Chrysler 300 C 1957

by

Model number: AMM 1005

Review of the model:

When the conversation fall on Chrysler cars, often the word BIG is in the sentence!
Oh yes Chrysler cars is big cars and when we shall focus on this 1957 300 C in scale 1:18 I most say this is not a small model car and it’s very heavy for a model car ready to be displayed on a glass shelf. The weight estimate when hold in the hand is nearly 1.5 Kg.

This car design; earn Mr. Virgil Exner the price “Detroit Man of The Year” award and this can not come as a surprise. Back in 1957 the car got the nickname: The Beautiful Brute. This name is spot on, as the car shows gracefulness, with the stylish lines that ends up with one of the most well designed fins - or stabilizers - as they were called back then. Just look at the taillights they have cathedral proportions. AutoWorld have reproduced them to perfection as all the lenses is in high quality.

But at the same time the car have a distinct masculine raw force as the later muscle cars of the sixties, which became the leader in the neighborhood. This was cars that have street credit before the word was in fashion. If you owned a Chrysler 300 C. You could with pride rode up the local restaurant on Saturday evenings and next day be respected on the racetrack in the same car.

AutoWorld is a well renowned maker of high quality model cars. This example is well made (1 of 999) and has many good features as I will highlight below.

My first good impression of a model is the paintwork. This gun grey metallic body color suits the car well – In fact any color will be good for a stylish car like this. AutoWorld have made a very good paint work, but as like on some models from Sun Star Models, the doors is not painted in same direction or in the same work process, therefore you will notice a different reflection in the tiny metal flakes on the doors, compared to the front fender and the rest of the body! (In this case the door appears darker) I know it is only a small issue, but the budget models from Lucky Die-Cast from the Yatming Group overcame this problem.

Otherwise the model car is nearly perfect! The detail richness is good compared to the price, and if you look carefully after a discount sale it can easily become a bargain. AutoWorld’s models have very detailed engine compartments. This is certain also present on this model. The hood has the right hinges and the motor looks like it could be started for real! All the hoses and stickers are on the right place in miniature. One fine detail I really like is the details on the air filter on the Hemi-motor.

This classy car only have some chrome trim – Some will say in 1957 that the chrome was missing compared to other cars on the road. The big grill and bumper that distinct a Chrysler have lot’s of chrome. AutoWorld have given time to make fine chrome parts and also use metal etch on the grill.

At the back a big deck lid can also be opened and inside are a spare tire and jack. The trunk itself can hold luggage for a family of six and still have spare place!

Already when the doors is opened to the interior, the details is good presented; carpet, correct paint on doors, door floor board in steel. The “small” seats that looks like real leather. If we look around the windows, all the chrome trims is made of metal – no silver paint here. This is the features that make a good model car.

A guide line that indicates if a model is good is the time you have to spend just to discover all the parts. Furthermore in the close up inspections, you will be amazed over how well the parts fit and is well thought over from the makers of AutoWorld. And often they show a little extra gem as in this case; the ignitions keys in the instrument panel!

If you collect US cars from the period, this Chrysler 300 C is a must – AutoWorld have made a marvelous model in scale 1:18. I can highly recommend The Beautiful Brute to others.
 

I will give this model 6 out of 6 stars  ******

Below here are pictures of the model, historical description, old brochures, technical data and some movie clips for the real car. So please enjoy!

History:

Partly by: Mike Bumbeck

Combining all-new styling with advanced engineering in a single model year was an uncommon feat in Detroit in the Fifties. Perhaps a lineup was graced with new styling one year; it wouldn't see underhood or chassis improvements until the following year. Bucking that trend, Chrysler's 1957 lineup socked the car-buying public with a one-two punch. At the peak of this new wave of performance and style was the sleek Chrysler 300C.

Before the 1957 300C came the 1955 C-300. While Chrysler had graced the '55 with the combination of performance and luxury that would become the basis for subsequent letter cars, it was the 1957 model that stood apart from previously stodgy Chrylser styling, thanks to the efforts of Chrysler Director of Styling Virgil Exner. (1957 Mr. Virgil Exner got the “Detroit Man of The Year” award) The 1957 300C was an entirely different machine from its predecessor, from both a design and engineering standpoint.

