Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 8413154368
"Clutch pedal" examples of the Chrysler 300 G were bewilderingly
rare. The Chrysler 300 Registry notes that twelve examples were
"coded" for the manual transmission - eight coupes, and just four
convertibles. While not all manual transmission cars were so-coded
by the factory and thus the number is likely slightly higher, it
still accounts for a tiny fraction of the 300 Gs built,
particularly in open form.
The car offered here is documented by the Chrysler 300 Registry as
having been delivered with the Borg-Warner transmission, and was
also the only 300 G convertible delivered in this very striking
color, Pinehurst Green. This is borne out by the original trim tag,
stamped GG1 for this distinctive and beautiful paint color, which
has never been tampered with or removed - nor has the original
chassis number plate. The car was scheduled for completion on
February 1st; it would be the only manual-transmission car built in
February, ahead of the Daytona Flying Mile runs later that
month.
Further, the car exhibits every sign of always having been a
well-preserved, dry-climate example, which while cosmetically
refinished retains rock-solid bodywork as well as what appears to
be at least some of the original tan leather interior. Despite its
manual transmission, it retains all the luxury features one should
expect from a Chrysler Letter Car including swiveling power front
bucket seats, power windows in front and rear, driver's side remote
mirror, and Golden Tone push-button AM radio. The engine is stamped
with the correct 300 G code of R41, while stainless steel exhaust
is fitted below.
Among the former owners of this 300 G was the renowned Pat
McGroder, an enthusiast of significant American muscle cars ahead
of his time, whose outstanding "Factory Muscle Collection" included
some of the finest and most important models from all of the Big
Three, including several of the most famous Chrysler Hemi drag
cars. The Gateway Automobile Museum acquired the Chrysler directly
from the McGroder Collection in 2005, and it remains in the fine
condition in which it was acquired, with 50,380 miles at the time
of cataloging.
Few 300 G convertibles can boast this car's distinguished
combination of features, nor its status as one of the outstandingly
scarce examples with a factory manual transmission, nor its rich
provenance. It is a "Banker's Hot Rod" for a particularly
performance-mad banker, or for the collector who insists upon the
very rarest and most desirable specification.
