The Full-Bodied Automobile – 1999 Chrysler 300M

Antti Kautonen

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1999_chrysler_300m_5

Even if this Chrysler 300M sighting is from the newer spectrum of posted cars, being a 1999 model, it’s still a car I happily feature here. It’s always nice to see a bold-looking American car here in the Finnish street scene, and whether said car is a cab forward design front-wheel-drive barge, it makes little to no difference: in a complete reversal to what you, dear reader, might think, compared to the Skoda Octavia on the other side of the street it’s positively invigorating.

The 300M also came here as a 2.7-litre version with cloth seats, but this one is the fully loaded 3.5 one with leather and 253 horsepower. Enjoy.

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The 300M belongs to the LH line – dubbed Last Hope by sharp-tongued detritors. Don’t let that let the 300M down, as it’s a proud descendant of the Vision/Intrepid/LHS generation, themselves sharing some bloodline with the Eagle Premier and the Dodge Monaco. So, somewhere in there there’s Renault DNA in hiding. And of course, the 300 in the name refers to the classic 300-series Chryslers from the ’50s and ’60s. I snatched the titular phrase from a 1999 300M advert that uses old clips from the classic days.

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The blobby design language works here so much better than in the Sebring coupe or the second-generation Neon. The 300M offers the design a broader canvas and better measurements, even if the overhangs are enormous.

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Some serious junk in that trunk shape, and plastic roundness everywhere – dwarfing the wheels. But, the detailing aims for a prestige level.

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I’m not quite certain yet whether I’d accept a 300M like this on my drive, but I’m warming up to them. Right now, I absolutely prefer it to the later 300C – but at the moment, what I’d really like to sample is a Vision.

[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse / Antti Kautonen]

About

Antti Kautonen

Antti Kautonen

The resident Finn of Hooniverse. Owns old Peugeots and whatnot, writes long thinkpieces on unloved cars. These two facts might be related.

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34 responses to “The Full-Bodied Automobile – 1999 Chrysler 300M”

  1. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
    FuzzyPlushroom

    This was allegedly going to be the successor to the Vision before Chrysler folded the Eagle division. I agree that its lines work far better than the shrunken, cat-with-its-arse-in-the-air lines of the second-generation Neon. (The '02-06 Camry suffers from the same woes, however, despite being a larger car. It even has similar taillamps…)

    Reply
    1. Devin Avatar
      Devin

      Not allegedly, definitely. It was even shown to magazines, and there's a picture or two of it floating around (it's almost exactly the same).

      Reply
      1. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
        FuzzyPlushroom

        I said 'allegedly' because I didn't want to bother finding my sources, honestly.

        Reply
        1. Devin Avatar
          Devin

          My source is buried under a big pile of stuff in my parents' basement, but I've got a good memory.

          Reply
          1. julkinen Avatar
            julkinen

            <img src="http://www.catiav5.ir/image012.jpg"&gt;
            Why there are European cars behind it, remains a mystery.

          2. Vairship Avatar
            Vairship

            Your source is Jimmy Hoffa?!?

          3. Devin Avatar
            Devin

            Maybe, there's a lot of stuff in that basement.
            (It's actually a magazine from the launch of the second-gen LH, if you're genuinely curious. They had a big section outlining the upcoming models as well, which they were shown at the time.)

  2. Devin Avatar
    Devin

    This was originally going to be the new Vision before they changed their mind last minute and Chryslerified it.

    Reply
    1. BlackIce_GTS Avatar
      BlackIce_GTS

      That's odd, it's got the chrome-U grill Chrysler was using on the T&C and Neon at the time.
      Yes, Chrysler Neon. "Chrysler Canada: Even worse ideas!"
      Know how many different LH Chryslers could you get in Canada? Five.
      (LHS, Concorde, 300M, Intrepid, New Yorker.)

      Reply
      1. Devin Avatar
        Devin

        I had always assumed that the front bumper had little vents off the headlights like the Vision did, but none of the evidence has borne that out, which is odd. The shapes actually suggest that could have worked.
        Chrysler Canada has been trying to subtly kill off the Dodge brand for ages, but has never actually done it, it's strange. All the way back to the Chrysler Dynasty.

        Reply
  3. Kogashiwa Avatar
    Kogashiwa

    Never driven one, only ridden in one. Apart from unexpectedly hard seats the interior was a really nice place to be. That was when it was new though, no idea how well they hold up.

    Reply
    1. P161911 Avatar
      P161911

      "no idea how well they hold up." It is a less than 10 year old car that is now a rare sight on the road. Just a few years ago they weren't uncommon. Any LH sighting is getting to be slightly noteworthy around here. This is the southeast, so rust isn't the culprit.

      Reply
      1. marmer01 Avatar
        marmer01

        It's been more than ten years since 1999, at least for my Audi.

        Reply
        1. P161911 Avatar
          P161911

          The 300M was built from 1999 to 2004. I was referring to the later ones and LH cars in general.

          Reply
      2. P161911 Avatar
        P161911

        As soon as I say this I get behind one at the light on the way home.

        Reply
  4. Perc Avatar
    Perc

    Guess I should point out that our Vision is badged as a Chrysler. It got to keep the Eagle badge because nobody knew what it meant anyways. GM did exactly the same thing with the Alero too.

