Since we posted our article about the 2019 Chrysler SRT that is sold in Australia and the Middle East, we have been bombarded with e-mail asking why the car isn’t sold in North America. While we answered that question in the article, there is still a lot of demand for a four-door Chrysler performance sedan out there. Most people who want such a car, have to resort to the used car market here and it may not be a bad thing.
When the Chrysler 300 Series appeared on the scene in late 2004, the car was a huge hit becoming one of the most popular cars to modify throughout the decade. This also includes the Chrysler 300 SRT8 that made its debut as a 2006 model. Then the Chrysler 300C SRT8 featured a 6.1-liter HEMI V8 making 425-horsepower (317 kW) and 420 lb.-ft. of torque (569 N•m) in its stock form. The only downfall of the car was its Mercedes-sourced 5-speed automatic with AutoStick®, but performance was impressive for the time. It feature a 0-60 mph time in the low 5-second range and could run 0-100-0 in mid-16-second range thanks to the help of the 300 SRT8’s Brembo brakes.
But why would I be talking about an early Chrysler 300C SRT8, rather than a newer model? Simple. Its about the aftermarket and price. The 2006 to 2010 Chrysler 300C SRT8 cars still have a massive aftermarket support out there. So much in fact, that cars still have a lot of choice to customize your 300C SRT8 to suit your taste that you would be hard pressed to find another one like it. As for pricing, the 2006 to 2010 Chrysler 300C SRT8 models are going from about $10,000 to $23,000 USD depending on mileage and condition. This is a great starting point for those who are looking for a performance budgeted option to the Chrysler 300.
The aftermarket also allows for some big power modifications to the 6.1-liter HEMI V8 at a budget friendly price that won’t hurt your wallet as much as some of the newer cars. We have seen the 6.1-liter HEMI cars be modified to easily handle over 700+ horsepower with not a lot of modification involved.
Our friend and contributor R/T Life, recently ran into one such 300C SRT8. The Chrysler 300C SRT8 still shows that it doesn’t take much to make the car have its own unique look. The owner Massetti_360 has done some modification that makes this 6.1-liter HEMI sound dang good on rolling passes. His car features deleted mufflers and resonators, a K&N cold-air intake, and some aftermarket exterior goodies, but just goes to show you how the Chrysler 300C SRT8 can be a budget-friendly performance alternative.
While the Chrysler 300 will return for the 2020 model year, it still doesn’t look like the North American market will receive the 300 SRT model. Do you think that Chrysler should bring back the 300 SRT or should they just leave the performance end to Dodge and leave the rest of Chrysler fans looking at the used car market alternatives? Leave your comments below.
