This really took me back. IN the late 70's, my grandfather had this same car on his farm in Iowa. same color. Take me for rides through the fields. Sometimes i would just go sit in it as a young kid. I really loved that car. He had about 4 old cars he drove. All from the 50's. But , this is the one i remember most.
One of the most beautiful designs from Virgil Exner🤩 has so many interesting lines and details inside and out! I really like a lot of his designs even the early '60s Valiant, to me looks so unique and cool. All the great designers contributed so much, it's hard to pick just one. Tomorrow's feature car is definitely my favorite of that model from the 50s, going to be cool 😎
I like the way electric windows go up and down on the back doors of a 4-door hardtop. Some windows have to go through all kinds of gyrations to get them to fit fully down in the back doors. Another interesting car in review. Thanks Jay.
Very enjoyable! I have looked over the website for Classic, boy so many tempting cars. But you are an asset in keeping the connection to the cars you review, well done!
Thank you the goal is to keep the information of these cars out there for anyone who wants it we really need more youngsters in this hobby I heard a type 57 Bugatti just sold at Kissimmee for $577,000 which is a lot of money but not nearly close to what those cars were going for a couple years ago.. part of me is like if I only wait 10 years I could probably get any senior Packard that I would want at a ridiculously good price, but the flip side is no one will know what that car is and who would work on it?
Personally my favorite spot for the gasoline door is in the center because it doesn’t matter which side of the pump you go on you will always be able to put gas in your car but they don’t do that anymore.. so drivers side
Hi Jay, My favorite Designer was Raymond Loewy. One year only for the dash mounted gear selector. '56 started the push buttons. 1955 set a record for US sales that wouldn't be bested until 1965. Take care!
Darn it I should have mentioned that I knew they went to push buttons in 56 thank you so much for pointing that out What was you favorite Loewy design (mine is 57 studebaker golden hawk)
@@What.its.like. I don't know Jay. Loewy's business did so many iconic designs. And by that, I mean a lot of varied subjects, not just cars. Also, Loewy had some extremely talented designers working for him. I'd say the '53-'54 Studebaker Starlight coupes (pillared) although Loewy employee Robert Bourke actually designed it. The '41 Nash 600/Ambassador is up there. The '47 Studebaker line was cool. Once again however that design work was heavily influenced by none other than Virgil Exner who was employed by Loewy at the time. Exner joined Chrysler Corp. in 1949.
@@michaelabernathy7013 Lowey was a close 2nd to me, too. He was quite the industrial designer, they should make a movie about Isn't there more than a passing resemblance of the '42 Nash to the Nissan Juke?!
@@sableminer8133 No doubt design features are rehashed. Famously, Loewy designed the 'Lucky Strike' cigarette pack logo and the red, white and blue design on the exterior of the first Air Force One. There may be a documentary on Raymond Loewy. Would certainly make sense.
My grandfather owned a 1955 Royal Lancer two door hardtop. It was easily the nicest car on the block. It was a step up from the Coronet in this video. Dodge had style in those days! Two and even three tone paint jobs became popular as the automakers raced to compete in offering bigger and more powerful cars.
My first car was this same model, paint and everything. The radio did not work when I got it. This was in 1966. I removed it and took it to a tv/ radio repair store. It used tubes and we replaced most of them. It had an incredible sound when repaired. I hated the white roof so had a body shop repaint the dark green along with the roof. Much better looking after that.
Jay, maybe a Pimp LOL Best line in the whole review. As far as all the designers I agree with you is very hard if not impossible just to pick one cuz they were also talented. It just came down to whose idea of designing you thought you might like better and you bought their product but they were all just fabulous. And really the automotive market changed so quickly in the 50s that you had to have great designers and you had to be able to move quickly to get product to market. Because the next year the same thing might not look good....
I hate what Chrysler did to exner he saved Chrysler (who knows what Chrysler would be without him) but it was one of those all good things must pass I guess. Glad you liked that line I throw some zingers in there every now and then =)
The La Femme versions of this car are beautiful. They have great colors, frankly if I saw one of these 50's Dodges for sale at a decent price... Yep, I'd be a buyer.
@@What.its.like. You're 100% right there.... One of my closest friends in the old country (Sweden), has a '57 Chrysler 300C and a New Yorker, the lucky son of a b....! 😎
Hey Jay, this 55 Dodge is like a brand new car!!! I love the tri tone color schemes of the fifties!! I think that Harley Earl is the most iconic automobile designer with Virgil Exner coming in second!!! Thanks for sharing another exciting video!!! 👍👍🙂
That was a loaded question but wanted to hear feedback I should have listed cars that those designers designed =) duke of earl is a great one he gave us the first car with fenders and running boards Buick y job
Automakers in the 1950s were relatively free to build what they wanted without much government regulation. Some exceptions were mandated directional signals (required starting MY 1953) & mandatory circular sealed beam headlights (starting MY 1940). The protruding Powerflite selector knob of 1955 would never be allowed today. The Powerflite & later Torqueflite pushbuttons begun in 1956 were annoying to drivers accustomed to GM or Ford vehicles. I can recall my Dad cussing when he picked up a rental 1958 Plymouth groping for the transmission wand selector that was of course not there.
I had a 1964 Dodge Dart. It also had the push button transmission. The car was kinda narrow. I appreciated that there was no automatic transmission shifter lever on the steering column or on the floor.
All the style themes add up to a very flavourful package. The great thing is you are aware of them, and can be a guide to people who may love the car, without knowing why. It adds to my experience, too, as whom doesn't like seeing their reference for beauty defined? Champion mate.
=) some of the 50s brands are really hard to follow though like Pontiac and they’re different branding options just keep slapping names on things to make it special
Had a 1956 Dodge Coronet 4-door with Red Ram engine mated to 2-speed TorqueFlite automatic. It also had push buttons for gear selection. More pronounced fins than the 1955. I noted some LaFemme images were from a 1956. There seemed to be a black and white 1956 in the background when you were showing off the car. I was a committed Mopar fanatic back when Chrysler meant power . Great video.
Another great review! Those radiused rear side windows are real cool, as were the rear sides in the 67 Eldorado which receded backwards into the very large C-pillar. Note: I had that door handle design on my 1955 Plymouth. It was NOT popular with people who had long fingernails because the frame around the button could easily injure the thumbnail by pulling it back...OUCH! Dodge & Plymouth went with a better design in 1956.
My dad had a '55 Royal that I learned to drive on. My brother had a chance to buy that car, but I was a year too young. I wanted that car bad, it was a beautiful car!
I have owned dozens of vintage mopars from the 50s and at one time had a restoration shop. My first was a 1953 Coronet 241 hemi. In my opinion the entire line of 1955 and 1956 Chrysler corporation products where the best built highest quality in their history. Starting in 1957 build quality was poor and lots of plastic parts were introduced.
