Production of Chrysler’s 300 is finally coming to an end this month, bringing the curtain down on an incredible 18-year run. Stellantis announced that the last of the Hemi-powered 300C hotrods had rolled off the Brampton Assembly line, and confirmed that the regular 300 would join it in the Chrysler showroom in the sky before the end of 2023.
Though if we’re honest the car should probably have been killed off a decade ago, the big sedan’s demise is still sad, particularly for those involved in the model’s creation, including design boss Ralph Gilles. A 31-year Chrysler veteran, Gilles is currently the overall design boss of Stellantis, and in the early 2000s shaped the arresting retro look of the original 300.
Gilles posted twice to Instagram to mark the occasion, first with a grainy period shot of the 2005 production car with the Chrysler team gathered around it, and then with something a bit more dynamic and a ton more fun. It’s a single video clip shot from a car following a 300 on a track, with smoke pouring out of both rear wheel arches as the sedan negotiates a super-long right-hand turn. Gilles doesn’t quite manage to link the two parts of the bend into one giant slide, though he’s clearly got the car control to put it together given a few more runs (and judging by the lines on the pavement, this wasn’t his first go).
Related: Last Hemi-Powered Chrysler 300C Leaves The Factory
You’ve probably heard about Gilles’ impressive car collection and know that he’s a man whose interest in automobiles extends well beyond his day job. Some of his privately owned vehicles include a vintage Alfa Romeo coupe, a Peugeot 205 GTI, a Lancia Delta Integrale, and a stunning 1968 Dodge Charger developed with SpedKore and equipped with a 1,000 hp (1,016 PS) Hellephant V8.