The largest and most luxurious of the Hurst specialty cars was the Chrysler 300H of 1970. And for a big guy, it could move pretty quickly.
Introduced at the Chicago Auto Show in February of 1970, the Chrysler 300H Hurst was one more testament to the salesmanship of George Hurst and the marketing power of Hurst Performance Products. Hurst built partnerships—simultaneously—with Chrysler, American Motors, Jeep, and the Olds and Pontiac divisions of General Motors to build Hurst-branded specialty vehicles. Meanwhile, Hurst shifters were in every make of muscle car produced in the Motor City in those days. If there was money to be made in the Detroit performance car business, George Hurst was somewhere close by.
At 4,830 lbs and 225.1 inches long, the 300H was the heavyweight champion of Hurst specialty cars—an Iowa-class battleship in the muscle car war. Otherwise it followed the familiar Hurst formula in luxury, performance, and appearance features, all folded into a standard Chrysler 300 hardtop. Inside, there were leather-covered power seats borrowed from the Chrysler Imperial. Outside were an exclusive fiberglass hood and deck lid, a unique paint scheme in Spinnaker White and Satin Tan Poly (metallic gold, really), graphics, and badging. Thematically, the 300H was a reprise of the original Chrysler letter cars of 1955-65 with Hurst flavoring. There was another Chrysler 300H several years earlier in 1962.
The centerpiece of the 300H, naturally, was the 440 cubic-inch TNT V8 with 375 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque (better known by its Dodge label, Magnum V8; see our feature here). A few years earlier, Chrysler had determined that the 426 Street Hemi was incompatible with air conditioning, so it was never offered in the full-sized C-body products. So the TNT V8 was the maximum available for the application, and here it was offered by Hurst in standard factory tune, coupled to a Torqueflite automatic transmission. What looks like a cold-air scoop on the hood is actually for cabin ventilation.
But for nearly two and a half tons, the 300H moved right along, at least in a straight line. In its August 1970 issue, Car Life magazine reported a 0-60 mph time of 7.1 seconds and quarter-miles at 15.30 seconds at 94 mph. That was only a half-second slower over 1,320 feet than the Dodge Charger R/T with the same drivetrain the magazine tested in May. The Hurst was actually a tenth of a second quicker to 60 mph, possibly due to the better traction afforded by all that weight.
While the Car Life editors were impressed with the performance of the 300H, they weren’t totally enthusiastic about the overall package. “An odd car, all things considered,” they opined. “The undeniably good features are available on all the plain 300s.” Those included the TNT V8, the suspension calibrations, and the power front disc brakes. And they could all be had for considerably less cash, as the Hurst’s base price was $4,234, while the usual luxury options brought the total to $5,200 or more. The sub-header of the Car Life road test feature read, “Why the 300H doesn’t earn its letter.”
Hurst and Chrysler intended to produce 500 cars in the single-year model run, and according to Mopar performance experts, 485 were actually completed (or maybe it was 501, they’re not sure). All were two-door hardtop coupes, except for one convertible, or maybe two, built for promotional use (below). Linda Vaughn, Miss Golden Shifter, rode on the deck at automotive events across the country in 1970, hanging onto a giant fiberglass replica of a Hurst T-handle shift lever. The convertible, fully restored, is still around today in a private collection.
A full size Chrysler with the 440 TNT was certainly a going concern. My brother had a ’67 New Yorker issued from the factory with said power plant, and the associated suspension and drive train accoutrements. Not only a Q ship, but also a worthy successor to the 300 heritage. The ’70 300 Hurst was perhaps a noble experiment, but lacked subtlety; was unnecessarily flashy, and in my opinion in no way enhanced the desirability of the vehicle. As has been stated in this article, as well as others in, and since, 1970, the ’70 300 as Chrysler built it was more than sufficient. There have been other attempts at resurrecting the 300 magic, including the insulting 300M, with the same 214 hp V6 that was available in the family car Dodge Intrepid and Plymouth sibling. The one imposter that Chrysler may have attempted to take seriously was the Cordoba 300. That car could have been a legitimate successor if they (Chrysler) had really wanted to make it one.
If I’m not mistaken or was mentioned,, the 300H was not a true “letter” car, although members lobbied for it to be one. The Linda Vaughn was a nice addition, she helped sell a lot of products. Nothing new, think Dinah Shore and Linda November of Buick fame. I read they offered Ms. Vaughn the car, but she thought it was more appropriate to keep it in the Hurst collection. She’s still around at 82, still looks great. To be clear, I think there were 4 “Hurst girls”, Ms. Vaughn the most popular.
Just imagine Dinah Shore in her prime sporting a genuine Hurst blow-proof flame retardant brassier under a corporate gold lame’ onesie, wearing a pair of white hot go-go boots posing with a giant Hurst shifter on the decklid of a new Chrysler 300 ragtop at the NHRA U.S. Nationals…
Doris Day I could imagine. Dinah Shore, no.
Dinah was more the NASCAR race queen type. And she was in Victory Circle for the 1955 Indy 500. The pace car was a Bel Air convertible that year and I assume she was hanging it all out on the decklid during the pace lap.
Burt Reynolds was hot for Dinah so it’s conceivable that she wasn’t averse to a gold lamé onesie and go-go boots once in a while.
Dinah Shore was loyal to Chevy for decades after her ’50s show had the recently reintroduced “See the USA in your Chevrolet” as it’s theme song. I think it was a two way street, the division supplied her with a company car to the end. The only way she’d have been in a Mopar is if she had to get a cab from the airport.
I had forgotten all about the iconic photos and newsreels of winner Bob Sweikert kissing Dinah Shore in Victory Lane before kissing his own wife, Dorie at the ’55 Indy 500, but to me that race was about the tragic death of the greatest driver of the era, Bill “Vuky” Vukovich.
From the web: “In a chilling moment of live broadcasting history, radio announcer Sid Collins was interviewing Dinah Shore on lap 56, right as Vukovich’s fatal crash occurred. Vuky, aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive victory after winning in 1953 and 1954, was leading the race comfortably when a chain-reaction crash on the backstretch sent his car tumbling over the wall in flames…”
Can’t imagine all those intrepid writers being totally amazed, since the full-sized Chrysler was exactly what the police had been driving successfully for a couple of decades while running down muscle cars and rushing to emergencies!
A true gentleman’s muscle car with ample room inside for a darn good time, don’t ask me how I know. The rear spoiler on the fiberglass decklid eliminated the trunk lock cylinder, requiring the remote vacuum trunk-release button in the glovebox, with an oddball backup mechanical trunk release under the dash. 40 of the 485 built were equipped with column shift for some reason.
Fun fact, those recessed hood locks on the Hurst Edition Chrysler 300 H are the same ones that caused plenty of hoods to fly open on Hurst Olds 4-4-2 models.
Linda Vaughn…
I think Chryslers had the best version of fuselage style. The Hurst take is tacky, but it’s fun and appeals to my childhood memories.
I had a thought if I owned a ’70 Chrysler LeBehemoth: I’d park it next to an electric car whenever possible. The ridiculous contrast would amuse me.