Totally agree I love the 55 de Soto especially the wagons but live the push buttons over the weird automatic shift lever.. 55 Chrysler all makes had great styling and were full sized cars without being huge and over the top. A friend of mine has a 56 de Soto sedan and I’m not kidding you rear seat space is like being in a limo
@@What.its.like. I think the finest all around road car I have ever owned was my 1956 Dodge custom Royal D-500 with the 315 NASCAR Hemi. It's heavy duty suspension and brakes gave it outstanding handling and and the NASCAR Hemi 130 + mph performance
All the famous stylists had one thing in common: individual expression. Raymond Loewy, Bob Bourke, Brooks Stevens, Edmund E. Anderson, Ted Ornas et al created automobile designs that were unique. One cannot have a favorite! To me, as a car lover living in the forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, how a car looked had the biggest influence on me as to whether I liked a particular car. In their own way, all the famous stylists were great.
That was the best Chrysler ever was (in my opinion) they were making all kinds of strides in engineering and features, swivel seat, translucent/glowing steering wheels. Slant six seemed to end not long after exner left..
I know just listing off somethings that were made when Chrysler was at the top of their game, other ones include the experimented with cross ram intake, long tube intakes late 50s was the pinnacle of Chrysler and Exner being there was just kind of the cherry on top
Interesting gearshift! Mopars had the coolest dashes ever back then. Was giggling about the back seat room... I was "made" in the back seat of a '56 Plymouth Belvedere blue/white 4 door... ;-)
@@What.its.like. the aforementioned '56, my mom said that the reverse button would occasionally go into the dash and you couldn't get it out without pulling the cover plate off... she also said it went twice as fast in reverse than in drive... lol
The sticker should say "Use only ventilated gas cap" under the gas filler door. Interesting that the body has quite a bit of "Ford and Studebaker" styling influences into it. Ford in the side trim and Studebaker influence in the split front grill openings. Also has a bit of "1954 Hudson" on that hood trim.
Had an aunt with a similar car back in the day. Picture a 5'2" woman with a '55 Dodge with a 6 cylinder engine, three on the tree, manual brakes and steering. When she tried to park it was not a pleasant experience for anyone. My favorite designer by far was Bill Mitchell.
For cars, I'd have to put Virgil Exner as my favorite designer, maybe ever. The 57 Fury is almost impossible to top. I also like Raymond Loewy but more for his work with railroads.
So many great designers.. what happened (computers can’t make gorgeous lines like these cars had sculpting in clay versus sculpting well using computer programs night and day difference.)
@@What.its.like. Yeah, as a young man I wanted to move to Detroit & be a designer but when I saw computers taking over, I was like, "Nah, bye Felicia" 😆
I wanted to be an automotive designer when I was a kid I used to draw cars but was never Excellent at it.. and idk just born to late I’m more a clay model vs computer CAD, looked into it and it’s a very narrow field only a hand full back in the day there is less designers now it seems (could be wrong, it’s a Committee thing now too many rules and regulations
@@What.its.like. veey SAME man and we're like a generation apart, too fun. I also thought i wouldn't like the cold of Mich but who knew several auto maker's studios were out on west coast by the 90s. Oh well.
But no airconditioning. The pushbutton transmission selector was nicer. I had a great-aunt with one of the pink-paint Dodges. I had relatives with '57, '63 Chryslers, '57, '58, '60, '63, '68, '74 Plymouths, and '72 Dodge Dart. I owned a '66 New Yorker - best car I ever had.
Even the hemi concept was an old idea, but one that Chrysler began to use more experimentally during WWII for military contracts, it makes sense to utilise a noticeable improvement in an engine or gearbox design. Which seemed to effect the big 3 across the board in the states, postwar. The era could have left us with an oil crisis of demand outstripping supply, however the increase of oil demanded by the war effort, there was plenty, if your economy could afford it, which of course The US could.
Jay that's an awesome original survivor. I think 1955 for MOPAR was the best ever for styling so of course I go #1 Virgil Exner #2 Harley Earl. Wasn't that the first year for tri-tone? Thanks for another awesome video. PS I was all excited to name that tune and then I did not know it! 😂 BTW I was born in January 1955‼💫
I think Virgil Exner is my favorite 50s designer.. but The others designed some pretty fabulous stuff as well.. Alex tremblus (spelling) he designed the tucker.. dick Teague worked for packard and is responsible for the Caribbean the cathedral taillights on the Caribbean.. Then he went to AMC and designed the marlin and javelin AMX I believe.. bill Mitchell another get designer and duke of earl gave us the Buick y job the first car that had the fenders in body
I vote for Exner, too, because of the ‘57 and ‘58 Plymouth Belvedere and Fury. Remember Christine ? - from the movie “Christine” ?? My favorite self-driving car …
I've heard several times referring to the La Femme model as a 1955 option, but I have a friend who has a 1954 Coronet La Femme. His father purchased it from a Dodge dealership when it was 2 years old. The story is that it was specially ordered for the dealership owner's wife. It still has it's original pink painted body with white painted top and original interior. It has the Hemi, 2-spd Powerflite(column shifted) and power steering. It became the kid's car and my friend drove it to high school and college. He would park it a couple of blocks away from the high school so people wouldn't see him with it. My first year of college I parked in the college parking lot. I remember seeing the car there and his older sister was driving it. I would shake my head and felt sorry for her.
@@sking2173 Chrysler Corp. has done some pretty wild things and niche market cars. Also in 1955, Chrysler also introduced the C300. Having grown up with one, the appeal for a high-performance luxury car was certainly a big step forward and the rest of the industry soon followed.
I’ve been looking for a Chrysler 300 to do for a while now I found a 57 but they wanted a lot of money for it so I never even reached out to do in the car but I should if they still have it..
@@What.its.like. Yes. A 1957 Chrysler 300C is the one everyone wants. It is the pinnacle of the "forward look". Go to a Mopar car show, you'll probably find several.
Jay, just imagine how expensive new cars would be today if every new model had to have a new stamp and die developed for each year; except for just ornamental cheat sheets (as Studebaker seemed to begin to do more, as they poor cash flow soon caught up with them, and their 'frog mouth' models attested to their inability to create improved stamp & dies and even worse, an in house, improved high performance V8. The only thing I am unsure of with this one is the combination of the military aqua style for the upper two-tone, though I love the use of the lower pastel colours during the 50s. What ever happened to muted pastel colours, anyway? I saw a hand resto-mod of a local Japanese car a number of times, and it was a unique eggshell blue (almost) in a pastel, neither glossy nor matt. If only they were available as factory options again. I actually followed his car for a few blocks to keep an eye on it. I hope he didn't freak out and worry about what I wanted. "Just admiring your car, mister."
