The Chrysler Hurst 300 was a one-year wonder, a limited-edition tribute to the Letter Series 300s of the 1950s and 1960s. Only about 500 of them were produced, all coupes (except for one convertible) and all painted Spinnaker White. They were shipped off to Hurst Performance for the finishing touches. Located in Sacramento, California, this Hurst 300 looks like a survivor in excellent original condition, though it could be a restoration (the seller doesn’t say). With just 59,000 miles, this big Mopar is available here on craigslist for $38,000. Hats off to T.J. for another fine tip!
At the time the Hurst 300 was conceived, Chrysler hadn’t built a full-size muscle car in five years. The market had shifted to mid-sized performance machinery, and well-appointed fast cars came in the form of the Plymouth GTX or Dodge Charger. So, Chrysler and Hurst collaborated to produce the Hurst 300 which began as a base 300 with a tan leather interior. Once Hurst got hold of the car, they added a functional hood scoop, fiberglass quarter panels, and special decals and striping that contained a lot of detail work.
These cars were well-equipped as you would expect, with power this and that, and had a 440 cubic inch “TNT” V8 under the hood, capable of 385 horsepower and 480 lb.-ft of torque. Hurst-modified autos built in partnership with GM had the well-known Hurst shifters, which were oddly omitted on the Hurst 300, and the reason is unknown. All-in-all, only 500 or so Hurst 300s ever saw the light of day.
The seller’s Chrysler looks great, and the listing provides lots of photos, but details about the automobile are few. It seems to have been well-kept though the engine compartment could stand some cleaning. Whether rust has ever been an issue would be a guess. Given the low build numbers of this vehicle, perhaps the number of survivors is limited to just a few dozen and these machines can fetch some big money in the proper condition.
Well, I’m taking the high road on this, and Hurst added one more gee-gaw( to the convertible) and her name was/is Linda Vaughn. According to her, this car was George Hursts favorite, and what’s not to like? I don’t think she did much except stand on the trunk waving to the people, but no question, made Hurst a household name, and they knew it. While some say it should be a letter car, the 300H was already taken in 1962, and purists scream, letter cars were made by Chrysler, not outside sources, like Hurst. Regardless, this car is the epitome of class and function, none better.
We had a neighbor,John Boyd,who had a small
used car lot in Eureka (CA) who lived across from us.
He drove one of these for a short time before he sold it.
I thought it was a really cool car,and probably went
for a reasonable price back then.
I remember seeing one of these in a junkyard back around 1990-91, and thinking it looked like you could start it up and drive it right out of there, if it’s appearance were anything to go by. This one looks great, I hope it finds a good home.
I sure hope someone saved it.
If you only could go back in time and save that car. I saw a lot of older cars in junkyards in the early 1990’s in new jersey but I was only 21 years old then and didn’t have a lot of money then.
This 300-Hurst looks to be in similar condition to one that sold on eBay November 1st in a town 90 miles north of Sacramento where the seller took an offer below the $25,375 asking price.
These are genuinely unique cars and stand on their own merit. They’ve always turned heads even in the early-80’s when it was common to see nearly every make and model of muscle car still roaming the streets.
Steve R
The TNT and H models came with more gear ⚙️ i beleive. Awesome cars.
Awesomsauce!!! Coolest car I’ve seen in a while thanks BF !
Not a real Hurst buyer beware
What about the car points you in that direction?
Steve R
The quarter panels were stock; Hurst replaced the hood, trunk lid, and rear quarter end caps with fiberglass items.
That car Linda Vaughn stand on , is a Chrysler 300 1969 faked to a Hurst .
Rare indeed. This car has been 4-sale for quite awhile and unknown as to why it has not sold. Maybe the price is to steep.
I had my only motorcycle accident because of one of these. I was cutting through campus too fast for the sudden appearance of the 300 stopped in the middle of the street while the driver was talking to another dude about his new ride. Inexperience made me lock up my rear end and I was down and sliding on pavement. The two drivers were gone by the time I got up.
The TNT engines in the Hurst 300 cars were 440 c.i. rated at 375 hp, not 385…..nice car, but as usual, way over priced……
I always liked these cars, only have seen a couple of them. The 440 T’N’T indeed was rated at 375 horsepower, not 385. The hood scoop might have brought air in under the hood, however these hoodscoops are not sealed to the aircleaner so at not functional. These cars don’t have a Hurst shifter because there wasn’t enough time to develop one. These were all produced in a very short period in the Spring of 1970, almost as a whim. Basically either Chrysler dropped the ball on these, or Hurst did. My guess is that it was Chrysler but who knows. Some had the Mopar Console, some had the Column shifter. All had the tremendous Chrysler 727 Torque-Flight. The Convertible Parade car was a last minute addition and a Hurst style shifter was tooled up for it.
Hurst was pitching another H/O to Oldsmobile based on the Cutlass Supreme SX. Perhaps after Olds declined Hurst, they found a new partner in Chrysler to develop these…? Not sure if that is what happened but it seems possible that this project came together in a hurry and that’d explain why only appearance improvements were made to the 300. Just a thought.
These Chrysler Hurst 300’s are EXTREMELY RARE! Think about it..
Dodge built only a hair over 500
1969 Charger Daytona’s, for the ’69 model year….to satisfy Nascar’s requirements. The standard engine in the Daytona is the SAME engine that Chrysler used in the Hurst 300. The venerable 375 H.P. 440-4 bbl.
So with around 500 300 Hurst 300 built.. this is a true collectable gentleman’s muscle car! This example appears to be a survivor, but a close personal inspection would be in order to verify that.
engine in the Hurst 300…the 375 H.P. 440 c.i. 4 bbl.
485 was made . 36 of them are with floor console .
485 was made . 36 of them are with floor console .
The story about the lack of a Hurst shifter, as I recall, is because Hurst did not have them ready in time when production started, so they moved ahead without them.
A guy in my car club had one, I was not impressed with it. It was in great shape but did not look or sound like a Muscle car. Just because only a few were made does not make it desirable. For the asking price, I can think of many other cars I can put in my driveway.
A friend of mine in early 1980’s showed up in one these at our local evening hangout. He commenced to lay down a 200ft one wheel wonder burnout. Fun times
The “Great White Whale”, as seen on the Fantom Works TV show.