Adam Wade (2026) presented a good overview of the 1964 Chrysler 300K in a recent video episode of his Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History channel on YouTube. However, he gave me pause by saying that the introduction of the regular 300 in 1962 “diluted” the letter models.
Was this true? The short answer: I don’t think so. After an initial drop in sales, the letter 300 sold decently while the regular series gave Chrysler a boost in the middle of its lineup at a time when sporty models were popular. It was a win-win situation.
One could go as far as to argue that the regular 300 was crucial in helping the nameplate reach the big leagues. Letter-300 models had long been admired by the car-buff media but were so expensive that few people actually bought them.
Adding a regular 300 was part of a broader overhaul
The 300 series was introduced in 1955 as a top-of-line, high-performance two-door hardtop. Each year thereafter a new letter was added after the number. So in 1956 it was the 300B. The last of the letter series was the 300L in 1965. From 1957 onward a convertible body style was also offered.
In 1962 a regular 300 series was added to the Chrysler lineup that replaced the mid-level Windsor. Like the Windsor, the 300 used Chrysler’s shorter 122-inch wheelbase. Unlike the Windsor, the 300 was only available in a two-door hardtop and convertible or a four-door hardtop.
The letter series continued to offer a hardtop and convertible but prices dropped by more than $300. For 1962 trim was similar to the regular series, including a cross-hatch grille not shared with the rest of the Chrysler lineup. But in keeping with a roughly $1,800 higher price tag, the 300H came with a bigger engine, heavy-duty suspension, racing tires, leather bucket seats front and back, a full-length center console with a tachometer, and lots of standard power assists (Langworth, 1993).
Despite a price cut for 1962, the 300H was still more expensive than the Ford Thunderbird. Whereas a 300H hardtop listed for $5,090, the base T-Bird went for $4,321. Only in 1964 did the letter 300 undercut the T-Bird in price ($4,056 vs. $4,486). As we shall see, that made a difference in sales. Meanwhile, the regular 300 was more sharply distinguished from the 300K by a thick side chrome band (MyClassicCarTV, 2025).
Chrysler’s premium-priced lineup collapsed in sales
What might have motivated Chrysler to add a lower-priced 300 series? The automaker had traditionally generated a significant proportion of its sales in the premium-priced class but saw its fortunes collapse in the late-50s. For example, in 1957 the Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler brands together produced roughly 536,000 units. Only two years later output fell by 49 percent to 272,000 units.
Also see ‘Chrysler’s collapse in premium-priced field was a bigger deal than Edsel’s’
That led the automaker to begin restructuring its lineup. In 1960 the big Dodge was moved partly into the low-priced field and in 1961 the DeSoto was discontinued. A lower-priced Chrysler series called the Newport tried to pick up the slack and the Windsor initially replaced the Saratoga as the brand’s mid-level series. Although the New Yorker series survived, it was given a roughly $300 price cut in 1961.
This amounted to a repositioning of the Chrysler brand. Whereas in 1960 the lineup was priced model for model above the Buick, by 1962 the reverse was true . . . except for the 300H.
The 300 letter series had never been a big seller, peaking at 2,402 units in 1957. By 1960 output had fallen to only 1,212 units. Thus, it would have made sense for management to wonder whether that car had a future — at least at its relatively high price. While letter-300 sales were falling, the Ford Thunderbird soared in popularity. In 1960 almost 93,000 T-Birds left the factory.
Buick Wildcat followed similar approach to 300
Chrysler’s approach with the regular 300 wasn’t all that different from that of General Motors. In response to the Thunderbird’s breakout success, each of GM’s premium-priced brands added sporty models to their full-sized lineup. In 1961 Oldsmobile came out with the Starfire, in 1962 Pontiac introduced the Grand Prix, and in 1963 Buick launched both the Wildcat and the Riviera.