This car looks 1 million times better in person I wasn’t sure about the color combination according to pictures either but the car looks absolutely stunning in person.. it would be expensive but they make more money than they did back then the reason cars cost so much now is because they have computers and airbags and a lot more electronics in there as well as sound detonating people don’t realize that back then they didn’t have a lot of cars wasn’t insulated.. my truck doesn’t have any insulation in it or sound detonating so if something falls off the seat onto the metal floor it sounds like you’re getting shot at..
I don’t remember ever going back there I grew up in the 90s and we had big shelves in the rear of our cars I remember we used to sit four wide in the backseat though and still have space which is crazy
Virgil Exner is my top slot on the ones you listed . On the cars that made it to market His designs were more balanced and theme based. But he forgot when to quit the tail fin theme on the early 1960s Valiant
He was a genius.. honestly brought money back to Chrysler like look at what Chrysler was before 55 and then after the change can be Traced back the exner, I absolutely hate what happened to them in the 60s Chrysler completely shafted him
that rear window might go down that way because it would be easier to anchor it at the front and then have an angled or curved runner (or gear) that angled the window backwards. Far less mounting points and channels in the door for that glass than having the window go straight up and down.
It’s cool how they operate I never get tired of it because it’s unique it’s different they don’t do stuff like that now everything is so boring And generic and yet somehow they charge a fortune for the cars now
My Dad had a new Dodge Custom Royal Lancer. Top line Dodge. Tri tone dark blue light blue and ivory. I believe it had the 270 Super Red Ram engine. Very similar to this car but had small chrome fins added to the rear fender tops. By the time he sold it in 1959 it had already rusted out been body worked and repainted. The next Dodge only made it three years and went through three engines in that time. All great looking cars but not great rust resistance or reliability.
Yeah I’ve heard that from numerous people.. and that’s why their are so few.. a friend of mine has a 56 savoy I reviewed back in the summer anyway. He was saying there metal prep sucked so bad that brand new cars would rust after getting rained on in the parking lot. Any moisture would kill those cars and that leaves just a small demographic where those cars can survive and survival rate is very low for late 50s Chrysler products it wasn’t just dodge
Hi Jay, one thing I keep noticing with the bumper assembly, is they are largely redundant. As the bodywork of the car does not continue to curve around behind the bumper, and instead appears to jut out accident was cause grave damage to the body of the car, plus additional and likely cheaper work than to repair the body panels? Cheers for all your hard work, Jay
On the solidity of the outer door handles, Chrysler products had for some years previously been using handles of the 'old refrigerator door' type, which did break from time to time, so I'm guessing the solidity of their replacements was a reaction to that. On your size 34 pants test, I'll bet that there are 34 pants wearers with big overhanging bellies who would render this yardstick irrelevant. Cheers.
Yeah I just like showing that perspective there has only been one car where the steering wheel was in crotch and that was 58-60 t-bird which prompted this test
@@What.its.like. Well I hope folks watch the videos all the way through. Most of us know the tunes but it's not on our bucket list to be 'the first'. Keep 'em comin
Virgil Exner was a more daring design boss than most of his contemporaries. Some of his most brilliant designs are the 1957/1958 Plymouth, 1955 Chrysler 300, 1957 Chrysler 300/Windsor, and 1960 Chryslers. But he was also responsible for bad designs...1960 Valiant, 1961 Lancer, 1961 Chrysler, 1961 DeSoto, 1961 Imperial, 1960 Plymouth, 1961 Plymouth, 1962 Plymouth, 1960 Dodge Matador/Polara, 1961 Dodge Dart/Polara, and 1962 Dodge Dart.
Totally agree I love exners designs though 1959. It’s like 55 56 you just get to the party 57-58 starting to have a good time partying it up 59 oh yeah (that’s when the cool air man busts through the wall) 60-61 the worse hang over you’ve ever experienced
@@jonathanmorrisey5771 - And that’s a good thing. Those ‘62 Plymouths and Dodges looked like some ugly fish found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench …
I don't have a favorite designer from this era. I like all the results. The "LaFemme" model. " If not for a woman, then for a pimp". 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Some may not like that but it is a great joke to me. I am grandpa age. Thanks Jay. I really like that rear window ballet also.
You forgot Elwood Engel...known for the 1961 Lincoln Continental, 1964 Imperial, modified Exner designs, and other Chrysler designs. He was most famous for his "four corner, straight line, boxy" designs...however he was still the design boss at Chrysler for the rounded "fuselage" cars of later years. Alex Tremulis designed some classic and exotic cars in his younger years...however later in his career (such as with FoMoCo), he worked more in advanced concepts and not mass-market, production car design.
I forgot a bunch of people I was just thinking of the ones off the top of my head thank you so much for throwing him in there I knew I forgot a couple people that were staples.. =) thank you so much for all the insight my favorite Elwood Engle design is the Chrysler turbine car
Dude! You were late today! Can't say that I agree with the "too flashy that hasn't aged well" comment from the book! I think it's stunning. Beautiful interior, but doubt it's original. The first family car I remember was a 57 Coronet sedan. It was '64 then, I was 5. It seemed real old and out of style to me then, and a bit embarrassing but even worse was when the Dodge was in the shop due to a broken torsion bar, (common for Dodge in 57) my parents picked me up at kindergarten in my grandmother's '50 Ford. I liked to have died!
@@What.its.like. - Jay, the Chieftain was nice, but I’d like to put in my request for a review of a ‘57 or ‘58 Plymouth Belvedere or Fury. One of the finest offerings of the 50’s …
I’ve been looking for one trust me they had a 59 atClassic auto Mall but I wasn’t able to review it because it was too close to a bunch of other cars.. when I go back I’m going to see about doing that they had a 40 Chrysler product in another room that I wanted to do there’s a bunch of cars still there that I really want to do in their inventory just keeps expanding they have almost 900 cars for sale now =)
Frankly, Jay, I'm surprised that the largest V8 was only 4.4 Litres. Maybe I have the wrong impression of Detroit after all? My belief had been that for the very longest time, Detroit would shovel greater engine capacity, by way of a solution, for greater HP & torque at every occasion, despite which 4.4 Litres certainly is not a crazy big engine by any means. I am reporting this from the perspective of a long familiar user of the old but redoubtable 4.1 old Ford Australian development of the very first straight six from Detroit, in the first Falcon. Whose original engine was Ford USA supplied, with blueprints, allowing the development of foundries and forges for our local manufacture(these ran so hard in a lightweight panel-van that my passengers assumed I was running a 5.8 V8?? That engine was continually improved on, till reaching its incredible zenith in the guise of the 'Barra,' which with a single turbo fitted was so much lighter and more powerful, that Ford Australia de-tuned the engine so that it did not make the Coyote V8 look bad, with lessor cornering as well due to the V8s greater weight, causing a lot of under steer, despite being a RWD with LSD, and gross front suspension. The lipstick on a pig analogy comes to mind. I really think you may have to downplay your statement of answering every comment, with crazy bastards like me writing short stories for you @ every available opportunity. Your responses are nice and considered, but man, you have a family and all that stuff too to care for, not forgetting yourself mate.
