VINTAGE: Record-Holding Chrysler Up For Auction

Automotive Lifestyle

VINTAGE: Record-Holding Chrysler Up For Auction

300F Special set NASCAR Flying Mile record; only unrestored original of four survivors.

Media Release | Posted October 21, 2009 Scottsdale, AZ

A Chrysler 300F Special, an 11,000-mile original and NASCAR record holder, is one of the marquee cars in the Russo and Steele auction. (Photo: Russo and Steele)

One of only four 1960 Chrysler 300F Specials known to survive will come up for sale at Russo and Steele’s 10th anniversary Scottsdale auction in January.

This 300F Special, an 11,000-mile survivor and the only non-restored four-speed model in existence, is NASCAR’s all-time Daytona Flying Mile record holder (class 7) with a speed of 144.927 mph.

In 1955, the first Chrysler 300 was offered, featuring Virgil Exner's distinctive styling and the 331 cubic-inch Hemi V8. The 300 was so-named because of its ability to produce 300 horsepower. The car also had lowered and extra-firm suspension that gave it the ability to corner far better than most cars. Due to its performance plus its luxurious leather interior, the C-300 was a true "gentleman's fast car."

The 300s were so powerful that they dominated NASCAR in 1955 and 1956, winning the championship both years.

In 1960, Chrysler created one of the most valuable of all post-war collectable cars, the 300F "Special." It is thought that nine or 10 of the 400-horsepower Specials were made, and only four exist today. Two of them are the original Daytona beach racers and two are cars built after Daytona.

This "beautiful brute" is not only a piece of Chrysler 300 letter-car history, but a significant piece of NASCAR and Daytona racing history.

Chrysler’s primary focus with their altered 300F Specials was to construct a formidable automobile with one objective: to win at NASCAR’s Flying Mile events. They were equipped with four-speed French Pont-a-Mausson transmissions, and their cross rams were changed internally to achieve 15 inches of ram instead of 30 inches to boost top-end horsepower.

The compression ratio was raised to 10 to 1 from 9.25 to 1, and special low-back-pressure headers were cast. The Chrysler engineers blocked the carburetor heat to lower its operating temperature and built the engine with special limit clearances to minimize friction.

The rear axle was changed to 2.93 from 3.31, and Perfect Circle provided new low-tension piston rings. A high-lift cam and solid lifters were installed. And to make the total package complete, Goodyear provided special low power-absorbing Blue Streak tires.

The 300F Specials took the first seven positions in the Daytona Flying Mile. Six of the seven, the seventh being an engineering prototype, shattered the speed record of 139.549 mph that was held by the 300B of Warren Koechiling since 1956.

NASCAR founder Bill France was the flag man on the beach that day. He sensed that something historic was about to take place, and he was right. It was one of the most comprehensive wins by a single marque in the history of recorded motorsports.

Along with its record-breaking achievements and its documentation, this 300F Special will be sold with the winning set of tires specially designed by Gregg Ziegler and Goodyear (the only set in the world) and the original battery installed by the manufacturer.

The 10th anniversary Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auction will be held Jan. 20-24 at the auction’s customary Scottsdale site near the intersection of the Loop 101 freeway and North Scottsdale Road. The auction house promises a major celebration for bidders, consigners and collector-car enthusiasts to mark the occasion.

For more information, see Russo and Steele.

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