Chrysler 300EX Opera Sedan

[Peter Lombardo]

A while back I said I was working on a future “Concept†car as a future replacement for the Chrysler 300C.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to do it was that in this time of auto makers fiscal restraints, they were not doing any future concepts, I mean, they didn’t even have the replacement for the current one at the New York auto show last month, so cash must be “real†tight.

Also, I have one more AMT 300C kit un-built and since I have done that car every way I can think of….Wagon, coupe, chopped top boulevard cruiser, convertible and a woody convertible, I needed a different variant.

Please understand, this body mold is far from done….it still needs a lot of work, but the basic shape is down and now I need to start “fine-tuning†the panels. You can see there is multiple patches of putty on this and still, much of it needs to spend some time getting up close and personal with some sandpaper.

This car was designed to fit the 300C chassis and wheelbase unaltered so it will be easy to use the chassis and engine.

Most of the interior, if not all of it should fit too.

The design has an exaggerated nose which will house a variation of the egg-crate grille.

The headlights will be exaggerated triangle shapes with projector beam lights. Below the light housings there is an air intact and fog light very similar to the current version car, but slightly stylized to copy the headlight shape. There is a strong contour line that runs over the front wheel wells and down to the nose on either side of the grille.

This contour line runs done the side hip area and flows over the rear fender in a similar manor.

The taillights will be very close to the headlight shape so there will be continuity between the front and back.

There is an air vent cut into the fender right behind the front wheel well and the basic shape of that is mimicked in front of the rear wheel well opening.

There is at least one sunroof on the roof ( I can’t decide if there should be one over the rear seats or not) and the rear window shape has the following side wings in a tribute to the great roof design of the old Dodge Charger.

The rear fascia will have a sunken license plate area in the center and the rear bumper line protrudes across the back.

I am planning “suicide†doors to give a large opening to the interior. Also, I am planning to have the “A†pillars recessed behind the glass. I want the windshield to appear to wrap right around into the side windows.

Technically, this is a “cab-forward†design.

Cab forward designs were popular in the 1990’s as evidenced by the Chrysler LH cars and the Infiniti G20. A cab forward car has the leading edge of the windshield at least over the front wheel centerline. This car has that.

I really like this one. I had a difficult time working out the front nose geometry but I finally got it where I am happy with it. I plan on a two tone gold and desert sand paint scheme, but that may change as things progress.

Edited July 14, 2010 by Peter Lombardo

[Custom Mike]

I love the way you think Peter, this should be a real stunner when you get it finished! This will be a massive improvement over that bloated piece of sheet metal that bears the proud "300" badges. The Chrysler 300 was once a flagship for the company, and when they turned it into that sorry thing that rolls around today, they started on their downhill slide. At least the "Cab Forward" version of the 300 had a presence and style that told you it was something special, unlike that "blingmobile" they're trying to pass off as a 300.

Show 'em how it's done brother, I'll be waiting for this one to blow me away!

[Tony T]

I really like where you are taking this one!

[RodneyBad]

Amazing Design and work..

Very cool..

and Artistic

Great flow to the body and tunnel rear window.

[Romell R]

Now ya got my attention... This is gonna be GOOOOOD! great work so far!

[LO51 MERC]

Peter, your design is radical, but not so much as to not be practical. I really like the character line you've carried all around the car. I really works! How long (not rushing you!) do you think before you'll be working on the model? Gary

[Foxer]

I really like the lines on this one!

[Peter Lombardo]

In between all of the other nonsense going on, I made a little headway on the Chrysler Concept car.

If you will recall, I designed this car to ride on the current Chrysler 300C chassis so that I could use its running gear and keep things in the same size requirements that Chrysler laid down for the current edition 300.

As you can see, the chassis was almost a perfect fit under the body.

I only needed to trim the rear quarter sections of the chassis since my design pulls in a little more than the current car.

I have formed a section in clear so that I can use it for the windshield and side windows.

I want to do something different with the doors on this car. Most of the time the factory showcases some crazy features on their concept cars to test public opinion and I think this needs a “hook†too. Lambo style doors are getting old….suicide have been done too….even gull-wing has been done to death. I don’t know, I need something different, or at the very least a new twist on an old idea…..I am thinking about it.

