CHRYSLER 300 — Specifications & VIN Lookup

About the CHRYSLER 300

The Chrysler 300 is a full-size car produced by Chrysler under Stellantis North America and its predecessors. The first generation was available as a four-door sedan and station wagon, in the second generation was available solely as a sedan.

The Chrysler 300 is a full-size car produced by Chrysler under Stellantis North America and its predecessors. The first generation (model years 2005–2010) was available as a four-door sedan and station wagon, in the second generation (model years 2011–2023) was available solely as a sedan. The second generation 300 was marketed as the Chrysler 300C in the United Kingdom and Ireland and as the Lancia Thema in the remainder of Europe.

Background The Chrysler 300 continues a tradition of full-sized, front-engine, rear-wheel drive, V8-powered luxury sedans the company has offered, starting in the 1940s with the Chrysler Saratoga and Chrysler New Yorker, followed by the Chrysler Windsor, Chrysler Newport, and the Chrysler Cordoba, with the last rear wheel drive sedan, the Chrysler Fifth Avenue that ended production in 1989.

When the company began operations in 1925, the Chrysler Six was entered as a roadster in the 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans where it finished the race. In 1926, the Chrysler Imperial started the luxury and performance products tradition. Starting in 1955, the Imperial became a separate luxury brand and offered the Imperial Newport along with the Imperial Crown. The original Chrysler FirePower Hemi engine powered the Cunningham C-5R, a special racecar, and finished the 1952 Le Mans, 1953 Le Mans, and 1954 Le Mans endurance races, as well as the 1953 12 Hours of Sebring.

First generation (2005)

The 300 debuted as a concept at the 2003 New York International Auto Show with styling by Ralph Gilles, and production started in January 2004 for the 2005 model year. The Chrysler 300 was designed as a modern interpretation of the 1955 Chrysler C-300 (and the letter series Chryslers that followed), featuring a large grille, long hood and low roofline that was prominent on those vehicles. The styling retained many elements of the 1998 Chrysler Chronos concept car, such as chrome interior accents and tortoiseshell finishing on the steering wheel and shifter knob. It was the last Chrysler vehicle designed under Tom Gale upon his retirement from DaimlerChrysler in December 2000. It shares a nameplate with the 1957 300C letter series two-door hardtop and convertible. The Chrysler 300 is based on the rear-wheel drive Chrysler LX platform with Chrysler executives confirming that Chrysler engineers were sent to Germany to study the upcoming E-Class and as such, structural elements of the car's foundation such as the toe board, safety cage architecture, as well as the load-path philosophy ending up being derived from the design(s) utilized by then-partner, Mercedes-Benz Shared and or derived components from Mercedes-Benz included: the 3.0L OM642 turbo-diesel V6 used in overseas markets, the rear suspension cradle and 5-link independent rear suspension design derived from the E-Class (W210), a double-wishbone front suspension design with short-and-long arm front suspension geometry derived from the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W220). The five-speed NAG1 W5A580 transmission, rear differential, driveshaft, ESP & ABS systems, steering system, the CAN Bus electrical architecture, and cabin electronics, including other electronic and engine modules, were derived from Mercedes-Benz components. Further, switchgear such as the cruise control and turn signal combination stalk, seat controls, seat frames, HVAC system(s), and the wiring harness were utilized from Mercedes-Benz components. Later model years also feature a Mercedes-Benz-derived laser key ignition system instead of the traditional metal key. The AWD models also benefited from using Mercedes-Benz's 4MATIC system, including transfer case components.