The Chrysler 300C SRT8 is considered the poor man's Bentley in California because like the Bentley it has the size, speed and serious power to very quickly transport four adults from point A to point B in comfort and style.

In Europe, the 300C has earned the reputation as the quintessence large American sedan with broad shoulders and the larger than life swagger and attitude of the early classic American big boy sedans.

In Colorado, I found the 300c SRT8 to be the most frustrating and vexing car I've ever reviewed.

When I was first handed the keys to the Inferno Red Pearl Crystal 300C SRT8 (Chrysler's color description, not mine) I had just finish reviewing the Lexus LS460, and sitting down in the 300C SRT8 was like going from first class to economy.

The smell of cheap plastics filled my brain with bad memories of my friend's Chrysler GLH in collage, and the hap hazardous fit and feel of the interior immediately made me frown.

But it only took one meaningful stab of the accelerator as I was merging onto the highway to turn that frown in a broad grin.

For me, there is no sin great enough that 425 roaring HEMI horsepower cannot forgive. It's not just the power and 420 lb.-ft torque, but the sheer "in your face" sound and stump pulling fury of all that power that makes for pure joyous fun. I found myself just stabbing the throttle out of sheer menace just to see the reaction on the faces of all of the dazed commuters in their Camrys and Accords.

FYI: I would not advice doing this too often if you happen to own one of Chrysler's 6.1 liter HEMI cars as most drivers really don't seem to appreciate the 300C SRT8 roaring past them in a huge huff and puff of childish tire melting smoke.

Of course it comes as no surprise that the 300C SRT8 can accelerate like “a bat of of hell.” What is surprising is the car's ability to actually stop, turn, and dare I say corner. The old muscle cars in the SRT8's direct line of heritage would skid off the road like a goat on ice on many a mean corner taken at any speed above a gentle jog.

The 300C SRT8 with its massive Brembo brakes and huge 245/45R20 performance tires and wheels is, dare I say it, poised and surprisingly nimble when the road twists and turns. Not only does this car go, but it stops, and actually turns sharply. And because of this the 300C is hoot to drive fast up and down your favorite canyon. I recorded a 60-0 mph stopping distance of just 128 feet which is an impressively short span for a car weighing over 4000 pounds.

The 300C SRT8 is not what I would call nimble. It does not carve or finesse a curve, it just hangs on to the best line with surprising tenacity, and powers out of the turn with a guttural and spine crushing ferocity that puts many smaller and more nimble
cars to shame.

If the equally powerful eight cylinder Aston Martin Vantage is the James Bond of cars when it comes to its motoring reputation, the 300C SRT8 would be the Terminator of Arnold Schwarzenegger fame. Both cars get the job done---its just that the 300C SRT8 does it in a much more forceful and emphatic manner.

Hasta la vista, baby!

Let's go through a quick time line of dinosaur muscle car eras.

Forty years ago, in the first era of the muscle car dinosaurs when such beasts as the 'Cuda and Road Runner ruled the streets. The best known muscle car dinosaurs had massive engines, prehistoric styling, unforgivable handling, and cheap and dolled-up interior design.

In the second era (current) of muscles cars, which is now coming to a rapid end as these sort of dinosaurs cars are quickly becoming extinct due to a combination of government regulation, sputtering economy, and high gas prices, the dinosaur cars like the big engined Charger, Challenger, Mustang, upcoming Camaro, and the 300C SRT8 have even bigger engines, retro styling, adequate to better than average handling, and unfortunately still cheap and dolled-up interiors.

So I'm guessing that forty years from now during the third era of the dinosaur cars they will have even bigger and faster electric engines, hyper-retro styling, crisp and inspired handling, and for the first time first class interiors.

And of course when all this happens in the year 2050 or so you'll do well to own one of the current era dinosaur cars because they'll be selling at private auctions for millions of Worldos (the new world currency).

So my suggestion is get your Chrysler 300C SRT8 while you still can, and if you can overlook the economy class interior, you'll have a very fun car to drive for the next 40 years. After which you'll be able to sell it to some rich space travel entrepreneur who will be able to afford the 100 Worldos a gallon for gas, plus the 100 Worldos of carbon tax per mile to keep the 300C SRT8 roaring down the street in a proper huge huff and puff of childish tire melting smoke.
2009 Chrysler 300C SRT8

Price as Tested: $50,220; Engine, Transmission: 6.1 Liter SRT8 HEMI V-8 5-Speed Automatic; Horsepower: 425; PocketDyno Test Data; 1/4 Mile: 14.18 second at 102.57 mph; 0-60 mph: 5.79 seconds; EPA Fuel Economy Estimates: 13 mpg (city), 19 mpg (hwy), 15 mpg (combined), 14.8 mpg (As tested).

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