A 1970 Chrysler 300's Tale

[Moparian]

Thank you for your welcome messages from a newcomer to the C Body world!

Although I hail from Merrie Olde Englande, I have been a Mopar fan since forever. Way back in the early sixties, when I was still a toddler, my grandfather purchased a '59 Plymouth Fury 4 door hardtop. Exposure to such outlandish American spaceshipery at such a tender age, left a lifelong impression on your humble servant. In the fullness of time and a slightly larger pocket money fund, I managed to acquire a number of tasty Mopars of my own.

Time marches on and for various reasons I have found myself bereft of Detroit Rolling Iron. Hankering once again for one last highway cruiser before taking my place in the great parking lot in the sky, I found myself in the market for another Mope. Impressed with the various member's enthusiasm and uncanny ability to find obscure adverts for likely cars, I have been lurking on the C Body forums for quite some time now. Thinking that you would like to know the fate of the subject of one of these said adverts, I figured I would join up and relate the tale of my latest and very possibly, last acquisition.

So there I was, surfing the C Bodies for Sale sub forum, as you do, when I happened upon an eBay auction for a 1970 Chrysler 300.

eBay listing link;

C Bodies Forum thread link;

I found myself immediately struck by the condition of this example. Someone obviously lavished much love and attention on this old girl. I was not overly concerned by the non original interior or the lack of power windows and air conditioning. The overriding consideration was to find a suitable rust free example. This car appeared to fit the bill admirably. I vowed to follow both the progress of the auction and your thread avidly. Bearing in mind, I would need to pay postage from Los Angeles to the UK for a car that weighs North of two tons, price was a major consideration. Eventually the car was relisted at a price I could live with and I finally made my move.

Anyways, three months after the end of the auction, I find myself the proud owner of a '70 300 which is remarkably rot free and in very good mechanical condition. She resides in a centrally heated garage and given that the price of gasoline over here is the equivalent of about $8 a gallon, will only be used for the monthly Pothole County Charity Car Cruise and the occasional American Car Show!

Mopar or No Car!

TL;DR eBay auction 1970 Chrysler 300 finds her way to an extended European Vacation.

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Very nice score!! An excellent driver and will garner much attention at your shows and foremost will give you great driving pleasure.

 

[Fratzog]

Welcome from and congratulations on such a fine acquisition. As you attend the events mentioned please keep us updated with lots of pics!

 

[Carmine]

Ever notice how good people from England talk in English? lol

Seriously even if some of the PO's mods don't thrill me, that looks like an excellent paint job and workmanship. And you won't lose it in a car park!

Now tell us how gramps ended up with a '59 Fury, and what else have you owned over the years?

 

[david hill]

A very nice ride. Remember it listed on ebay. Was going to make it a nice edition. to my collection. Good to see it found a good home.

 

[Golden Banana]

Come and get yee centre grill section next week me ole mucka!!.... You can tell me all about it!

 

[65sporty]

Looks like a nice ride

 

[SPF Required]

...Eventually the car was relisted at a price I could live with and I finally made my move.

What a great story! Thank you for sharing and enjoy that beautiful car. It's almost as if the 1968 advertisements have been whispering in your ear all this time.

 

[Moparian]

Now tell us how gramps ended up with a '59 Fury, and what else have you owned over the years?

Grandfather had always been an American Car fan. I have no idea exactly why or even how it started but I do know he had an Essex Super Six Sedan back in his courting days, which would have been the roaring twenties. The thirties and war years were a tough time for all. By the time rationing ended (1955), grandfather found himself with an established family and a lucrative business.

One day in the early sixties, he became stuck in traffic along one of Birmingham's main thoroughfares. If England had a "Detroit", it would be Birmingham, only without the lake but we do have Edgbaston Reservoir! Home to heavy industry and motor manufacture before outsourcing to China and everyone deciding they would rather drive German, French, Italian, Japanese and Korean cars, anything but British. Did we really "win" The War or was I lied to?

Anyways, there he was stuck in traffic on Broad Street, back then a largely commercial area. Nowadays home to nightclubs, casinos and bars galore. A late Friday night foray along same provides for an interesting journey as one navigates around the pools of vomit and carefully steps over the cream of British womanhood lying across the pavement (sidewalk) in a drunken stupor. Hogarth would be proud.

Back to the story; bored with traffic, glancing around, grandfather's roving eye falls upon a veritable vision of modernity in the form of a '59 Plymouth Fury 4 Door Hardtop boldly displayed in the window of a car dealership. It was love at first sight. Struck down with a touch of the "Arnie Cunninghams", he strode purposefully into the showroom begging the salesman to take his money!

He loved that car. Eventually it was replaced with two slightly more practical European motors. A Series IV Sunbeam Rapier and a brand new Hillman Avenger (Plymouth Cricket). British readers will be familiar with the Rootes Group Marques. For our Colonial Cousins, the Sunbeam Rapier looks rather like a miniature Studebaker Golden Hawk. Rootes was later taken over by Chrysler, who produced a rather neat Rapier H120 which looks like a miniature '66 Barracuda.

I have owned a number of American Cars over the years, sadly I no longer have photos of some. The more memorable ones include '58 Fury, '58 Savoy, '84 Ramcharger and a '71 GTX, which was the most insanely powerful car I have ever owned and driven. That beast of a machine had the uncanny ability to reduce all who drove it to gibbering idiots who laugh uncontrollably. I am sure, if one were to throw caution to the wind, there would be sufficient power available to pass anything on the road, excepting a gas station! Not that I would know anything about that of course. In addition and please don't be too harsh on me, I had a '79 Pontiac Firebird. In my defence, I would just like to point out that the whole world and his wife owned a black and gold Trans Am back in the eighties!

 

[Moparian]

It's almost as if the 1968 advertisements have been whispering in your ear all this time.

There was no way my next car was going to be anything other than a Chrysler product (of some sort).