Sedan And Shut Up - The 2013 Chrysler 300C (Part 4)

6/14/2014 11:57:36 AM

2013 Chrysler 300C Back view

Sporting a 413 Wedge V8 with single four-barrel, a push-button auto and a square steering wheel that long predated British Leyland's eﬀorts, this 300 shouldn't be confused with the 300 “letter series” cars at the top of the range, though it certainly can stand on its own two feet. “It's not a letter car,” says Alistair, “but it's got most of the letter-car spec – it has the numbers- matching high-compression 413, the anti-roll bars and the 8.75” axle, though it still has drums all round. I got it a couple of years ago from Steve Ball, a guy I met through the Mopar Muscle Association. I'd mentioned to him once that I'd quite like an AMC Ambassador, and he said he'd got one and was having to sell it to make way for the Chrysler 300 he'd seen. I bought the AMC, he bought the Chrysler, bare-metal resprayed it, retrimmed the seats, drove it around for a while then parked it up. We'd not spoken for about a year, then I happened to bump into him on Rods'n'Sods, and he mentioned the 300 was up for sale to make way for an E- body, so I bought the Chrysler oﬀ him too.”

2013 Chrysler 300C SRT8 instrument cluster

The '08 300C is the perfect daily driver for someone whose employer's idea of a company car might not stretch to a 50-year-old 6.8-litre monster. As you might guess, Alistair is something of an unreconstructed goth, and there isn't much made this century that would fit the bill quite as well as a black 300C, while the diesel motor makes it a seriously daily- drivable proposition. “I've had this just over a year,” says Alistair. “My company gave me a company car allowance, expecting me to go and get a contract on an Audi A4. It caused quite a stir when I turned up in this. It's the nearest I could get to being silly while still being sensible. I bought it with 36,000 on the clock; it now has 53,000. I had the glow plugs done before winter set in, and I've had a couple of problems with slight diesel leaks on the fuel lines, apparently a common problem. I would have picked a petrol-powered one for preference, if fuel consumption wasn't such an issue, but this one's good for the size and weight of the thing – I got 40mpg on a run down the A50 recently.”