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2008 Chrysler 300C Road Test

I love muscle cars. But if gas prices didn't cost an arm and a leg, the one other

It's not only a big, classic-inspired American muscle car, but a bona fide luxury sedan too. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

trait that would be holding me back – well, and for those in particular who have kids, a wife, her parents, and all their gear to haul around – from owning a true V8-powered American rear-driver is its requisite two-door framework. Yes, that's right, because yours truly here would prefer to have his daily driver armed with four small doors than one with just two large doors (I swear, my girlfriend made me say that). Not only are four doors more convenient when taking friends out for a quick jaunt around the block, but it also means you won't have to act like a contortionist in those parking stalls that are a lot more than a tight squeeze when getting in or out. But who said you can't have your cake and eat it too? You can, and the best of both worlds is available right here and right now, with the Chrysler 300C. Bon appetit!

The Chrysler 300 name actually goes way back to 1955, when the first C-300 made its debut. The “C-” designation, which stood for Coupe, was later dropped, while the “300” meant a 300 horsepower 5.4-liter Hemi V8 was under the bonnet. These were limited production “letter series” high-performance luxury two-door vehicles. It means that, with the exception of the C-300 (or “300A”, if you will), every new model that followed carried the next letter of the alphabet, with the letter “i” being skipped. So, a 300B

With 120 inches between its wheels, the 300 is a big automobile. We're surprised that we were able to capture it in one frame... (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

was built in 1956, a 300C in 1957, a 300D in 1958, and so forth, ending with a 300L in 1965. Five years later, a limited run of 501 Hurst 300s were produced, and the world never heard of the 300 again. Well, until 1999, that is, with the resurrection of the 300M. But unlike tradition, it was a front-drive V6-powered full-sized flagship sedan using Chrysler's LH platform. It was a design that was shared with the Concorde and LHS, and, along with the latter, was considered one of Chrysler's most prestigious cars at the time. It carried onwards until 2005 when a much more authentic Chrysler 300 made its comeback.

Based on Chrysler's new rear-wheel drive LX platform, many have said that this all-new Chrysler 300 is the best rendition, thus far, of the V8 hotrods of the 1950s and 60s. It's a platform that has also served its time in the oval-eyed Mercedes-Benz E-Class between 1996 and 2002, complements of the Daimler-Chrysler merger. The 300 also shares other components with the Benz, most notably the slick-shifting five-speed automatic transmission (now assembled in Kokomo, Indiana), the independent rear multi-link suspension setup, steering column, front seat frames, wiring harnesses, and 4Matic if all-wheel drive is so desired. In fact, up to 20-percent of the Chrysler 300 is E-Class material, including its rear-wheel drive layout, of course.

HID headlamps - a sign of the C. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

Chrysler offers the 300 in a variety of engine choices and model configurations. For $28,960 there's the Touring, which features a 250 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 mated to a four-speed automatic (or five-speeds featuring an Auto/Stick manual mode with AWD). Moving up, there's the $32,090 Limited, which comes with the same V6 engine as in the Touring, but with more luxurious amenities as standard equipment. All-wheel drive is available in both the Touring and Limited trims for $2,855 and $2,195, respectively. It's also worth mentioning that there's also an absolute base stripped-out model appropriately called the LX for $24,625, that's not-so-inspired by a 190 horsepower 2.7-liter V6. And because it's so barebones, AWD isn't even available.

But what we're really gathered here for today is the 300C. As its oh-so familiar name suggests, many of its styling cues have been greatly inspired by the 1957 300C. Like its predecessor, the modern 300C is also powered

Hemi and luxury unite as one. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

by a Hemi engine (“Yeah, it's got a HEMI!”). But instead of having a 6.4-liter atomic bomb under the hood, our 300C features a laser-guided 5.7-liter cruise missile. Although nowhere as lethal, at least on paper, it still produces over 300 horsepower – 340 to be exact – and packs a K.O.-smashing 390 lb-ft of torque punch. In terms of power output, though, it still doesn't stand a chance against the 375-hp '57 300C (and 390-hp in some), so for a fair fight we'd have to somehow convince the 300C SRT8 to step up to the ring. Or is that true? Actually, in the old days they measured horsepower at the engine instead of at the rear wheel, so factoring in driveline friction loss the new engine is actually more powerful than the '57, and then adding in the extra grip of modern tires it all combines for a car that sprints to 60 mph in about 6 seconds (some tests show it at 5.6 and others at 6.3 seconds), where as the old two-door could only manage the same speed in 7.1 seconds (and that was the best ever recorded time). So all you naysayers who go on about the new 5.7-liter not being a real Hemi, eat your heart out. Call it what you want, it's still got the goods.

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