Even the legendary automotive journalist Tom McCahill of Mechanix Illustrated was convinced of the 300C's prowess. He called the 1957 300C "the most hairy-chested, fire-eating land bomb ever conceived in Detroit," adding that the car was "motorized dynamite." This so-called land bomb resulted in a sales explosion. Chrysler boss Lester "Lum" Colbert reported 1957 calendar year production numbers rose a whopping 45.8 percent over 1956 figures.

The futuristic 300C design also marked the debut of a Jet Age tailfin styling trend that would continue on for years. This aerodynamic ingenuity would come in handy at Daytona Beach, where a 390hp version of the fire-eating 392 Hemi would propel the 300C to 134 MPH in the flying mile in 1957. While wind-tunnel tests allegedly proved that the Exner fins on the 300C were functional at higher speeds, it was their style quotient that quickly sent all the automakers into a fin frenzy.

The impressive performance offered by Chrysler's 300C sent the competition scurrying for equally innovative engineering and improved performance. Chrysler's new top dog was a high-performance luxury machine of the highest order, but the sweeping changes in design combined with all-new engineering led to quality control issues on the assembly line. Leaks and fitment issues came at no extra charge in 1957. Resulting corrosion arrived quickly, and is an ongoing problem today.

ENGINES
The 1957 300C packed a 392-cu.in. version of the race-proven Hemi engine. The early Chrysler Firepower Hemi--or "whale" engine in racing parlance--had stepped up its performance with each passing year; later 426-cu.in. Hemi engines carry the "elephant" nickname. The standard 392-cu.in. V-8 in the 300C created 375 horsepower and 420-lbs.ft. of torque. An optional 390 horsepower version came at extra cost, but was recommended for competition use only, and only with a three-speed manual: The long-duration camshaft, solid lifters, and accompanying high idle resulted in bad street manners.

The 392 brought fuel and air into the engine through a pair of Walter Carter four-barrel or WCFB carburetors and reached peak horsepower at 5,200 RPM. Today, the stock carburetors are rare pieces. The front WCFB carburetor has no choke provision. Seemingly minor innovations such as the SilentFlite cooling fan brought additional horsepower gains to the Hemi. The fan would spin like a conventional fixed unit at low engine revolutions, but above 2,500 RPM, the fan would disengage, freeing up otherwise wasted horsepower.

TRANSMISSIONS
The 1957 model year marked the appearance of the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, which would become a mainstay of the Chrysler-Dodge-Ply-mouth lineup for many years to come. A manual override was available on first and second gears, but was overruled by lockouts of 25 MPH for first and 70 MPH for second. The TorqueFlite skipped second gear on deceleration to prevent lurches. Only the 300C and lesser Windsor were available with an optional three-speed manual transmission. Special-ordering the 390hp 392 Hemi brought the floor-shifted manual transmission with it.

DIFFERENTIAL
Putting the power through to the rear axles was a solid performer of a differential that Chrysler used into the 1970s. The tough 8¾-inch third-member-style carrier was available with a vast array of gear ratios. The standard axle gear ratio was a 3.36:1; optional ratios varied from a road-trip-friendly (and Daytona Beach flying-mile record-setting) 2.92 to a support-your-local-drag-strip 6.17:1. The 5.38, 5.83 and 6.17 were special-order options, as was the Sure-Grip limited-slip differential.

CHASSIS
Chrysler's 1957 passenger cars were the first of the company's models to use a front suspension that would carry through the entire lineup for over 20 years. Rather than using conventional coil springs, Chrysler engineers used a torsion bar system with the dual upper A-arm and lower control arms. Chrysler's TorsionAire front suspension was not the first torsion-bar arrangement in America, but it was definitely an improvement in both ride and handling.

One of the main benefits of the Chrysler torsion-bar front suspension was the reduction in front-end drive under heavy braking. Another was a suspension that was stout enough for flat cornering, but still supple for smooth around-town maneuvering. The lack of coil-spring towers allowed for a lower hood line, and the resulting overall lower beltline of the 1957 300C. The torsion bars connected to the lower control arms in the 1957 300C were 40 percent stiffer than the torsion bars in its New Yorker cousin.

