A 1979 Chrysler 300 listed for $22,400 in Louisiana brings attention back to one of the lesser-known uses of the famous nameplate. According to the listing, the coupe retains much of its original trim and features a factory T-Bar roof with removable panels, an option that appeared on only a small number of these cars.
Rare factory option makes this 1979 Chrysler 300 stand out
The Chrysler currently sits in Alexandria, Louisiana, and the seller says he will consider reasonable offers. The $22,400 figure therefore represents an asking price rather than the result of a completed sale.
Owners can remove the roof panels above the seats while leaving a fixed center section in place, creating a very different experience from a conventional sunroof. The source estimates that Chrysler built around 380 cars with either of the two available roof options and fewer than 200 with the T-Bar setup. Those figures come from expert estimates rather than a complete official production breakdown.
Under the hood sits a 360-cubic-inch, 5.9-liter V8, which the seller describes as the original factory engine and says recently received maintenance. Chrysler rated the engine at 195 hp, thanks in part to a specific performance camshaft. Compared with the standard Cordoba setup, the 300 gained 25 hp.
Chrysler also upgraded the chassis with police-derived suspension components, including heavy-duty torsion bars and stabilizer bars. The package aimed to give the large American coupe sharper handling during an era when fuel economy and emissions requirements had dramatically reduced horsepower compared with the previous decade.
The 1979 300 grew out of the Cordoba, which Chrysler had introduced in 1975, and revived a name absent from the lineup for eight years. Chrysler gave the special model a distinctive crosshair grille, Spinnaker White paint and red leather interior. The company offered it for only one model year, selling 3,815 examples in the United States and another 477 in Canada.
The 300 name originally appeared on the 1955 C-300, which launched the famous sequence of letter-series models. The Cordoba-based coupe represented a very different chapter in that history, long before the later 300M and modern 300 sedans arrived.
According to the owner, this example still wears its original paint and leather interior. The additional burgundy stripes on the body came later and reportedly take inspiration from the Dodge Magnum. The engine bay shows its age, although the seller says the V8 runs properly.
Its preserved condition therefore does not mean the car remains completely untouched, particularly when it comes to the exterior graphics. Even so, the unusual factory roof makes this 1979 Chrysler 300 stand out within an already short-lived chapter of the nameplate’s history.
