THE LAST OF THE BRUTES
The 300L

By
Don Warnaar

The Chrysler 300 L was the eleventh in the series of personal performance cars produced by Chrysler Corporation. It was also the last one to earn its letter. The "L" brought an end to the era of big, powerful personal cars. There were 2,845 300L's produced, 2,405 hardtops and 440 convertibles. In addition to its power train and performance which will be discussed later, the 300 L featured a brand new body built on a 124" wheelbase. It was the first Chrysler to be styled completely by Elwood Engel. Engel had come from Ford, and in replacing Virgil Exner, adopted the clean, smooth lines which he used on certain Continentals and other Ford cars. At the time, he was very fond of the straight through fender line with a ledge at the top extending in to the side glass. The entire full size Chrysler Corporation line in 1965, as well as the 1964 Imperial, featured this styling treatment. It is thought that the general styling concept came off particularly well in the two door Chrysler body which of course was used on the "L".

The "L" was the last of the letters, but coincidentally was more readily identifiable at a glance from its non-letter brethren than had been the case with the H, J, and K. The grill featured a running light in its center and this was surrounded by a red, white, and blue emblem which was exclusively used on the "L". The horizontal and vertical crossbars were diecast and had a granular finish with bright chrome edges. The headlights were uniquely covered by tempered glass panels; excellent for keeping clean but a problem in the snow. They did not get warm enough to melt the snow in certain conditions. They also were a major headache when adjusting the headlights; very difficult to remove and replace. The side belt moulding on the "L" had a red painted center which was easily identified. The rear stainless steel panel featured a tooled circular pattern (sometimes referred to as damascene) exclusive to the "L" and a medallion showing the letter. In the opinion of the writer, this tooled design along with the medallion along with the red tail lights (vs. the New Yorker's) was the most attractive design of any model Chrysler that year. On the side of the car, the rear fender name plates were different on the "L" than on other models and the lower stainless moulding was the same, finer design used on the New Yorker instead of the bolder design used on the regular 300 line. Inside, the dashboard of the "L" exclusively used the same tooled circular pattern as a decorative tough, reminiscent of many classic-era cars. The Newport used painted surfaces and the New Yorker featured wood inlays. The console was standard and featured a polished chrome surface forward of the storage compartment. Another "L" medallion was affixed to the lid of the compartment. With standard bucket seats, the passenger's reclined in any of five, positive locking positions and was ahead of its time in that it locked in place and had to be released to gain access to the rear seat. The rear featured simulated buckets with high individual seat backs. Vinyl upholstery was standard ( six colors offered ) and optional leather was in red or black. There were eighteen color choices for the exterior, twelve of which were metallic. Black or white vinyl roofs were available on the hardtop.

Once seated behind the wheel in that comfortable bucket seat, one had only to turn the ignition key to know this was no ordinary car. Despite its conventional styling and seemingly mild manner, the Brute could perform. Although not as fast as some of its predecessors, and depending on the source of the test, the "L" reached 60 within the 8-9 second range. That is in its fully loaded condition including air conditioning. Quite respectable. The 413 cubic inch engine had a 4.19" bore and 3.75" stroke and featured a high lift cam to produce 360 brake Horsepower at 4,800 RPM ( .87 HP/cu. Inch ). Torque was 470 ft/lb at 3,200 RPM. One four barrel was the only carburetor offered. Compression was 10.1/1 and dual exhausts were standard. The buyer had the choice, as standard equipment, of the TorqueFlite automatic or a four-speed manual transmission. With the TorqueFlite a performance indicator (vacuum gauge) was provided in the forward end of the console and with the four-speed a tachometer was supplied instead. TorqueFlite gear ratios were as follows: reverse 2.20, first 2.45, second 1.45, and third 1.00 and the four-speed has: reverse 2.58, first 2.66, second 1.92, third 1.39, and fourth 1.00. Both transmissions were activated by a shifter located at the top of the console. For either transmission the only rear ratio offered was 3.23.

Chrysler reduced the spring rate through the years to provide a softer ride, but with the optional heavy duty suspension and brake package, the 300 L cornered flat and provided positive control and excellent handling. The special suspension was available only on the "L" and the regular 300 if it had the code 71 engine, namely the 413 with the special cam and dual exhausts. This was the standard "L" engine. Incidentally, with the suspension and brake package the brakes were not self-adjusting. The regular brakes were.

Little luxury touches abounded on the "L". The glove compartment had a built-in receptacle at the top for a regular size box of tissues such as Kleenex and a recessed map holder in the bottom. When open, the lid provided a level surface with depressed circular areas to hold drinking cups. In the center of the dash, another slide out compartment contained two ash trays, a lighter, and a small inner compartment. Flipping up the lid of this compartment revealed a storage area and a coin holder which had slots for four denominations of coins. Great for parking meters, small tolls, and small tips. The rear of the console provided another lighter. Courtesy lights were everywhere from the glove compartment to the fully carpeted trunk.

And that was the 300 L, a truly high-performance luxury Gran Turisimo automobile with few equals on any highway.

Gone were the fins. Gone were the big red, white and blue medallions. Gone were the cross rams. Gone were the two fours. And then as 1965 production went riding into the sunset, gone were the "real" 300's. The end of an era had come -- an exciting era of big, powerful personal cars, epitomized by the Chrysler Letter 300.