There’s always a difference between a car and the legend that rises around it. Today, the Chrysler 300 is remembered for being the height of sophisticated, luxurious, American motoring in the ’50s and ’60s—for its startling coachwork, often flamboyant styling, and extravagant details. But the reason for the 300’s existence was in fact an engine, Chrysler’s brilliant Hemi, to be exact.
In 1954 Robert MacGregor Rodger was only 37 years old, yet already a 15-year veteran of Chrysler, a survivor of the team that launched the first Hemi in 1951, and chief engineer of the Chrysler Division. In the years following its introduction, the Hemi had grown stronger and stronger with competitive success in Briggs Cunningham’s C-2, C-4R, and C-5R LeMans racers, and had become a favorite in the emerging…
