1956 Chrysler 300B Special

This 1956 Chrysler 300B Coupe Special wears coachwork by Carrozzeria Boano. Fiat Chairman Gianni Agnelli commissioned the car to be built by Boano using a Chrysler 300B drivetrain resting on a shortened wheelbase. Chrysler's 'Letter Cars' began in 1955 with the introduction of the C-300. A year later it was followed by the even more powerful 300B, with the letter series continuing through 1965. Agnelli had the Virgil Exner 'Forward Look' design of the 300B removed and replaced it with a classic British appearance. The engine continued to be Chrysler's 'FirePower' V8 unit with hemispherical combustion chambers, now displacing 354 cubic inches for 1956 and offering 340 horsepower in a single four-barrel tune or 355 horsepower with the optional 'Dual Quad' setup.

The mechanical prowess of the 300B and its C-300 forbearer were purpose-built by Chrysler to dominate AAA and NASCAR stock-car racing. With assistance from Karl Kiekhaefer of Mercury Marine, Chrysler 300s were race-prepared at the Mercury Research Lab, where his racing headquarters were located. Tim Flock was selected as the driver for his racing success with Hudson. Kiekhaefer's first race came in 1955 at Daytona, where he emerged victorious. The Kiekhaefer team entered 40 of 45 races in 1955, winning 22. Flock accounted for 18 of those victories, earning him his second national title. In 1956, Kiekhaefer's team campaigned the 300B and quickly expanded with more top-name drivers. In 1956, the Mercury Marine team took 21 of the first 25 races, including 16 consecutive victories from March 25 to May 30, going on to 30 wins out of 50 races entered.

The Chrysler Boano Coupe is both performance-oriented and stylish, with a high-performance 300B engine combined with a PowerFlite push-button automatic transmission.

Upon completion, Angelli chose not to take delivery of the car since driving a foreign car by the Chairman of Fiat may not be a good image portrayed to the public. Instead, it was delivered to Agnelli's brother, Umberto, who was the Director of Fiat France. Umberto may have felt the same company loyalty as his brother since the car was sold a short time later. The car remained in Europe until the late 1980s when it was sold to a resident of the United States.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2020