Pentastar Muscle

1960

To anyone astute enough to take notice, it appeared Chrysler, as a corporation, was out to win the "Battle Of The Tailfins" at any cost. The "Forward Look" Chrysler 300F had perhaps the smallest fins of any car wearing a Pentastar that year but was a thing of beauty nonetheless. Under the hood was a 413 RB-engine with something new, something innovative and, at the very least, revolutionary. It was known as "Ram Induction" and it placed each of the dual Carter AFB 4-barrel carburetors outboard of the valve covers attached to 30-inch long manifolds. Horsepower was down to 75, but the Ram Induction system proved to be a "torque-monster" in the low to mid-range rpm band. A limited number of 300Fs were built with a French-made Pont-A-Mousson 4-speed manual transmission.

Dodge expanded its model lineup for 1960 with all new styling everywhere. Full-sized Dodge models rode on a 122-inch wheelbase while the mid-sized Dodge Dart models were four inches shorter in length and rode a 118" wheelbase. Buyers were confused by the similar styling and often hard to distinguish models and Dodge sales suffered overall for 1960. The top-of-the-line engine, which was not available in a Dart chassis, was the 330 horsepower 383 B-engine D-500. A Super D-500 was no longer offered.

Plymouth for 1960 had perhaps the largest tailfins in the auto industry. Still at the top of the lineup was the Sport Fury in both hardtop and convertible. The top engine for a Sport Fury was a 330 horsepower 383 B-engine which utilized a similar induction system to that found on the 300F. Plymouth called it "Sonoramic Induction," and it was a $405 option. Perhaps the best news out of Chrysler Corporation for the model year was the new compact Valiant. Although not "officially" a Plymouth for 1960, it was sold almost exclusively in Plymouth dealers. The Valiant introduced Chrysler's new Slant Six engine as well as the industry's first alternator. Standard Valiant power came from a 101 horsepower version of the new six, but a "Hyper pack" option raised the output to 148 horsepower. Hyper Pack-equipped Valiants swept the top-seven positions at the Daytona Speedway Compact Car Race January 31, 1960.