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1955 Chrysler C-300
The fastest, most powerful American production model for 1955 was the mighty Chrysler C-300. It was the car that shook up the automotive scene. This was the start of a 10-year production run of Chrysler’s famous letter car series. They were exclusive, fast and expensive coupes and convertibles with the maximum power, comfort and luxury. But the first car in that glorious lineup was the 1955 C-300.
The car got its name for its 331 V8 Hemi engine that had 8.5:1 compression figures and a race camshaft. It also came with twin four-barrel carburetors, producing 300 HP, which was a magical figure for the mid-50’s. The performance was outstanding with a nine-second 0 to 60 mph time and 130 mph top speeds. The car was expensive and full of luxury items, but it proved successful in racing, winning 37 stock car events.
Nowadays, the Chrysler C-300 is a valuable and extremely rare early muscle machine. Chrysler built just over 1,700 of those Hemi-powered cruisers, but no one knows how many exist today.