We've said some terrible things about the Chrysler 300 in the past, but we stand by our opinion that the standard car is nothing special. The Pentastar V6-powered base model lacks the excitement of the discontinued SRT-8, and you have to pay extra for a V8, but it's only the 5.7-liter, not the 6.4-liter from the SRT products. Sacrilege.

That's why the new limited edition 300C, unveiled this week and now on display in the metal at the 2022 Detroit Auto Show, is so exciting. Only 2,000 will be made, all with a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter V8 under the hood, just like the old SRT-8. It produces 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque (15 hp and 5 lb-ft more than the SRT-8), which is good for a sub-five-second sprint to 60 mph and a 12.4-second quarter-mile.

It's hard not to get nostalgic staring at this car. We get why it's called the 300C and not the SRT8. It's meant to be a tribute to all 300 models dating back decades. Even though it's based on a platform that's two decades old, the styling still feels relevant in 2022. We love the tri-color grille badge and the unique grille opening, which serves a function and isn't merely a design feature.

But this car is all about the engine, which is why we popped the hood to see that lovely Hemi V8 in person. It's a gutsy engine, providing loads of low-down grunt and a growling exhaust note. Couple that with a rear-drive setup sending power through an eight-speed transmission, and tail-happy slides are all but inevitable.

The trunk is pretty large, offering a cavernous 16.3 cubic feet of space. That makes this among the most practical muscle cars available, unless you count the Dodge Durango SRT. This holds true for the back seat too, with a spacious 40.1 inches of legroom in the rear. Both your family and luggage will be amply accommodated by the 300C.

Inside, the 300C isn't vastly different from other 300 models and you can tell it shares a lot in common with the Dodge Charger. The seats are the same ones you get in a Charger SRT Scat Pack, though they now have a special '300C' logo embossed in them.

As for the gauges, they look very different from the Dodge lineup, with softer blue lighting instead of red. To change gears, the 300C relies on a rotating shift knob rather than the T-handle found in the Charger. The 8.4-inch touchscreen still uses an older Uconnect system and is surrounded by copious amounts of plastic, but some carbon fiber on the dash gives the 300C a more premium feel.

It's hard not to see this car as a collector's item since we know it won't be available beyond 2023. Gas-powered muscle cars are dying out, and when you look at the 300C with that in mind, the cool factor suddenly shoots through the roof. But then you climb inside and experience an old interior festooned with modern features. The car tries to disguise its age, but it can't. There is enough modern technology here to keep most buyers happy, and the inclusion of the V8 should help the values remain strong in the future.