I heard the story and read it a bunch of ways one ways the karman Ghia was originally a Chrysler design designed by exner and then Chrysler rejected the concept and exner took it to Ghia were it stayed then vw worked with Ghia and karman to make the karman Ghia but made it smaller the OG design was the size of a full sized car idk where I read that if I find the link I’ll link it =)
I think your right I have yet to do a late 50s Chrysler product, there wasn’t much of one on the 57 Chrysler wagon.. but like I said I haven’t done a 59 Chrysler product yet
@@What.its.like. The 59 Dodge has a very small front vent window. I have been watching Highway Patrol videos on UA-cam and they have some 58-59 Dodge police cars on the show.
All mopar products are don’t care what it is in the 50s But it’s crazy by 1970 it’s totally different they have the least amount of space.. I don’t know when it changed
Two Bottles of Whiskey - by - Bob Atkinson two bottles of whiskey feelin’ mighty fine I’m just a flyin’ through the world barely gotta dime up and over the mountain not takin’ my time bottle of whiskey makes me feel fine slalomed through the grapevine hour on the road zip through the valley carryin’ quite a load lordy lordy hit the bottom of the hill car’s doin’ fine tires squealing sweetly as they cross the yellow line lordy lordy headin’ up through the baker’s field lights so bright palm trees a wavin’ at the mopar in the night speed signs are posted all around the town cops are sleepin’ they don’t wave us down horray ! Maggie’s sittin’ waitin’ on her porch in Valley Joe Donna’s there too ! Waitin for brother Earl to show double nickel Dodge engine seems so alive twice its age in MPH flyin’ through time lordy, lordy gotta keep-a-movin’ 500 miles of road singin’ Hank’s songs holdin’ on to one’s soul 99 through California on the way to Valley Joe that’s where I’m headin’ speedin’ down the road yeah that’s where I’m headin’ speedin’ down the road
A Million Times better looking than what I see on the roads these days is all I can say guys, all of them Chrysler,Dodge,Plymouth,DeSoto,Imperial and the rest of them GM,Studebaker ( never really liked Fords at all 🤣🤣🤣🤣 , I,ll drive any of them weather Dodge,Oldsmobile,Pontiac,Studebaker, just one thing, I thought Dodges were much faster than 104mph, didn,t one actually came out with the fastest Stock lap on the early Daytona Beach Race, think it was 140mph, in 1955???? It actually beat the new Chrysler 300 which was an embarrassment !
Good observations on these rad 55 Dodges! That they were so well designed that they look like art makes me a big fan! Exner had fantastic ideas, so I choose his vision as that era's best. Chrysler was a fool to have fired him like they did. If the big wigs had had better quality standards and practices, people wouldn't have been so turned off by the Sixties. Keep up the gr8 enthusiasm, luv your content.
I’m a huge Exner fan as well.. he made Chrysler what they were in the late 50s.. and Sort of in a way defined 50s culture to the fins and jet culture without exner things would have been totally different.. I don’t have a donation button because I don’t want this to ever be about money.. that’s sort of why I never did a live event yet because I don’t want it to be about that I want it to be about keeping the information out there for anybody that wants it =)
Exner was actually not responsible for the 1962 designs. He was in the hospital recovering from a major heart attack. Tex Newberg, then Chrysler president, was on at a cocktail party in mid-1960 and overheard a conversation between some competing company officials [Ford and GM] regarding their upcoming 116" wheelbase models. Newberg assumed [incorrectly] that they were talking about their upcoming full-size cars. The next morning [Monday] he called in the design staff and ordered the '62s to be reworked and shrunk th fit a 116" wheelbase. Exner called the downsized '62 Plamouth/Dodge plucked chickens.
As the story goes the design team converted exners design (slightly changed it and downsized it to compete with the “smaller chevy”, and the original design wasn’t bad looking, sad thing was exner got fired over the whole ordeal).. and that’s how the auto industry is one day your high on a mountain next day your out the door it’s an industry where no one is safe..
Work on improving the sound levels to make them more level. Very annoying for sound level to suddenly increase. Loud sounds are not exciting or appropriate. It's a vented gas cap not gas car.
It’s because I don’t have a microphone and I talk softer when with the car is because, there are generally people in the background and they might think that you’re talking to them if you talk louder otherwise it’s almost like you’re talking to yourself by the car if people get weirded out hard to explain..
![[Dealer Film] 1955 Plymouth engineering vs Chevy/Ford, Under the Forward Look! Tear EM APART!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/AwQZ0oZ9mlw/mqdefault.jpg)
![1955 Dodge Coronet Suburban | [4K] | REVIEW SERIES | "The Surf Wagon"](/img/n.gif)
Telephone line ELO
Yeah buddy Congratulations you got it =)
Next episode is going to be 1957 Pontiac chieftain
I didn't refresh my comments so I thought I was first to comment the song lol
1955 & 1956 dodge & 1955 desoto are my favorite mopars of all times
A 1955 Dodge was my grandfather's (1890-1963) last car ; he loved it ! 😊
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your grandpas car with us =)
My Dad had a 1955 Coronet (Two Door)! It was two toned Dark Blue on top of Light Blue! Beautiful car.
Awesome did you get to drive it 230 or 270? What was your favorite memory
@@What.its.like. I did get to drive it! I believe it was the 270.
This really took me back. IN the late 70's, my grandfather had this same car on his farm in Iowa. same color. Take me for rides through the fields. Sometimes i would just go sit in it as a young kid. I really loved that car. He had about 4 old cars he drove. All from the 50's. But , this is the one i remember most.
Happy to bring those memories back thank you for sharing them with us
One of the most beautiful designs from Virgil Exner🤩 has so many interesting lines and details inside and out! I really like a lot of his designs even the early '60s Valiant, to me looks so unique and cool. All the great designers contributed so much, it's hard to pick just one. Tomorrow's feature car is definitely my favorite of that model from the 50s, going to be cool 😎
Totally agree =)
The image at 02:25 is of a 1956 not the 1955 you are reviewing here. Notice the rising tail-fins applied atop the '55's shape.
Hi Jay! Everything on this 1955 Dodge is beautiful, the 1950s at its best!
I love the 50s but the 30s are right there with the 50s
A beloved family friend of ours when I was a kid, owned a 1956 Custom Royal Lancer 4-door in Jet Black.
Awesome memory =)
Did you ever get to ride in the car
I like the way electric windows go up and down on the back doors of a 4-door hardtop. Some windows have to go through all kinds of gyrations to get them to fit fully down in the back doors. Another interesting car in review. Thanks Jay.
