and 1956. Yes, I know the technical literature has the
C, but so did all the years. My 1961 service bulletin calls it a C300-G, but
nobody calls a 300G a "C300G." An undated Chrysler press release titled "The
Chrysler 300 Story" refers to the "current 1961 300G" gives the history of
the 300 series and calls the 1955 the 300, not C300.

The first place I can find it used publicly is in Bill Carrol's "Beautiful
Brute" series from Car and Driver in 1961. He wrote: "Production 1955
Chrysler 300s (then called the C-300)". Is this where it started? Also note
he said THEN called, not NOW called. Perhaps he was referring to that
internal engineering designation. If the car was not badged C300, nor was it
originally marketed as a C300, is it proper to call it a C300? Discuss.

Better yet, write something for the Club News. I'm wrapping up the Fall meet
coverage issue, and then it's back to the 1955 feature. I only have two
short submissions so far. HELP!

Andy
Club News editor





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