[Chrysler300] Or would you rather drive a mule?

I’m sharing Burt Bouwkamp’s response to a question on whether there might be a surviving ’55 C-300 factory mule with a push-button TorqueFlite in it. Pictures of the VIN tag, engine number and data plate strongly suggest it is a real C-300, albeit an early one. Burt’s response leaves the window open that this could of happened but does not speak to when the TorqueFlite was first developed to the point that one could actually be installed in a “mule” and put on the road for testing. A really nice “perk” for some engineer. I’d think Carl Kiekhaefer and Tim Flock would have really liked it! Me, too.

C300K’ly,

Rich Barber

Brentwood, CA (Spring and the dry season have sprung)

My query:

I just sent you some more information on an early ’55 C-300 (March 9, 1955) that has a TorqueFlite in it—supposedly a factory mule. Can you shed any historical light on the possibility of a ’55 being fitted with a TorqueFlite for testing and evaluation by the factory?

Burt’s response:

Engineering builds prototype vehicles and chassis/powertrain “mules” for evaluation, development and testing. A “mule” example would be a 1959 prototype “B” or “RB” engine installed in a 1957 or 1958 production vehicle. Engineering did not sell these vehicles when we were done with them. We usually crushed them or crashed them. There were a few exceptions to this – some of my engineering friends convinced engineering management to sell them a test vehicle.

Manufacturing built “program” vehicles to get experience with the new design. “Program” vehicles were built with “tryout” parts off production tools. These vehicles – sometimes called “manufacturing pilot vehicles” - were frequently used as company cars or sold to employees that understood that the vehicle was a special build vehicle. Manufacturing did not usually build “mule” vehicles because the production experience was not of direct benefit to them since special “one off” parts were required to marry the new components to an existing vehicle.

Prototype vehicles are built with parts off of prototype tools. For example, prototype vehicles would be built with fenders off kerksite tooling – or even hammerforms. Program vehicles are built with parts off of production tools.