It’s a sad moment for big Hemi fans, as Chrysler plant workers built the last 6.4-liter 300C.
For nearly 25 years, the folks at Stellantis’ Brampton, Ontario assembly plant have been assembling Chrysler 300 sedans, ever since the nameplate returned in 1999. Now, we’re rapidly closing on the end of an era, as a Velvet Red 2023 Chrysler 300C marked the end of the road for the special model, revealed at last year’s Detroit Auto Show.
Granted, the actual order books for the last Chrysler 300 models closed at the end of July, and we’ve been preparing for the end of the run for well over a year now. We’re at the point where the nostalgia is kicking in, though, and I’ll wager I’m not the only one sad to see this big, old school V8 muscle sedan roll off into the sunset. In fact, I know I’m not alone, since nearly 340,000 of you watched our video checking this big bruiser out last year.
The 2023 Chrysler 300C is a special beast to send off the long-lived LX/LD platform sedans. The automaker committed to build just 2,000 units for the U.S. market, as well as 200 for Canada. In essence, we’re looking at a Charger Scat Pack with Chrysler’s branding: a 6.4-liter Hemi-equipped muscle car chucking out 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. On top of that, it also packs Brembo brakes, a limited-slip differential and active exhaust, making it the most hardcore 300 of the bunch.
Brampton will still build the other Chrysler 300 models, but only for a few more weeks.
While the 300C is officially done at this point, Stellantis says it will still fulfill its other orders through December 31. That includes everything from the base Touring and Touring L with the 292-horsepower, 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 (and the S model, which puts out 300 hp) to the 5.7-liter Hemi V8-powered 300S which puts out 363 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque.
Still, if you landed one of the last 300Cs, you have a sedan which traces its roots all the way back to 1957. Back then, the OG Chrysler 300C not only looked badass, but it still packed 375 horsepower from, coincidentally, a 6.4-liter “FirePower” V8 (although this was a version of Chrysler’s first generation of hemispherical combustion chamber engines).
Chrysler CEO Chris Feuell said of the last car rolling off the line: “As we celebrate the last Hemi-powered 300C off the line with our Brampton team members, we’re also excited to work together as Chrysler brand moves forward to a sustainable all-electric future as part of the Stellantis Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.”
The last part of that sentence telegraphs the brand’s future goals. While big V8s may be out the door, we should soon see what the brand has in store for its first battery electric model. We’ve seen the Airflow concept, and at least elements from that car will translate to Chrysler’s first all-new production model since the current-generation Pacifica debuted for the 2017 model year.
In the meantime, though, pour one out for the end of an era, as the last Chrysler 300C wraps up a 66-year saga.