[justin2020]

How about suicide lambo doors? That would be different.

[Peter Lombardo]

I already did that….this is a Caddy STS with Suicide Lambo doors that I had at NNL East in 2008.

But thanks Justin. I need to try something different.

[customsrus]

Pete have the doors slide out on a track and the seats can slide out along with the doors, if anybody can do this you can. i did try this once on a tbird I built, but ended up with reverse suicide doors. John

[Oldboychas]

Your design skills are sharp as a razor ! As far as the doors go, have uou thought of having them retract under the car......Just a thought.

Please keep us posted,

oldboychas ( charlie bower )

[Romell R]

How about a door that slides forward like a patio door, it would move out then forward. the track would actually be attached to the door like a hinge then it would simply slide forward. sounds complicated but I have the plan drawn out in my head already let me know if you want a drawing. Romell

[Kaleb]

I thought of something like that on a 1:1 car, same concept as a mini van. It could be something like a T the end of it would be inside the track. Btw how in the world did you do lambo doors? I have been busting my brain to do this. Im still stuck on reg hinges lol.

[Wayne Buck]

How about a door that slides forward like a patio door, it would move out then forward. the track would actually be attached to the door like a hinge then it would simply slide forward. sounds complicated but I have the plan drawn out in my head already let me know if you want a drawing. Romell

That's what I was thinking too. Sorta like the rear doors on a mini van.

Dunno if you're gonna make it a 4 door or 2 door, but if it's a 4 door, you can make the front ones slide forward and the rear ones slide to the back.

Oh yeah, GREAT job so far on this! I'm really liking your design and am looking forward to seeing it progress into the finished product!

[LDO]

What about Frankenstude doors? They pop out from the body then pivot upwards on a round bar in the bottom corner.

[Tony T]

Looks good so far, Peter. As to your door dilemma, how about dropping down into the rockers, rolling under the floor? A company had made concepts to the design using mid 90s T-Birds, if I recall correctly.

I'll email you the wmv file a friend sent me.

[Peter Lombardo]

First, thanks for all of the great ideas on how to handle the doors on the Chrysler Concept car. I have seen the doors that swing down under the car, there was a video making the rounds a few years ago showing the system installed on a Lincoln Mark VII (I think it was a VII), anyway that is a pretty neat set up and it may fit this car, I need to see.

I also like the idea of the minivan slider doors too.

I few years ago, 2007 I think, I built a Chrysler 300C touring wagon (basically a Dodge Magnum wagon with a Chrysler nose grafted on it) that had Lambo front doors and sliders on the back.

I thought I could repost some of the pictures of the construction since there is a question on how to make Lambo doors and the hint of a question on how to make sliding doors.

The Lambo doors use a dental floss holder/pick, cut up to form the hinge for the Lambo door…

cheap, quick and easy.

The slider doors used brass rods bent and fit into tracks in the floor and roof to allow the doors to slide out and back on the car.

I think the pictures explain the process pretty well, but if there are questions, I think I can answer them.

[Romell R]

Amazing you have the doors I was planing to do on almost the exact same car. I have what i call the magnum 300(300C front end /magnum RT body). I cant believe you already did it too kool, good job too! I guess its true "If you think about it chances are someone has alraedy done it".I'd like to see more of this build if you dont mind Peter.

Edited June 26, 2010 by Aftashox

[Joe Handley]

What about Frankenstude doors? They pop out from the body then pivot upwards on a round bar in the bottom corner.

I was thinking the same thing if Pete doesn't want to revisit the van door option. Do the Frankenstude setup on the back doors and do the Keoningsegg style opening on the front doors

.

I just remembered, Chrysler already had an opposing Lambo Doored showcar anyway. It was the Chrysler/Lamborgini Portofino concept car from 1987.

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/chrysler/1987-chrysler-portofino-ar36647.html

[puddingwrestler]

Really crazy idea - BMW Z1 style doors. They retract downwards into the lower bodywork.

