1965 - A FUNNY THING HAPPENED . . .
The much downgraded Chrysler 300 would see its final year as a letter-series
car. The 1965 300L was powered by a 360 horsepower 413 engine with a single
4-barrel carburetor and hydraulic
lifters (a first).
Over at Dodge and Plymouth,
things were really heating up. Available to the general public were the lightweight
A990 Dodge Coronet and Plymouth
Belvedere 2-door Super Stock sedans. Every effort was made to reduce weight
wherever possible on these cars, from thinner steel
front sheetmetal to gutted interiors. Up front was the 12.0:1 compression
ratio 426 "Race" Hemi engine. But for a select number of factory-backed
racers, Chrysler built the now legendary Dodge
Coronet and Plymouth
Belvedere "Altered-Wheelbase" cars
for the "Factory Experimental" class that eventually evolved into
today's Funny Car.
A 225 horsepower "high-performance" version of the 273 was now offered
in the Barracuda and Dart with the 426 Street Wedge still the top of the line
for street consumption. A new and sporty Satellite model joined the Plymouth
ranks.
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