    Reply
    1. BlackIce_GTS Avatar
      BlackIce_GTS

      That's interesting, where are you?
      It got an awkward triangular Chrysler badge in Japan and wherever this is:
      <img src="http://www.auto-types.com/images/chrysler/Chrysler_Vision_3_824.jpg"&gt;

      Reply
      1. duurtlang_ Avatar
        duurtlang_

        It's a Dutch plate. The lack of an EU decal means this picture was taken in the 20th century. Probably a promo picture. I ran the plates, and the car is still registered as road legal (last safety inspection: 09-2012). It's listed as a Chrysler Vision 3.5i V6 24V LE

        Reply
    2. Perc Avatar
      Perc

      I'm in Finland. We also got the Neon and Voyager as Chryslers, and the Trans Sport is a Chevrolet while still wearing Pontiac kidneys.
      And the plate on that Vision looks Dutch, by the way.
      I used to pass by a parked Vision every morning on my way to work, and I'm fairly sure it had the Eagle badge intact up front. I think it's the only Vision I've ever seen though, now that I think about it. They're not common.

      Reply
  5. david42 Avatar
    david42

    Compared to the LHS and New Yorker of the same generation, I believe the 300M was tailored for the European market–Chrysler kept the length under 5 meters, which I guess is some sort of magic number for the furriners. (I think the same is true of the final-generation Seville.)
    Of course, "tailored for the European market" is only meaningful in comparison to ginormous LHS and New Yorker. Even the 300M never got a diesel, manual transmission, etc.

    Reply
    1. RichardKopf Avatar
      RichardKopf

      The LHS was built with Europe in mind.

      Reply
      1. duurtlang_ Avatar
        duurtlang_

        That's quite confusing, to me. I know these cars were sold in Europe, but they sold so very few of these I CAN remember the last time I saw one. It was over a year ago. I don't understand why Chrysler would keep Europe in mind, because they must've known it would never be competitive here.
        I looked up some statistics about the Netherlands, where I live. It seems the 300M had a market share of 0.04% in its best year (1999). That doesn't seem like much, but it should make them less uncommon. I'd guess most were exported to Russia after they had depreciated horrendously to a small fraction of their msrp after only a few years.

        Reply
    2. salguod Avatar
      salguod

      I recall the same. I was smirking as I read about the 'enormous overhangs' as this is the truncated version, made for Europe. They took the mid section of a Concorde / LHS and clipped the nose and mostly the tail to get under 5 meters. You ain't seen overhangs until you've seen an LHS.

      Reply
      1. JayP2112 Avatar
        JayP2112

        Something about parking on the street… blame Lutz. He was part of that 5 meter rule.

        Reply
    3. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      It's true; I remember reading that in road test articles at the time. The reason for the shortened trunk was to get the overall length under five meters.

      Reply
  6. Bruno Balestra Avatar
    Bruno Balestra

    There is a Dark Graphite/ Metallic Black in my apt building that I get to look at every time I park my car. I like it's looks a lot. I got a speedy ride in one back in the early 2000s when it was a new car. The man never dropped from 100 mph. I've been hooked to fast driving ever since.

    Reply
  7. PotbellyJoe Avatar
    PotbellyJoe

    <img src="http://images04.olx.com/ui/9/85/40/1290924828_142198540_4-Chrysler-LHS-1999-Parts-Parting-out-complete-vehicle-For-Sale-1290924828.jpg&quot; width=600>
    Did you want that with a full trunk?
    I had the displeasure of taking a few 300M in on trade when the 2005 Avalon came out. They were not holding up well for the 25,000 miles or so they had on them. the Bonneville SSEi that we would occasionally get were good for errands around town though.
    How the 300M was Motor Trend Car of the Year just confounds me.

    Reply
    1. P161911 Avatar
      P161911

      "How the 300M was Motor Trend Car of the Year just confounds me. "
      They were high bidder.

      Reply
      1. dukeisduke Avatar
        dukeisduke

        Their COTY and TOTY awards are a marketing thing

        Reply
    2. neight Avatar
      neight

      MT's CoTY award list is available on Wikipedia and good for a laugh, I recommend everyone peruse it.

      Reply
      1. neight Avatar
        neight

        I'm talking Chrysler Cirrus funny.

        Reply
  8. Jay_Ramey Avatar
    Jay_Ramey

    Ooohh, nice! Can I have that Skoda? (oh my god, probably a diesel!)

    Reply
  9. TrueBlue315 Avatar
    TrueBlue315

    Oh, how did I miss this article? As the previous owner of a '99 300M and the current of a 300M Special, these cars hold a place in my heart. Note the projector lamps on the Euro car, along with headlight washers. In the US, we got the projectors as part of the Special equipment group, but not the washers.
    The pictured car also has the 16" minivan wheels that were available for the performance handling package; something about them being the lightest wheel available at the time. They do look tiny in the wells of that car.
    They are still a striking car, especially in the top model guise, and handle well for being a large FWD sedan. One of the few modern products Chrysler got right.

    Reply
  10. C³-Cool Cadillac Cat Avatar
    C³-Cool Cadillac Cat

    My wife and I had a '95 Intrepid ES with cloth and the 3.5L.
    That car drove like one 3/5ths its size. Yes, it was huge, but it didn't drive that way.

    Reply