You’re right it’s even cooler whenever it’s electric and it does that =) glad you dig this episode
Very enjoyable! I have looked over the website for Classic, boy so many tempting cars. But you are an asset in keeping the connection to the cars you review, well done!
Thank you the goal is to keep the information of these cars out there for anyone who wants it we really need more youngsters in this hobby
I heard a type 57 Bugatti just sold at Kissimmee for $577,000 which is a lot of money but not nearly close to what those cars were going for a couple years ago.. part of me is like if I only wait 10 years I could probably get any senior Packard that I would want at a ridiculously good price, but the flip side is no one will know what that car is and who would work on it?
I totally agree with you on the placement of the gas door!
Personally my favorite spot for the gasoline door is in the center because it doesn’t matter which side of the pump you go on you will always be able to put gas in your car but they don’t do that anymore.. so drivers side
Hi Jay,
My favorite Designer was Raymond Loewy. One year only for the dash mounted gear selector. '56 started the push buttons. 1955 set a record for US sales that wouldn't be bested until 1965. Take care!
Darn it I should have mentioned that I knew they went to push buttons in 56 thank you so much for pointing that out
What was you favorite Loewy design (mine is 57 studebaker golden hawk)
@@What.its.like. I don't know Jay. Loewy's business did so many iconic designs. And by that, I mean a lot of varied subjects, not just cars. Also, Loewy had some extremely talented designers working for him.
I'd say the '53-'54 Studebaker Starlight coupes (pillared) although Loewy employee Robert Bourke actually designed it. The '41 Nash 600/Ambassador is up there. The '47 Studebaker line was cool. Once again however that design work was heavily influenced by none other than Virgil Exner who was employed by Loewy at the time. Exner joined Chrysler Corp. in 1949.
@@michaelabernathy7013 Lowey was a close 2nd to me, too. He was quite the industrial designer, they should make a movie about
Isn't there more than a passing resemblance of the '42 Nash to the Nissan Juke?!
@@sableminer8133 No doubt design features are rehashed. Famously, Loewy designed the 'Lucky Strike' cigarette pack logo and the red, white and blue design on the exterior of the first Air Force One. There may be a documentary on Raymond Loewy. Would certainly make sense.
My grandfather owned a 1955 Royal Lancer two door hardtop. It was easily the nicest car on the block. It was a step up from the Coronet in this video. Dodge had style in those days! Two and even three tone paint jobs became popular as the automakers raced to compete in offering bigger and more powerful cars.
Thank you so much for sharing your dads car on here =)
My first car was this same model, paint and everything. The radio did not work when I got it. This was in 1966. I removed it and took it to a tv/ radio repair store. It used tubes and we replaced most of them. It had an incredible sound when repaired. I hated the white roof so had a body shop repaint the dark green along with the roof. Much better looking after that.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing those memories with us
Jay, maybe a Pimp LOL Best line in the whole review. As far as all the designers I agree with you is very hard if not impossible just to pick one cuz they were also talented. It just came down to whose idea of designing you thought you might like better and you bought their product but they were all just fabulous. And really the automotive market changed so quickly in the 50s that you had to have great designers and you had to be able to move quickly to get product to market. Because the next year the same thing might not look good....
I hate what Chrysler did to exner he saved Chrysler (who knows what Chrysler would be without him) but it was one of those all good things must pass I guess. Glad you liked that line I throw some zingers in there every now and then =)
The La Femme versions of this car are beautiful. They have great colors, frankly if I saw one of these 50's Dodges for sale at a decent price... Yep, I'd be a buyer.
=) I need to find one 50s dodges are just hard to find
While over at Plymouth, they offered a sister car to La Femme, also in pink and white. It was called La Kuntte …
Oddly, it didn’t sell very well.
@@sking2173
A hummm......
The first Edsel had one of those.
It could mate with the towing hitch of a pickup truck.
Virgil Exner without a doubt, but....they all did some beautiful work! 😍🥰😎🏆🥇
I totally agree the 50s wouldn’t be the 50s without exner and his impact on the auto industry
@@What.its.like.
You're 100% right there....
One of my closest friends in the old country (Sweden), has a '57 Chrysler 300C and a New Yorker, the lucky son of a b....! 😎
Hey Jay, this 55 Dodge is like a brand new car!!! I love the tri tone color schemes of the fifties!!
I think that Harley Earl is the most iconic automobile designer with Virgil Exner coming in second!!! Thanks for sharing another exciting video!!! 👍👍🙂
That was a loaded question but wanted to hear feedback I should have listed cars that those designers designed =) duke of earl is a great one he gave us the first car with fenders and running boards Buick y job
Automakers in the 1950s were relatively free to build what they wanted without much government regulation. Some exceptions were mandated directional signals (required starting MY 1953) & mandatory circular sealed beam headlights (starting MY 1940). The protruding Powerflite selector knob of 1955 would never be allowed today. The Powerflite & later Torqueflite pushbuttons begun in 1956 were annoying to drivers accustomed to GM or Ford vehicles. I can recall my Dad cussing when he picked up a rental 1958 Plymouth groping for the transmission wand selector that was of course not there.
I had a 1964 Dodge Dart. It also had the push button transmission.
The car was kinda narrow.
I appreciated that there was no automatic transmission shifter lever on the steering column or on the floor.
All the style themes add up to a very flavourful package. The great thing is you are aware of them, and can be a guide to people who may love the car, without knowing why. It adds to my experience, too, as whom doesn't like seeing their reference for beauty defined?
Champion mate.
=) some of the 50s brands are really hard to follow though like Pontiac and they’re different branding options just keep slapping names on things to make it special
Had a 1956 Dodge Coronet 4-door with Red Ram engine mated to 2-speed TorqueFlite automatic. It also had push buttons for gear selection. More pronounced fins than the 1955. I noted some LaFemme images were from a 1956. There seemed to be a black and white 1956 in the background when you were showing off the car. I was a committed Mopar fanatic back when Chrysler meant power . Great video.
Awesome thank you for sharing your car with us and some of the memories glad you dig this episode =)
Another great review! Those radiused rear side windows are real cool, as were the rear sides in the 67 Eldorado which receded backwards into the very large C-pillar. Note: I had that door handle design on my 1955 Plymouth. It was NOT popular with people who had long fingernails because the frame around the button could easily injure the thumbnail by pulling it back...OUCH! Dodge & Plymouth went with a better design in 1956.
Oh wow I never knew that
My dad had a '55 Royal that I learned to drive on. My brother had a chance to buy that car, but I was a year too young. I wanted that car bad, it was a beautiful car!
I got my first car at 12 and it sat for four years.. but it was great and was worth the wait
I have owned dozens of vintage mopars from the 50s and at one time had a restoration shop. My first was a 1953 Coronet 241 hemi.
