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300F Information
Since 1955, with the introduction of the first Chrysler 300, the letter-series cars from Chrysler were the most powerful and some of the most exclusive vehicles produced by an American car company. The 1960 Chrysler 300F was a rare car when new, only 964 hardtops and 248 convertibles produced that year. Most came with a 375 horsepower 413 cubic inch V8 equipped with two Carter AFB 4 barrel carburetors mounted on long intake manifolds that extended over the valve covers. There was also an optional 400 horsepower engine which had intake manifolds with different runner specifications and freer flowing exhaust headers among other modifications. Either engine was an impressive site sure to wow any onlooker when the hood was raised. The Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission was standard, with the few 400 horsepower cars being equipped with a French Pont-à-Mousson 4-speed manual transmission. 1960 was also the first year for Chrysler's unibody construction. This gave the car an impressive feel of solidness along with a quieter ride. The 300F continued the series' winning ways by capturing the first six places at Daytona in the Flying Mile competition, with a top speed of nearly 145 mph. Standard colors on the 300F included Formal Black, Toreador Red, Alaskan White and Terra Cotta. The interior had beige leather seats, black carpet, and beige and black dash and door panels. Several cars were special ordered with other exterior and interior colors. The Chrysler 300F had a large display at its 1960 Chicago Auto Show introduction which was held January 16-24, 1960. There was a convertible and hardtop on display. I am trying to find pictures of the display that I can add to the site. |
| For 1960, Chrysler transformed the interior of the 300 into something very special. Standard were four luxurious leather covered bucket seats with swiveling front seats for easy access. A center console stretched from the instrument panel to the panel behind the rear seats, and included large armrests and storage compartments. A cable-driven tachometer was placed at the forward end of this console and controls for the power windows were also placed on the console for easy access. |
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 Click on image for a larger view. |
The instrument panel was unlike anything ever seen on a production vehicle. Called the "Astra-dome", the panel had a 3D effect with the large semi-circular 150 mph speedometer in the rear and a full compliment of gauges placed on a small inner dome in front. The entire unit was covered with a clear plastic dome. Switches for various accessories were placed around the lower edge of the pod giving the whole system a very "Buck Rogers" kind of feel. Lighting was electroluminescent (EL), which eliminated the use of conventional bulbs. Chrysler called this Panelescent Lighting. This lighting system allowed the individual letters, numbers and pointers to light up with a soft glow. Click here for Chrysler's press release materials announcing EL lighting. Place your mouse cursor over the image below to see how the dash looks while illuminated. |
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 Specifications Click images below to open PDFs 
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1960 Chrysler 300F promotional film featuring Bob Rodger. 2011 Chrysler Commercial Featuring the 300F - "Whatever Happened to Style?" This site and all contents, unless otherwise specified, are Copyright © , Nick's Garage, all rights reserved. Any comments or suggestions can be sent to .
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