The Chrysler 300F convertible is a rare car, because Chrysler built just 248 of them for 1960. Every one carried a 413-cubic-inch V8 with two four-barrel carburetors on a cross-ram intake. That induction setup, and the small convertible run, are what make this car worth a closer look.
The 300F was the sixth model in Chrysler’s 300 “letter car” series. It came as a hardtop coupe or a convertible, and the open car was by far the smaller run.
The Chrysler 300 Club International puts the split at 964 coupes and 248 convertibles for the year. So for every convertible, Chrysler built nearly four hardtops.
Where the letter cars came from
The series began with the 1955 C-300. According to RM Sotheby’s 2011 Monterey catalog, that car and the “Letter Cars” that followed established Chrysler as a performance leader. The catalog also calls them “the Beautiful Brutes.”
By 1960 the line had reached the letter F. At the same time, Chrysler moved the 300 from a traditional ladder frame to unibody construction. RM describes that new unit body as lighter than before.
Inside the Chrysler 300F convertible’s cross-ram 413 V8
The engine was Chrysler’s Golden Lion “wedge” V8, introduced in 1959 and carried into 1960. RM Sotheby’s lists it at 413 cubic inches and 375 horsepower in standard trim.
What set it apart was the induction. In fact, the Cross Ram manifold placed the four-barrel carburetors on opposing sides of the engine. RM’s 2011 catalog says the tuned manifold used 30-inch runners.
Those long runners had a job. According to the Chrysler 300 Club International, Chrysler designed the Cross Ram to produce a supercharging effect in the mid-rpm range. However, the club notes that the long rams lost performance above 4,000 rpm.
In other words, the 300F’s engine was tuned for strong pull in the middle of the rev range, not for top-end power. Behind it, RM lists a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic.
The short-ram cars built for Daytona
Chrysler also built a small number of cars with shorter ram tubes. The club says these “short ram” tubes were in effect half the length of the standard rams. Engineers made them by removing a section of the inner walls.
At least eight short-ram cars were built, the club says, mostly for racers at the Daytona Flying Mile. They were called “Grand Turismos.” Those cars also used a French-made Pont-a-Mousson four-speed manual, a gearbox originally built for the Facel Vega.
The result showed at Daytona. Six of those cars took the first six places in the Flying Mile, at speeds of 140 to 145 mph, according to the club. Meanwhile, a standard 300F finished seventh.
RM’s catalog adds that a 300F reached 144.92 mph there, beating the Flying Mile record the 300B had set in 1956. Later, Andy Granatelli ran a supercharged 300F to 189.99 mph at Bonneville, the same catalog says.
Swivel seats, four buckets and an Astra-Dome dash
The cabin was as unusual as the engine. RM says the 300F had four individual leather seats divided by a console, in a cockpit-style interior. The front seats swiveled as standard equipment.
Then there was the gauge cluster. Chrysler called it the Astra-Dome, and RM says it used electroluminescent lighting developed with Sylvania. The staggered gauges sat in a domed housing, according to RM’s 2026 catalog.
Outside, design chief Virgil Exner tilted the tailfins outward and added a crosshair grille. He also gave the car a Flite-Sweep rear decklid with a faux spare tire cover. The club adds that the fins were visually separated from the body sides.
How big the 300F was
This was not a small car. The Chrysler 300 Club lists a 126-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 219.6 inches and a width of 79.5 inches.
Even so, RM’s 2011 catalog describes its styling as clean, jet aircraft-inspired bodylines.
How many Chrysler 300F convertibles survive
With only 248 built, survivors are few. In 2011, RM Sotheby’s catalog cited the Chrysler 300 Club International for a count of 78 known surviving examples of the Chrysler 300F convertible. That figure is now more than a decade old, so the current count may differ.
Collectors do pay for them. For example, RM Sotheby’s sold a 1960 Chrysler 300F convertible at its Motor City auction in 2014 for $143,000.
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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.
