One-Year Wonder: 1979 Chrysler 300
A hot rod luxury car isn’t what I think of when I think of the Chrysler 300 series of cars, but I guess they really were. Most manufacturers offer luxurious, sporty, and even downright fast cars – at those who still offer actual cars and not just SUVs and pickups – so it’s easy to find a new one. The seller has this 1979 Chrysler 300 posted here on craigslist in Harpers Ferry, Iowa and they’re asking $12,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to T.J. for the tip!
Clearly based on the Chrysler Cordoba, the 300 came back for the 1979 model year after a few years in hiatus from the 1969 through 1971 models. It was a one-year-only car and they’re somewhat rare to see today – although we’ve seen a few of them here on Barn Finds. None with Magnum 500 wheels, however. I like the look but would prefer a more factory-stock appearance for such a rare car. Speaking of rare, only 30 were said to have been made in Rallye Red, the rest of the 2,900 made were Spinnaker White as seen here. The 360 stickers on the back are another personal touch.
For $2,040, Chrysler customers got what was basically an option package on the Cordoba, which included the famous crosshair grille, red leather interior, a beefier engine with a performance cam and dual exhaust, among other trim and special features such as heavy-duty suspension, sway bars, etc. That was $2,040 well spent. Of course, in 1979 $2,040 would be $8,870 today, not an insignificant chunk of change. The seller says the car is rust-free other than the trunk lid, but we don’t get to see the extent of it.
While not officially soft or rich Corinthian Leather, the red leather seats in this car look pretty nice, save for some wrinkling on the driver’s side. The back seat looks almost like new and it would have been nice to see the underside and trunk, just to round out the photos. This car has a mere 78,000 miles on it, an average of just 1,733 miles a year over the last 45 years.
The engine is Chrysler’s 360-cu.in. OHV V8 with a four-barrel and 195 horsepower, similar to what would have been offered in the L’il Red Truck. Sending power through a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic to the rear wheels, the seller says this car runs great. Have any of you owned a one-year 1979 Chrysler 300?
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Comments
Good eye TJ. Agree w Gilbertson. This is a neat find. Never seen one. Apparently they left the factory w the warmed up 360, Torq-flite, and shorter 3.21 ring and pinion ⚙️ Love the stance, and smooth lines.
(thumbs up) (I still can’t get it to work)
Scotty (and all), this is my trick if you REALLY want to give a thumbs up:
When reading a comment, there will be something like this at the end of the URL: /#comment-1542226
Click on the end of the URL and backspace (delete) all of this.
Hit the Enter key to refresh the screen.
Scroll down to the comment you want to Thumb Up and click on the Thumb.
It sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t.
These are nice cars. Had a ‘78 Cordoba so long , the frizzy headliner fell off on my head!
The (incorrect) 360 decals look out of place and, to make it worse, are on the wrong sides of the car. They’re supposed to lean forward, on a Duster or Dart Sport. Much nicer examples of these cars are still out there and pop up for sale often. Make sure you find one with a Sure-Grip axle as several were built with open differentials. The E58 360 was the police engine and ran strong, for what it was and, for the era.
That’s the first thing to go if I was a buyer.
Peel those horrid stickers off and hope that they didn’t ghost the paint.
What’s with the jacked up suspension?
Nice car with that cross hair grill and puffy leather seats. It definitely yells “1979”. If it was mine though, I’d yank that thirsty pig of an engine and replace it with a late 60s 340. More go, and better fuel mileage.
Interesting car…not sure I like the raised suspension look, or the 360 decals. I’m no expert on em, but I did buy one new (yeah, I’m old) and I still own it. 185,000 on original motor/trans and still runs great/looks good. Anyway…wind-up windows! Almost every one of these I’ve ever seen has power windows. AC, tilt wheel, cruise, all the rest of the goodies. I’d love to think mine is worth that asking price, but considering the leather is a little cracked I think the price is a bit high. GLWTS!
Cool car Gary 👍
This has been for sale for a while. I have to think the owner may have more pride in this ride than most sellers are willing to pay for.