In my opinion the entire line of 1955 and 1956 Chrysler corporation products where the best built highest quality in their history. Starting in 1957 build quality was poor and lots of plastic parts were introduced.
Totally agree I love the 55 de Soto especially the wagons but live the push buttons over the weird automatic shift lever.. 55 Chrysler all makes had great styling and were full sized cars without being huge and over the top. A friend of mine has a 56 de Soto sedan and I’m not kidding you rear seat space is like being in a limo
@@What.its.like. I think the finest all around road car I have ever owned was my 1956 Dodge custom Royal D-500 with the 315 NASCAR Hemi. It's heavy duty suspension and brakes gave it outstanding handling and and the NASCAR Hemi 130 + mph performance
All the famous stylists had one thing in common: individual expression. Raymond Loewy, Bob Bourke, Brooks Stevens, Edmund E. Anderson, Ted Ornas et al created automobile designs that were unique. One cannot have a favorite!
To me, as a car lover living in the forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, how a car looked had the biggest influence on me as to whether I liked a particular car.
In their own way, all the famous stylists were great.
Totally agree hard to pick just one
I love these mid 50s to early 60s chrysler products. They are super cool.
That was the best Chrysler ever was (in my opinion) they were making all kinds of strides in engineering and features, swivel seat, translucent/glowing steering wheels. Slant six seemed to end not long after exner left..
@@What.its.like. - Jay, the slant-6 long outlived Exner …
I know just listing off somethings that were made when Chrysler was at the top of their game, other ones include the experimented with cross ram intake, long tube intakes late 50s was the pinnacle of Chrysler and Exner being there was just kind of the cherry on top
Interesting gearshift! Mopars had the coolest dashes ever back then. Was giggling about the back seat room... I was "made" in the back seat of a '56 Plymouth Belvedere blue/white 4 door... ;-)
I’m not a fan on the gear shift.. 56 gets push buttons
@@What.its.like. the aforementioned '56, my mom said that the reverse button would occasionally go into the dash and you couldn't get it out without pulling the cover plate off... she also said it went twice as fast in reverse than in drive... lol
The sticker should say "Use only ventilated gas cap" under the gas filler door.
Interesting that the body has quite a bit of "Ford and Studebaker" styling influences into it.
Ford in the side trim and Studebaker influence in the split front grill openings.
Also has a bit of "1954 Hudson" on that hood trim.
Oh wow, very cool!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad you dig =)
@@What.its.like. 👍👍
Had an aunt with a similar car back in the day. Picture a 5'2" woman with a '55 Dodge with a 6 cylinder engine, three on the tree, manual brakes and steering. When she tried to park it was not a pleasant experience for anyone. My favorite designer by far was Bill Mitchell.
Awesome bill Mitchell was a powerhouse for GM
Mitchel is my pick because he gave me my favorite car, the boat tail buick riviera!
Bill Mitchell was a power house to GM
For cars, I'd have to put Virgil Exner as my favorite designer, maybe ever. The 57 Fury is almost impossible to top. I also like Raymond Loewy but more for his work with railroads.
So many great designers.. what happened (computers can’t make gorgeous lines like these cars had sculpting in clay versus sculpting well using computer programs night and day difference.)
@@What.its.like. Yeah, as a young man I wanted to move to Detroit & be a designer but when I saw computers taking over, I was like, "Nah, bye Felicia" 😆
I wanted to be an automotive designer when I was a kid I used to draw cars but was never Excellent at it.. and idk just born to late I’m more a clay model vs computer CAD, looked into it and it’s a very narrow field only a hand full back in the day there is less designers now it seems (could be wrong, it’s a Committee thing now too many rules and regulations
@@What.its.like. veey SAME man and we're like a generation apart, too fun.
I also thought i wouldn't like the cold of Mich but who knew several auto maker's studios were out on west coast by the 90s. Oh well.
Looks like you could beam someone up with that heater control lever. LOL!
Just figured it out. Fuel filler door, reads "use only vented can." Plus, the C-pillar cheese graters are a thoughtful feature for taco nights.
Hahaha =)
My Roommate had His 56 Dodge Coronet from 1987-97
But no airconditioning. The pushbutton transmission selector was nicer. I had a great-aunt with one of the pink-paint Dodges. I had relatives with '57, '63 Chryslers, '57, '58, '60, '63, '68, '74 Plymouths, and '72 Dodge Dart. I owned a '66 New Yorker - best car I ever had.
Nice!
Pretty unique dashboard.
The video didn’t do it justice that dash was cool =)
@@What.its.like. They rarely do, for that matter. Keep em coming!
Great car, great episode !
Thank you glad you dig this episode =)
My Roommate owned a 1956 Dodge Coronet 4 Door Sedan with a 230 CID Flathead 6, Also had a Three on a Tree
Awesome =)
Even the hemi concept was an old idea, but one that Chrysler began to use more experimentally during WWII for military contracts, it makes sense to utilise a noticeable improvement in an engine or gearbox design. Which seemed to effect the big 3 across the board in the states, postwar. The era could have left us with an oil crisis of demand outstripping supply, however the increase of oil demanded by the war effort, there was plenty, if your economy could afford it, which of course The US could.
Jay that's an awesome original survivor. I think 1955 for MOPAR was the best ever for styling so of course I go #1 Virgil Exner #2 Harley Earl. Wasn't that the first year for tri-tone? Thanks for another awesome video. PS I was all excited to name that tune and then I did not know it! 😂 BTW I was born in January 1955‼💫
I think Virgil Exner is my favorite 50s designer.. but The others designed some pretty fabulous stuff as well.. Alex tremblus (spelling) he designed the tucker.. dick Teague worked for packard and is responsible for the Caribbean the cathedral taillights on the Caribbean.. Then he went to AMC and designed the marlin and javelin AMX I believe.. bill Mitchell another get designer and duke of earl gave us the Buick y job the first car that had the fenders in body
I vote for Exner, too, because of the ‘57 and ‘58 Plymouth Belvedere and Fury.
Remember Christine ? - from the movie “Christine” ?? My favorite self-driving car …
Or do you mean favorite possessed car hahaha
It’s got coat hooks. 🎉🥳🤩. Yay! Hurray! Hosanna! Woot woot!
On both sides lol
I've heard several times referring to the La Femme model as a 1955 option, but I have a friend who has a 1954 Coronet La Femme. His father purchased it from a Dodge dealership when it was 2 years old. The story is that it was specially ordered for the dealership owner's wife. It still has it's original pink painted body with white painted top and original interior. It has the Hemi, 2-spd Powerflite(column shifted) and power steering. It became the kid's car and my friend drove it to high school and college. He would park it a couple of blocks away from the high school so people wouldn't see him with it. My first year of college I parked in the college parking lot. I remember seeing the car there and his older sister was driving it. I would shake my head and felt sorry for her.
