For many years Chrysler, stung by the sales of the Airflow, rarely took chances with styling.  Engineering was always sound, but they became the safe choice for a comfortable, reliable, and somewhat bland automotive experience.  By the mid-fifties that all changed with one car.  In 1955 Chrysler shocked the world with the 300, a high horsepower two door with impressive styling and what seemed to be a locomotive engine.  This 1955 Chrysler 300 for sale on craigslist in Greenville, Wisconsin is your chance to park one of these milestone automobiles in your garage for a very reasonable $10,250.  Thanks to Gunter K. for the tip!

By 1955 Virgil Exner was firmly in control of Chrysler styling and it showed.  While considered subtle in comparison to Exner’s later designs, the new Chrysler 300 combined an Imperial grill with a New Yorker Newport two door sedan body.  Under the hood was a 300 horsepower 331 cubic inch Hemi V-8 backed by a two-speed automatic transmission.  With 45 more horsepower than the standard Chrysler mill, the 300 was one of the most powerful American cars available in 1955.

Chrysler built 1,725 of these “banker’s hot rod” models in 1955.  The introduction of such a sporty car had the desired effect of bringing customers into showrooms to see it, but the 300 also gained notoriety in racing.  Carl Kiekhaefer created the prototype for what would become multi-car teams in NASCAR.  A driven businessman who was what would be referred to today as a “control freak,” Kiekhaefer used his vast resources from his ownership of Mercury Marine to dominate NASCAR competition for a short while.  He did so using perfectly prepped Chrysler 300s and buying the best talent at the time.  The problem was that he won so much it soured customers on his outboard motors.  Kiekhaefer and his Chrysler 300s disappeared from NASCAR in 1956 as quickly as they came in.

The 300 you see in the photos has some flaws, but it appears that this could be driven as is once the drivetrain issues were sorted out.  The seller tells us that the floors and nearly all of the trunk can be considered rust free.  The main rust areas are in the fenders, rockers, and lower trunk panel.  While the pictures suggest that there might be more problems under that dull white paint in the way of body filler, it is not fair to assume this based on pictures alone.  This is the type of car you put on a lift and do a thorough inspection to see what you are getting into.

Take for example this picture of the trunk floor.  Everything looks remarkably good for a car this old.  However, the well for the spare tire appears to have some damage.  The circular hole may be factory, but the rest of the area is suspect.  All and all, nothing seen here couldn’t be patched up relatively easily.

The dash and steering wheel are remarkably well preserved.  Unrestored cars of this vintage often have steering wheels that are cracked and in deplorable shape.  This steering wheel looks factory new, and the dash may clean up nicely.  Unfortunately, the kick panels and the leather front seats need to be reupholstered.

In contrast, the back seat may be salvageable.  The carpet too may have some life left in it, but the small glimpse of the headliner we can see in the upper part of the photograph points to a replacement in the future.  One can’t escape the feeling that the backseat would be a very comfortable spot to be in if you didn’t call shotgun in time.

Under the hood is the famous first generation 331 cubic inch Chrysler Hemi engine.  We can see that the car retains the “batwing” air cleaner and its original generator.  It does appear that the seller’s claims of rebuilding the brake booster and master cylinder are genuine.  We are also told that the radiator has been gone through as well.

The seller also shares with us that the car turns over but does not run.  As with most of the cars we see coming out of long-term storage, fuel issues are the most likely culprit.  While this car still thankfully retains its original manifold and what appears to be its original carburetors, obviously rebuilding them and cleaning out the fuel system would be in order.    It looks there already has been some work done with a fuel line missing.

This is the kind of car that makes you wish you had the two things all of us long for: vast disposable income and storage space.  1955-1956 Chrysler 300s are high up on my list of bucket list cars.  How can you not love a high horsepower luxury coupe with distinctive yet understated styling.  Looking at this car, it seems that some work could get it back on the road.  A concours restoration would be expensive, but you could likely drive and enjoy this 300 while fixing it up as you go.  This has the look of a driver rather than a show car.  Hopefully the new owner will enjoy it and the relatively low asking price will leave them with enough in their pocket to make the necessary repairs.