The GM car that was most similar to the 300 was the Wildcat, which was a mid-range series offered in two- and four-door models. In contrast, the Starfire was a top-end series that came in a two-door hardtop and convertible from 1962 onward.
Also see ‘Why didn’t the Oldsmobile Starfire do better in a booming personal coupe field?’
Given development lead times, it is unclear whether Buick came up with the Wildcat as a response to Chrysler’s 1962 regular 300. Even if that wasn’t the case, Buick’s approach was strikingly similar. Once Wildcat prices were cut by upwards of $400 in 1964, output soared to more than 84,000 units — more than three times the 300’s production.
Chrysler didn’t have a best seller on its hands, but the 300 did somewhat better than its mid-level predecessors. Whereas in 1960-61 Saratoga/Windsor output hovered around 16,000 units, in 1962-63 regular 300 grew to almost 25,000 — and then to just under 50,000 in its peak year of 1966.
Regular 300 helped Chrysler find better price point
Richard M. Langworth described the regular 300s as “often nothing more than glorified Windsors with bucket seats.” Even so, he acknowledged that the formula sold more cars. In addition, the discriminating car enthusiast could custom order most of the letter-series high-performance options. Nor was the nameplate’s sporting image “distorted by offering a 300 station wagon” (1993, p. 156).
So did a regular 300 “dilute” the reputation of the letter series? In the short run, yes. Output fell in 1962-63 to around 500 units per year. However, after a price cut in 1964, production rose to all-time records: 3,647 units in 1964 and 2,845 in 1965.
Curiously, Langworth argued that the success of the regular 300 “precluded continuance” of the letter series (1993, p. 174). I don’t see why that was the case — at least for a few more years. For example, a garden-variety 300Q might have made slightly more sense than the overamped 1970 Hurst edition (McGuire, 2026). However, the longer-term trajectory was bleak.
Sales of sporty big cars went into decline in the second half of the 1960s and the early-70s. As a case in point, the Wildcat dropped to under 24,000 units in its final year of 1970. Meanwhile, the 300 saw its output fall to under 14,000 units by 1971, the last year it was in production.
This brings us back to the 1962-65 regular 300. It bought the iconic nameplate more time and allowed Chrysler to better cater to a short-term boomlet in sporty big cars. That ain’t nothing.
NOTES:
Specifications were from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (1993, 2006), Flory (2004, 2013), Gunnell (2002) and Langworth (1993).
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, Ill.
- Florea, Ciprian; 2024. “Rare 1979 Chrysler 300 Springs Back to Life After Decades off the Road.” Autoevolution. Posted Sept. 19.
- Flory, J. “Kelly” Jr.; 2004. American Cars, 1960-1972. McFarland & Co., Inc.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Langworth, Richard M.; 1993. Chrysler & Imperial 1946-1985: The Classic Postwar Years. Motorbooks, Minneapolis, MN.
- McGuire, Bill; 2026. “Hurst’s heavyweight: The 1970 Chrysler 300H.” Mac’s Motor City Garage. Posted Feb. 25.
- MyClassicCarTV; 2025. “Ever seen a Non-Letter Series 1964 Chrysler 300?” Posted on YouTube Feb. 8.
- Wade, Adam; 2026. “1964 Chrysler 300K: The Last Exner-Era Letter Series Car!” Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History. Posted on YouTube May 25.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Chrysler (1962)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Buick Wildcat (1963); Chrysler Cordoba (1979); Chrysler 300 (1965, 1968)
In my opinion, Chrysler did not dilute the letter-car 300s with the non-letter 300 models. If one has ever ridden in a 300-letter-car on an open road, the acceleration is breathtaking. The non-letter-300s had great acceleration, ride and stopping power, but the letter-cars were next level. Bob Rodger and his engineering team made sure that the letter-cars were exceptional for such a huge car. I don’t know if G.M.’s Fourteenth Floor would have allowed John DeLorean to build a 300-level competitor, but I doubt it.