Introduction: Truth be told, I really don't have much interest in the subject matter represented by this car. I was born in 1966, and have great memories of cars from the '60s, '70, and on, but the '50s don't hold any sentimental value for me. I came to own this car because I bought a small lot of cars from another collector, and had him throw this one in for an extra $40. I figured, "what the heck". To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. It's common knowledge among many collectors that Ertl's Precision 100 and Chrysler Collection lines are revolutionary...the cars feature levels of detail, quality, and finish never before seen in the $50-60 price range. I own 2 of these high-end Ertl cars, this Chrysler 300C and the Ford Thunderbolt (the Lincoln Zephyr was recently sold to finance other purchases!), and the most complimentary thing I can say is that these cars make you look at everything else in your collection and say, "how can they do this so well, and the other manufacturers can't?!".
Highs: Rather than go detail by detail, pointing out the Highs, let's just do some feature comparisons: the black paint on this car is smoother, glossier, clearer, thicker, and richer than the black paint on both my Lane 442 Cutlass and my Exoto Porsche 934 RSR (yes, the one that retails for $169). It doesn't have a single spec, blemish, or imperfection anywhere. To describe the quality of the paint, I would choose such adjectives as "stunning" and "gorgeous". The doors, trunk and hood all open smoothly, and stay up on their own, and the only car where those items work as smoothly is that same Exoto Porsche (and my Exoto Cobra, another $169 car). The hood on this Chrysler opens on the most realistic hood hinges of any car in my collection (are you listening GMP and Lane?). I'd like to ask the kind ladies and gentleman from Highway 61 to please purchase one of these cars, and study the chrome carefully; THIS is what it's supposed to look like. And, Lane Exact Detail, why don't the doors on your cars click closed (and stay tightly closed) like the doors on this Chrysler? And how can you charge $75-100 for your cars and not put carpeting in them, when this has a very nice felt material throughout? The suspension on this Chrysler works better, with smoother recoil and more even balance than any of my Lanes or GMPs. Consider all of that, then add in a fully-wired and plumbed engine, and an intricately detailed interior with soft-touch seats, and you get a diecast that completely turns the entire price-value equation upside down. For $50-60 you get a diecast that not only bests just about everything GMP and Lane have ever produced, but that could also teach the boys at Exoto a thing or two. I'm guessing that those companies are all pretty glad that Ertl's P100 and Chrysler Collection group isn't producing cars anymore.
Lows: There's only one thing about this diecast that I don't like: the tires and hub caps. They're too plasticky for my tastes, and are not up to the same level of quality as the rest of the car.
Summary: Like the P100 Thunderbolt, the Chrysler 300C is a phenomenal diecast, and should not be judged by its pricepoint. I'm sure many collectors will look at the cost, now between $40-50 on ebay (as of Sept 2003), and assume it's somewhere between a Maisto and an Autoart. The Ertl Chrysler Collection 300C is actually somewhere between the GMP GTO and the CMC/Exoto cars in quality. The only downer is that the product line is limited, and they are no longer producing cars, so you need to grab one while you can if you like the subject matter.
