1960 Chrysler 300F 300 F Convertible

[67newport]

 

[Ram Fury]

Lads --
They should have mentioned that the six 300F Specials that Chrysler sent to Daytona for the 1960 Speed Week all, repeat ALL, shattered the "Flying Mile" speed record, with the one driven by Gregg Ziegler clocked at 144.927 MPH (the slowest was just behind at 141.509). This record, which still stands, was set on the beach sand where the slippery surface reduced speed by 10% or more. Supposedly, on the Chrysler test track, the cars could do better than 165. These Specials differed from all other Fs because they had the "short" long ram 413 with a solid lifter cam and full flow exhaust headers that gave it 400 horsepower at 3600 RPM in comparison to the standard F mill which was rated at 375 at 2800. They also had the heavy-duty French Pont-a-Mousson 4-speed manual transmission. After the tests of one "mule," the six others, all hardtops, were built specifically for Daytona, but after the success at Speed Week, a white convertible was built for a dealer in Milwaukee and a black hard top for a construction mogul in Nevada, both of which may have had TorqueFlites. There may have been one additional Special, but there is no existing record of it.
I think that all the Daytona cars still exist. I had the good fortune to talk an owner of the Ziegler car who was a crusty old gentleman who drove it to various Chrysler events all over the country from his home in Detroit.
Dealer technicians hated those long rams back in the old days because of the problem of tuning them. When I asked the cost of a tune-up, I was quoted a charge of five bucks a plug and this was in 1960! After I traded the SonoRamic Commando Fury I had in 1960-1964 for a '65 Sport Fury, the shop foreman of the dealer from whom I bought the car, made a special effort to chat me once so he could tell me, while grinning from ear-to-ear, "Those old manifolds of yours sure made a nice clang when they hit the bottom of the trash bin."
Incidently, the SonoRamic Commando Plymouth I have now doesn't have the removable fender well panels but it is documented as an early production ram-inducted car (I have the build record from Chrysler). The various Chrysler people I have talked to seem to think it may very well have been a mule, especially since it has the very early ball-joint carb linkage and the 1959 type swivel seats.
Joe Godec
'57 Chrysler 300C, '60 Fury SonoRamic, '65 Fuelie Vette, '65 Sport Fury 426S/4-speed

 

[MAXWEDGECHAR]

I read somewhere that there was a convertible, maybe, built with a 4 speed for the CEO of Bendix?

 

[commando1]

Lads --
They should have mentioned that the six 300F Specials that Chrysler sent to Daytona for the 1960 Speed Week all, repeat ALL, shattered the "Flying Mile" speed record, with the one driven by Gregg Ziegler clocked at 144.927 MPH (the slowest was just behind at 141.509). This record, which still stands, was set on the beach sand where the slippery surface reduced speed by 10% or more. Supposedly, on the Chrysler test track, the cars could do better than 165. These Specials differed from all other Fs because they had the "short" long ram 413 with a solid lifter cam and full flow exhaust headers that gave it 400 horsepower at 3600 RPM in comparison to the standard F mill which was rated at 375 at 2800. They also had the heavy-duty French Pont-a-Mousson 4-speed manual transmission. After the tests of one "mule," the six others, all hardtops, were built specifically for Daytona, but after the success at Speed Week, a white convertible was built for a dealer in Milwaukee and a black hard top for a construction mogul in Nevada, both of which may have had TorqueFlites. There may have been one additional Special, but there is no existing record of it.
I think that all the Daytona cars still exist. I had the good fortune to talk an owner of the Ziegler car who was a crusty old gentleman who drove it to various Chrysler events all over the country from his home in Detroit.
Dealer technicians hated those long rams back in the old days because of the problem of tuning them. When I asked the cost of a tune-up, I was quoted a charge of five bucks a plug and this was in 1960! After I traded the SonoRamic Commando Fury I had in 1960-1964 for a '65 Sport Fury, the shop foreman of the dealer from whom I bought the car, made a special effort to chat me once so he could tell me, while grinning from ear-to-ear, "Those old manifolds of yours sure made a nice clang when they hit the bottom of the trash bin."
Incidently, the SonoRamic Commando Plymouth I have now doesn't have the removable fender well panels but it is documented as an early production ram-inducted car (I have the build record from Chrysler). The various Chrysler people I have talked to seem to think it may very well have been a mule, especially since it has the very early ball-joint carb linkage and the 1959 type swivel seats.
Joe Godec
'57 Chrysler 300C, '60 Fury SonoRamic, '65 Fuelie Vette, '65 Sport Fury 426S/4-speed

Awesome summation. Thank you.