To get you excited for the Charlotte AutoFair vintage car show from April 7^th to the 10^th, the Hornets Nest Region, AACA is covering a classic antique car each month. This month, the featured car is the 1955 Chrysler 300, largely considered one of the first high-performance automobiles offered to the general public.

The first of Chrysler’s Letter Series cars, the 1955 C-300 or the “300-A” as it came to be retroactively known, was named for its 300 horsepower 331 cu. in. “Hemi” V8 engine which was better suited to NASCAR racetracks than a quiet drive out on the town. Back then, speed and power were unheard of out on the open road, and Chrysler released it for stock car homologation with NASCAR than to actually make money as a car for the suburban driver. Because of this, only 1,725 models were sold.

Despite its unconventional origins, the C-300 actually served as inspiration for 10 other models in Chrysler’s original Letter Series and several other revival cars made in the decades since then. Rather than having a completely original design, the C-300 was really an amalgamation of a 1955 Imperial front clip and grille, a New Yorker hardtop midsection, and a Windsor rear back. Though it was full-sized and slightly more expensive, the C-300 is considered a progenitor of the muscle cars that took over the market in the 1970’s.

Whether you are a lover of collector cars looking to add to your stockpile or a seller wanting to rent a lot for your own car exhibit, call the staff in charge of the Charlotte AutoFair vintage car show at (704) 841-1990 for more information about the vintage car show. Visit their website for a look at their picture gallery from previous shows.