1965 Chrysler 300L

Chrysler's legendary "letter-series" performance line ended with the 1965 Chrysler 300L -- or so we thought. Today there's a new 300, but the thrill of a convertible isn't part of the resurrection.

The 1965 Chrysler 300L was the last of the letter series for more than 30 years.

For 34 years, the 300L was the last of the great performance Chryslers that began with the 1955 C-300, but that changed with the introduction of the 1999 300M. Is the M worthy of the great letter-series tradition? If you like V-6 "cab forward" sedans with front-wheel drive, yes. Otherwise, it's nothing like its burly V-8 predecessors.

The 1965 Chrysler 300L featured clean styling.

The same might be said for the 300L hardtop and convertible. In 1965, Chrysler was into a fourth successful year peddling "standard" 300s that were barely sportier than low-line Newports. But that, plus fast-waning demand for sporty big cars, had made letter-series superfluous, so the L was the least special of the original line. Still, it had the same clean new styling and long 124-inch wheelbase as other '65 Chryslers, plus a 360-horsepower 413 V-8 that cost extra in plain 300s. But at $4618 for the convertible, the surcharge for an L amounted to over $700 -- a lot to pay for little more than distinct badging and the bigger engine -- so sales totaled just 440 ragtops and 2405 hardtops.