Can the chassis of the 300C handle 425 bhp? Well, one clue is that electronic stability control is standard on the Chrysler 300C SRT-8, which is powered by a 6.1 liter version of the HEMI engine. That’s enough power to get you to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds, and take you up to 168 mph. Wow – this is a real muscle car that can blow some supercars! That’s going it for a car with the aerodynamics of a house.
This is quite a sporty engine, producing a really useful 425 bhp at 6,000 rpm. What’s more, the engine has a sporty torque curve, with maximum torque of 420 lb ft (570 Nm) at 4,800 rpm. No doubt there is some pretty useful grunt down around 2,000-3,000 rpm.
Reasonable weight distribution for high power
Actually, the 300C is not a bad basis for a hot sedan because it has reasonable weight distribution of 54 per cent front to 46 per cent rear. This is the same as some sports cars, but not the more advanced designs with rear-mounted gearboxes, of course.
To allow you to get this power out, Chrysler has coupled the engine to a special version of the five-speed automatic, with sporty shift points.
Bilstein dampers and Brembo brakes
The suspension has been upgraded with Bilstein dampers, harder springs and larger anti-roll bars, and the car sits half an inch lower than the standard 300C. There are the usual electronic aids including ABS and stability control, and of course, disc brakes all round. These are not ordinary brakes, but provided by Brembo, so the car should decelerate as well as it accelerates.
Forged 20-inch wheels with 245/45 section front and 255/45 section rears are by no means too big for that amount of power, but should give good handling balance, with a bit of excitement when needed.
The interior is also different, with a sporty flavor, and the body has been altered to get a bit more air to the engine and brakes, while aerodynamic lift is reduced by the shaped side sills.
This is a seriously fast muscle car, that will be able to put a few supercars in the shade, despite its bulk. It sounds heavy at 4,046 lb (1,845 lb) until you realise that this is less than the admittedly overweight Mercedes-Benz SL 600 two-seater. The 300C SRT-8 is actually as quick off the mark as the Mercedes-Benz SL 500, so it is up there among the muscle cars.
