Under the hood, things had changed drastically. Gone forever (except in the 1959 top of the line Imperial) was the 392 hemi. Instead, Chrysler substituted the new 413 wedge engine with two four barrels and a hydraulic camshaft,  producing 380 hp, just like the 300D. There was no optional engine or transmission. What does Chuckie think about this? Not a bad decision. 380 ponies is enough for anybody under most circumstances, and the car had a reputation as a luxury touring car rather than a slam you in your seat drag racer. The crazy solid lifter engines look good on paper and on the auction block at Barrett Jackson, but they idled poorly, drank gas, and required constant maintenance. Besides, look at the sales charts. Almost nobody ever ordered them.

Sales had been poor and Chrysler was looking for ways to cut costs. The expensive hemi was a casualty, and 300 lovers responded by purchasing less than 700 300E's, a record low for 300 sales. Personally, I think they made a mistake. The hydraulic lifter wedge is a lot easier to work on and has a better torque curve with smoother operation than the hemi. Its performance is undisputed.......in future years the 413 and 426 wedges would dominate everything, once again proving that Chrysler still had the muscle.

It almost seemed that Chrysler had lost its zeal for the 300 series. No major redesign and a watering down of the engine over a 3 year period only said one thing......"who cares." For a car that had yet to sell 3,000 units in any calendar year , it just didn't seem to be a priority any more. It had served its purpose, carving the Chrysler name into the flesh of its racing victims forever. The die hard fans would still buy them, although in lower numbers, so let's forget about the car. It can fade into obscurity. The marque appeared destined for extinction, but better days were coming.