Or there was that Ford concept car from the 70s which had doors which opened outwards, but had a second hinge in the middle, sort of like the arrangemnt used on corner cupboards - this meant the rear section of the door remained parallel to the body at all times, allowing a much larger entry/exit area while still requiring fairly limited amoounts of space either side of the car. Great for getting out in tight parking spots.

Or, just go with Canvas and call it a beach buggy

[Peter Lombardo]

Amazing you have the doors I was planing to do on almost the exact same car. I have what i call the magnum 300(300C front end /magnum RT body). I cant believe you already did it too kool, good job too! I guess its true "If you think about it chances are someone has alraedy done it".I'd like to see more of this build if you dont mind Peter.

Romell, here is the link to the flickr site where the pictures of the wagon are. Sorry, there are not that many but what I have are there. You just need to advance forward to see the Chrysler pictures. Did you know???, Chrysler gets all the credit for the design of the 300 nose on this car. In Europe this is how the car was/is sold. A few years ago Chrysler had a concept car on the circuit call the Citadel which was basically a "Station Wagon" design with a sliding minivan rear door....I lifted the idea from that...as for the Lambo doors, they obviously are popular in many places. Anyway, here is the link (I think)

[Peter Lombardo]

It’s a nice Sunday morning and my wife is outside doing one of her favorite activities, pruning shrubs and small trees. Personally, I like that cozy overgrown look to the greenery around the property, but my wife just loves to cut down these fine little trees in the prime of their life. I would get her a small chain saw for Christmas one year except that I fear that I would have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of my life. I have fear enough of her with a pruning shears in her hand so a chain saw may be too much for me.

Anyway, while she is outside playing, I snuck away to my workroom to contemplate the door situation on my Chrysler awhile and I think I have the solution for my dilemma.

In the course of trying to decide the door configuration on the Chrysler 300EX Concept I thought about a number of designs. I recalled the Subaru Tourer Concept from a year or so ago and remembered that I liked the large open expanse of the double gullwing door. I like how there is a huge opening for ingress and egress but I think it might be too much for both sides of the car.

Then I thought about the 1928 Buick Opera Sedan that my brother-in-law had, which my wife and I used as our wedding limo 35 years ago. The neat thing about this car was that the rear did not have a door on the driver side of the car. Instead, it had a curved couch seat that started at the passenger side rear, went straight across the rear and then turned and curved to the front and went to the back of the drivers seat. It was effectively in the shape of an “Lâ€. The front passenger seat swiveled to the rear so that all of the passengers could “face†each other. Buick also made an Opera Coupe model (he had one but it was not restored at the time) which had no front passenger seat, just the driver seat and the “L†shaped rear seat.

So I am thinking that this car will get the full Opera Sedan treatment. The large passenger side door (drawn on to the car body, which will open as a gullwing, to also provide a shield from rain when entering the car, all dressed up for a night on the town on a rainy night.

The front passenger seat will swivel to gain assess to the rear passengers. The rear seat will be an “L†shaped couch and on the driver side of the car,

only the front section will open to give the driver assess to the area.

I will have to change the name of the car to the Chrysler 300EX Opera Sedan Concept proving once again that “everything old is new again†and the fact that some of the best new ideas are stolen from others who went before.

As a small side note, I was kicking around the idea of articulating the gullwing door to hinge in the center, directly at the point where the window and side come together so the door would “fold†up underneath itself….I don’t know, I am thinking about that idea. It would be even more different…we’ll have to wait and see how this progresses. My designs tend to be a work in process (not progress) until the last minute. I am always willing to change up ideas if something else looks better.

[charlie8575]

I really like that idea, Pete. It's a unique spin on a modern car, many of which are now just "strange."

I understand the 300 has been redesigned for 2011, but I haven't seen any pictures. I'll be curious to see how yours stacks up against it.

I must say, though, I think you've come up with a really interesting design.

Charlie Larkin

[Plasticfanatic]

Truly unique desing and quite interesting subject, as usual will be watching this amazing project come to life.

The doors technick are superb!!

Fred

Edited June 27, 2010 by Plasticfanatic