It is funny that Chrysler would build a car that half of the population was too embarrassed to drive …
That’s crazy I didn’t know they offered that option in 54
Thank you so much for sharing that story what a great memory =)
@@sking2173 Chrysler Corp. has done some pretty wild things and niche market cars. Also in 1955, Chrysler also introduced the C300. Having grown up with one, the appeal for a high-performance luxury car was certainly a big step forward and the rest of the industry soon followed.
I’ve been looking for a Chrysler 300 to do for a while now I found a 57 but they wanted a lot of money for it so I never even reached out to do in the car but I should if they still have it..
@@What.its.like. Yes. A 1957 Chrysler 300C is the one everyone wants. It is the pinnacle of the "forward look". Go to a Mopar car show, you'll probably find several.
Telephone by ELO such a great song and the 55 coronet is a great car too!
Totally agree I love the drums in that song.. It might be my favorite ELO song =)
@What.its.like. same here the main chorus is my favorite part with the "blue days black nights"
The pimp comment was beyond hilarious
Glad you liked that =)
Jay, just imagine how expensive new cars would be today if every new model had to have a new stamp and die developed for each year; except for just ornamental cheat sheets (as Studebaker seemed to begin to do more, as they poor cash flow soon caught up with them, and their 'frog mouth' models attested to their inability to create improved stamp & dies and even worse, an in house, improved high performance V8. The only thing I am unsure of with this one is the combination of the military aqua style for the upper two-tone, though I love the use of the lower pastel colours during the 50s. What ever happened to muted pastel colours, anyway? I saw a hand resto-mod of a local Japanese car a number of times, and it was a unique eggshell blue (almost) in a pastel, neither glossy nor matt. If only they were available as factory options again. I actually followed his car for a few blocks to keep an eye on it. I hope he didn't freak out and worry about what I wanted. "Just admiring your car, mister."
This car looks 1 million times better in person I wasn’t sure about the color combination according to pictures either but the car looks absolutely stunning in person.. it would be expensive but they make more money than they did back then the reason cars cost so much now is because they have computers and airbags and a lot more electronics in there as well as sound detonating people don’t realize that back then they didn’t have a lot of cars wasn’t insulated.. my truck doesn’t have any insulation in it or sound detonating so if something falls off the seat onto the metal floor it sounds like you’re getting shot at..
I think that sign on the gas door said vented gas cap.
Yeah I meant to take that part out my mind was pretty fried by that point I shot 20 cars that day
I used to try to lay across the rear shelf in my parent's '55 Plymouth, but they considered it dangerous and made me get down.
I don’t remember ever going back there I grew up in the 90s and we had big shelves in the rear of our cars I remember we used to sit four wide in the backseat though and still have space which is crazy
Vented gas cap. Non vented would draw the system into vacuum and stall the engine
Virgil Exner is my top slot on the ones you listed . On the cars that made it to market His designs were more balanced and theme based. But he forgot when to quit the tail fin theme on the early 1960s Valiant
He was a genius.. honestly brought money back to Chrysler like look at what Chrysler was before 55 and then after the change can be Traced back the exner, I absolutely hate what happened to them in the 60s Chrysler completely shafted him
that rear window might go down that way because it would be easier to anchor it at the front and then have an angled or curved runner (or gear) that angled the window backwards. Far less mounting points and channels in the door for that glass than having the window go straight up and down.
It’s cool how they operate I never get tired of it because it’s unique it’s different they don’t do stuff like that now everything is so boring And generic and yet somehow they charge a fortune for the cars now
@@What.its.like. Inflation.
My Dad had a new Dodge Custom Royal Lancer. Top line Dodge. Tri tone dark blue light blue and ivory. I believe it had the 270 Super Red Ram engine. Very similar to this car but had small chrome fins added to the rear fender tops. By the time he sold it in 1959 it had already rusted out been body worked and repainted. The next Dodge only made it three years and went through three engines in that time. All great looking cars but not great rust resistance or reliability.
Yeah I’ve heard that from numerous people.. and that’s why their are so few.. a friend of mine has a 56 savoy I reviewed back in the summer anyway. He was saying there metal prep sucked so bad that brand new cars would rust after getting rained on in the parking lot. Any moisture would kill those cars and that leaves just a small demographic where those cars can survive and survival rate is very low for late 50s Chrysler products it wasn’t just dodge
Lawrence Welk would be Proud.
That was my grandmas program used to make all the grand kids watch the reruns with her in the 90s
Hi Jay, one thing I keep noticing with the bumper assembly, is they are largely redundant. As the bodywork of the car does not continue to curve around behind the bumper, and instead appears to jut out accident was cause grave damage to the body of the car, plus additional and likely cheaper work than to repair the body panels?
Cheers for all your hard work, Jay
=) I didn’t notice that chieftain episode is coming soon I just finished it up. Juggling today as well..
On the solidity of the outer door handles, Chrysler products had for some years previously been using handles of the 'old refrigerator door' type, which did break from time to time, so I'm guessing the solidity of their replacements was a reaction to that. On your size 34 pants test, I'll bet that there are 34 pants wearers with big overhanging bellies who would render this yardstick irrelevant. Cheers.
Yeah I just like showing that perspective there has only been one car where the steering wheel was in crotch and that was 58-60 t-bird which prompted this test
My neighbor had a 1955 Lancer (Dodge) in the same Color.
Love this color combo
ELO Telephone Line maybe? Nice video, again.
Yeah you got it someone beat you to it if youtube would let me I’d tag all the winners =)
@@What.its.like. Well I hope folks watch the videos all the way through. Most of us know the tunes but it's not on our bucket list to be 'the first'. Keep 'em comin
I thought about premiering the episodes to make it fair across-the-board I just haven’t figured out a time slot that works yet
Virgil Exner was a more daring design boss than most of his contemporaries. Some of his most brilliant designs are the 1957/1958 Plymouth, 1955 Chrysler 300, 1957 Chrysler 300/Windsor, and 1960 Chryslers. But he was also responsible for bad designs...1960 Valiant, 1961 Lancer, 1961 Chrysler, 1961 DeSoto, 1961 Imperial, 1960 Plymouth, 1961 Plymouth, 1962 Plymouth, 1960 Dodge Matador/Polara, 1961 Dodge Dart/Polara, and 1962 Dodge Dart.
Totally agree I love exners designs though 1959. It’s like 55 56 you just get to the party 57-58 starting to have a good time partying it up 59 oh yeah (that’s when the cool air man busts through the wall) 60-61 the worse hang over you’ve ever experienced
He was actually not responsible for the 1962s.
@@jonathanmorrisey5771 - And that’s a good thing. Those ‘62 Plymouths and Dodges looked like some ugly fish found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench …
Excited for next video. Lemme know if you want any info on the dual coupling hydramatic!
=)
I don't have a favorite designer from this era. I like all the results.