BRAKES
Four-wheel drum brakes did their best to scrub inertia from the 4,235-pound hardtop coupe and 4,390-pound convertible. Rectangular openings below the headlamps channeled cooling air onto the front drums. Today, the big drums and associated brake-part wear items are readily available, and with the exception of the unique cooling ducts, the parts were shared across the entire Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth lineup. Total braking lining area was 251 square inches.

WHEELS & TIRES
The 300C ran with 14-inch-diameter steel wheels and a 9.00 x 14 nylon-ply tire. Chrysler recommended inflating the tires to 22 PSI for street use, and 30 PSI for high-speed operation.

BODY & INTERIOR
The 300C was a performance take on the Chrysler New Yorker, stripped of most of its metropolitan cousin's external extravagance save for two rearward brightwork spears punctuated by the circular 300C logo. Virgil Exner said the patriotic colors within a circular shape were used with purpose "to remind people that this is an American car. We use the circle because what makes a car different than a boat or plane is the circle or wheel."

The low beltline of the body-on-frame 300C was the lowest of all the cars in its class. This radical departure in styling brought in new Chrysler fans immediately, but quality control issues manifested themselves as water leaks almost as fast. Common corrosion areas are the front floor and trunk pans, rocker panels, and where the front fender meets the rocker panel. Reproduction floor and trunk pans are available, but the pieces that are unique to the 300C body, such as the trunk and hood, are quite rare. Buying the most complete and corrosion-free car possible is a good plan.

Water seepage and quality control issues were not unique to the Chrysler 300C, as our feature car owner learned firsthand. Ron Fedoryk was fresh out of the U.S. Army in 1957, and wanted a Chrysler 300C, but its price was out of reach. Instead, he picked up a 1957 Dodge for half the price and shortly after encountered a rainstorm while at the wheel, which resulted in soaked feet. The dealer was unable to fix the issue, so Ron came up with his own solution: He used a sharp awl to put a bunch of holes right through the floor. Ron, now living in Springhill, Florida, has not taken this car out in a rainstorm yet, but he did pull a few chunks of no-longer-pliable "dum-dum" caulking out of the cowl in the process of restoring his second 300C. The seam sealing material may have been a dealer "fix" for a known problem.

Leaking issues aside, inside, the 1957 300C was resplendent in fine leather and Jet Age appointments. Pushbutton controls operated the three-speed TorqueFlite. The speedometer was joined by an equally sized four-function fuel, engine temperature, amperage and oil pressure gauge, while the rearview mirror was mounted to the right of the console on top of the dash. A vast expanse of leather seating was standard equipment, and a fold-down center armrest also served to keep the drivers and passengers from sliding across the bench seat during sport driving.

Keeping the interior of your 300C fresh today is a matter of caring for the leather. If the car you're looking at has a severely damaged interior, you're in luck, though--specialists exist to take care of you. Ron turned to interior restoration specialist Gary Goers for reproduction seating; Gary handcrafts each 300C leather seat and interior set to order.

                                                                                                                                                    Technical specification:

Production 1957: 2,402 produced

Body style: 
2-door hardtop 1,918 $4,864
2-door convertible 484 $5,294

Power train:
Engine 392 cu in (6.4 L) FirePower V8 375hp or (only 18) 390hp
Transmission 3-speed TorqueFlite A488 automatic

Dimensions:
Wheelbase 126.0 in (3,200 mm)
Length 219.2 in (5,568 mm)[1]
Width 78.8 in (2,002 mm)

Old brochures of the car

Video of the real car from YouTube

If you have any question or comment your are free to contact me at: aeronautic@stofanet.dk

Dealers are welcome to get their models reviewed too.

Aeronautic July 2018

© 2004-2024 Aeronautic pictures. This website, the content, the design and the pictures and are intended for public non commercial use, and may be redistributed, freely printed, or electronically reproduced in its complete and unaltered form provided distribution is for private use only. Partial and other distribution means require the permission of Aeronautic Pictures. All rights reserved.