CHRYSLER 300 SRT

AMERICAN MUSCLE THAT WAS LEFT TO ATROPHY

IF YOU THOUGHT the sadness around the death of the Holden VFII Commodore V8 in 2017 (and Australian manufacturing in general) was almost too much to bear, then the demise of the Chrysler 300 SRT could be triggering.

Right here marks the end of a V8-engined, rear-drive, sports-sedan heritage that began in this country with the Ford Falcon GT in 1967 and has ended with the Chrysler 300 SRT in 2021. That’s not a bad innings – 54 unbroken years of (relatively) affordable bent-eight bad boys, or even longer if you include the Ford Customlines and Fairlanes, Chrysler Royals and the Valiant Regal V8 that preceded the XR GT by virtue of their cylinder count. But it’s the performance sedans that have always resonated strongest in our grunt-obsessed nation.

The latter-day Chrysler 300 was born during a newmillennium retro revival – one strongly celebrated in the US, and notably by Chrysler. Spurred on by the success of the PT Cruiser (and, to a lesser extent, the Plymouth Prowler), the ‘lead-sled’-esque Chrysler 300 debuted as a concept at the 2003 New York show and earned instant celebrity status. Rappers loved it.

Inspired by Chrysler’s original ‘letter series’ C-300 of 1955 with its cross-hatch grille and hi-po Hemi V8, the new 300 became a break-out smash hit, achieving 144,068 sales in the US in 2005, while spawning the mechanically identical Dodge Charger, both based on a rear-drive platform derived from the W211 Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

While the Yanks offered a full 300 line-up, starting with a base 2.7-litre V6, Australia initially only received the Holden Calais/Ford Fairmont Ghia-rivalling 300C flagship with a 5.7-litre Hemi V8. Favouring character and presence over finesse, the 300C was a lovable chunk of chiselled metal. And when the SRT8 version followed in 2006, packing a 317kW 6.1-litre Hemi V8 and 20-inch polished alloys, petrolhead’s veins dilated overnight. There was even a tough-looking (and rare) wagon version.

The second-gen, sedan-only, Canadian-built 300

(now without the ‘C’ except on top luxury models) lobbed in Australia in June 2012, looking smoother, more sophisticated, and perhaps more conservative, yet still identifiably ‘Chrysler 300’. Now with a ballsier 347kW 6.4-litre Hemi V8 in the SRT version, as well as refinements like adaptive dampers (except on the cheaper ‘SRT Core’ model) and more purposeful brakes, the 300 SRT expanded its repertoire to include unexpected dynamic talent. We loved it so much that Australia continued to receive the SRT after it was discontinued in the US in 2015, and once the police began to retire their Commodore SS-V Redlines, the SRT gave its final (and on-going) performance as a Highway Patrol car in states like NSW.

While the decade-old Chrysler 300 lives on – as a V6engined 300C in Australia, at least for the time being – it’s the passing of the SRT that has flared our PTSD.