Some engines really do find their perfect homes in certain bodystyles. Fizzy four-cylinders were made for hot hatches, sports cars suit sonorous sixes and no glamorous supercar is complete, surely, without 12 cylinders behind the driver. It all just works so well, which is why there’s such uproar when a time-honoured formula is meddled with.
The V8 super-saloon can, of course, be added to that list as well. There really isn’t much beating four doors, five seats and eight cylinders; typically the configuration will offer up just the right blend of low-effort, torquey performance alongside a thunderous soundtrack and excitement when required. Bring all that together in a stylish saloon shape, ideally one that doesn’t attract too much attention, and it’s easy to grasp why the genre has been so popular for so long. Especially on PH. Think about all the iconic super-saloons and there’s a V8 of some description in there, from Audi RS4 to Jaguar XJR, AMG C63 to BMW M5, Vauxhall VXR8 to Maserati Quattroporte. There’s just a rightness about all of them.
America, understandably, has always been pretty good at stuffing V8s into sedans, and continues to this day. Indeed they may well have saved the best until last, if reports of the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing are to be believed. It seems very unlikely, however, that such cars will continue, even Stateside. Those customers willing to stump up for a V8 nowadays tend to want them in SUVs, which makes justifying them in four-doors even harder. In the UK you’re into Audi S8, BMW M5, the plug-in AMG monsters and Panamera GTS territory before getting a V8 with rear doors and a reasonable ride height.
Still, never mind, because the popularity of the super-saloon means there are plenty around secondhand. And while the usual suspects continue up their appreciation curve, so the rare-groove curios remain around for reasonable money. Take the Chrysler 300C SRT-8, for example. We’re all well aware of its demerits by now, chiefly related to its old architecture, but it also offers up a 6.1-litre Hemi V8, just over 430hp, and the kind of unashamed muscle car menace it’s hard not to admire.
This one in particular is notable as a one-owner SRT-8. And 2007 is longer ago than we think now. In that time, moreover, that owner felt no compulsion to modify their car whatsoever, or much need to drive it at all: it’s accrued just 26,000 miles in 17 years. It’s never failed an MOT, and is said to boast a full service history with a tonne of invoices. The flagship 300C probably isn’t a car you’d associate with being saved for Sunday best, but it isn’t half nice to see one so well preserved.
From the outside, at least. Whoever owns it next will have to make their peace with a low rent cabin showing some signs of wear, though there must surely be a smartphone-compatible head unit that can significantly modernise the experience. Fuel isn’t quite as expensive as it was, either (even if tax is). The Chrysler will never be the most capable of the V8 super-saloons, sure, but as a reminder of so much that’s right about the genre the appeal is plain to see. And if you love a 300C, there surely can’t be any better.
SPECIFICATION | CHRYSLER 300C SRT-8
Engine: 6,059cc V8
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 431@6,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 420@4,800rpm
MPG: 20
CO2: 335g/km
Year registered: 2007
Recorded mileage: 26,000
Price new: £41,000 (2006)
Yours for: £15,985
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