1965 Chrysler 300L

The 300L was the last of Chrysler's famous "Letter Series" 300s, not counting the recently-introuduced 300M. Many 300 aficianados of the day discounted the 300L just as the 300M is often discounted today- but at least the 300L had 8 cylinders that drove the rear wheels, and only two doors- those are 3 big strikes against the 300M! The 'Letter Cars' were conceived as the ultimate vehicles of their day. Chrysler 300s were simultaneously the most powerful, most luxurious, and best-handling cars in the world. Well into the 1970's, it wasn't uncommon for a dignified older gentleman in a vintage 300 to give a hotshot kid in a GTO or Camaro a big lesson in humility. I think that they still are some of the best, and recent magazine tests pitting the new 300M against the old letter cars confirm my suspicions. The 300L was far from the fastest of the letter cars- that crown belongs to the the dual-quad crossrammed 413 powered '62 300H or the 392 Hemi powered 300D of '58. 1965 was the last year for the fabled 413 ('...a fuel-injected Stingray and a 413, revvin up their engines and it sounds real mean...') in full-size Chryslers before it was replaced by the even more imposing 440. The 413 of '65 was considerably de-tuned from the heyday of '62, and thus the derision the 300L received when new. Still, nary a Lexus can keep pace with it 33 years later (or hold a candle to it for style), so the derision really wasn't warranted. I only owned this car briefly and never got to see it fully restored, but even in its tattered state, it was truly beautiful. Maroon with a black leather inteior, chrome and machine-turned metal detailing everywhere, and of course the awsome 413 and one of the silkiest-shifting 727 Torqueflites I've ever driven (the letter cars were designed effortless for top-end speed, not quarter-mile acceleration, so the shifts were tailored accordingly and in keeping with the luxury side of the equation)