The "LaFemme" model. " If not for a woman, then for a pimp". 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Some may not like that but it is a great joke to me. I am grandpa age.
Thanks Jay. I really like that rear window ballet also.
Yeah I like to throw some zingers in there from time to time =)
You forgot Elwood Engel...known for the 1961 Lincoln Continental, 1964 Imperial, modified Exner designs, and other Chrysler designs. He was most famous for his "four corner, straight line, boxy" designs...however he was still the design boss at Chrysler for the rounded "fuselage" cars of later years. Alex Tremulis designed some classic and exotic cars in his younger years...however later in his career (such as with FoMoCo), he worked more in advanced concepts and not mass-market, production car design.
I forgot a bunch of people I was just thinking of the ones off the top of my head thank you so much for throwing him in there I knew I forgot a couple people that were staples.. =) thank you so much for all the insight my favorite Elwood Engle design is the Chrysler turbine car
Engel designs look good the day the came out and ageless 20 years later
The ‘61 Lincoln Continental - Engel was a genius …
I like the 55-56 cars better than the 57-60 card (with some exceptions). They got too crazy with the tailfins, and taste went out the window imho.
Dude! You were late today! Can't say that I agree with the "too flashy that hasn't aged well" comment from the book! I think it's stunning. Beautiful interior, but doubt it's original. The first family car I remember was a 57 Coronet sedan. It was '64 then, I was 5. It seemed real old and out of style to me then, and a bit embarrassing but even worse was when the Dodge was in the shop due to a broken torsion bar, (common for Dodge in 57) my parents picked me up at kindergarten in my grandmother's '50 Ford. I liked to have died!
I'm now driving a 14 year old car and feel no embarrassment at all! Ha! Funny how perception changes with age! Looking forward to the Star Chief!
Even back in the 60’s, kids were so narcissistic …
Yeah I was juggling a lot yesterday lol not sure if chieftain is going up today or tomorrow probably tomorrow. =)
@@What.its.like. - Jay, the Chieftain was nice, but I’d like to put in my request for a review of a ‘57 or ‘58 Plymouth Belvedere or Fury. One of the finest offerings of the 50’s …
I’ve been looking for one trust me they had a 59 atClassic auto Mall but I wasn’t able to review it because it was too close to a bunch of other cars.. when I go back I’m going to see about doing that they had a 40 Chrysler product in another room that I wanted to do there’s a bunch of cars still there that I really want to do in their inventory just keeps expanding they have almost 900 cars for sale now =)
Frankly, Jay, I'm surprised that the largest V8 was only 4.4 Litres. Maybe I have the wrong impression of Detroit after all? My belief had been that for the very longest time, Detroit would shovel greater engine capacity, by way of a solution, for greater HP & torque at every occasion, despite which 4.4 Litres certainly is not a crazy big engine by any means. I am reporting this from the perspective of a long familiar user of the old but redoubtable 4.1 old Ford Australian development of the very first straight six from Detroit, in the first Falcon. Whose original engine was Ford USA supplied, with blueprints, allowing the development of foundries and forges for our local manufacture(these ran so hard in a lightweight panel-van that my passengers assumed I was running a 5.8 V8??
That engine was continually improved on, till reaching its incredible zenith in the guise of the 'Barra,' which with a single turbo fitted was so much lighter and more powerful, that Ford Australia de-tuned the engine so that it did not make the Coyote V8 look bad, with lessor cornering as well due to the V8s greater weight, causing a lot of under steer, despite being a RWD with LSD, and gross front suspension. The lipstick on a pig analogy comes to mind. I really think you may have to downplay your statement of answering every comment, with crazy bastards like me writing short stories for you @ every available opportunity. Your responses are nice and considered, but man, you have a family and all that stuff too to care for, not forgetting yourself mate.
That was the smallest hemi ever made crazier thing yet was dodge de Soto and Chrysler all used DIFFERENT hemis
Kind of a cool looking car. Styling was bad. Excellent video.
Thank you glad you dig this episode
Having the gas cap on the right side would be fine if you were in England, Japan or anywhere else where they drive on the left side of the road. 😊
Yeah
Interestingly, Coronet had been the top line car, with Meadowbrook and Wayfairer the middle and bottom level.
It went from being alpha to being omega
The sing is Telephone Line by ELO
You got it someone beat you to it
Hi Jay,
I'm probably prejudiced because I own a 1962 Dodge Dart, but, I'm partial to Virgil Exner
I’m a huge exner fan I hate what Chrysler did to him... did you know he designed the karman Ghia
@@What.its.like. I believe you mean the 1958 Dual Ghia.
He also designed the Stutz Blackhawk
Sorry strongly influenced by Virgil Exner lol
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Karmann_Ghia
@@What.its.like.OK.. the designers at Ghia were influenced by exner's work but he himself did not actually have any input to the design personally.
I heard the story and read it a bunch of ways one ways the karman Ghia was originally a Chrysler design designed by exner and then Chrysler rejected the concept and exner took it to Ghia were it stayed then vw worked with Ghia and karman to make the karman Ghia but made it smaller the OG design was the size of a full sized car idk where I read that if I find the link I’ll link it =)
"if not for a woman, maybe a pimp..." 😂 😂 😂
I knew you guys would get a kick out of that line so I left it in there =)
Trying to find a video on a 55 dodge Mayfair
They made them in Canada ..there is like Zero info on them
I’ll look for one I’ve never seen one
The name “La Femme” would have been more fitting for the ‘58 Edsel …
Only if the the horse grill is the secret compartment to put all the accessories
If I remember correctly Chrysler cars never had much of a “dog leg” during the 50s.
I think your right I have yet to do a late 50s Chrysler product, there wasn’t much of one on the 57 Chrysler wagon.. but like I said I haven’t done a 59 Chrysler product yet
@@What.its.like. The 59 Dodge has a very small front vent window. I have been watching Highway Patrol videos on UA-cam and they have some 58-59 Dodge police cars on the show.
It's called evolution
Raymond Louiey
Sweet =)
Mitsubishi had a model called the “Lancer “ if I remember correctly.
Yeah they did, when I see lance I think of the crackers which I never eat they were my dads thing
Pretty roomy in back for a 2 door coup.
All mopar products are don’t care what it is in the 50s
But it’s crazy by 1970 it’s totally different they have the least amount of space.. I don’t know when it changed
@@What.its.like. And those later cars were much longer, too.
70 Challenger has 0 space in rear seat
@@What.its.like. It was a sports car, of course. They never do. They never have.
@@What.its.like. I might be thinking of the Doge Charger.
I no the dog leg is at the rear quarter PNL
Is that Telephone Line by Electric Light Orchestra?
Yes that’s it =) you wasn’t first but still got it I wish I could tag multiple people.
No worries, lol. Had me for a minute. They have so many amazing songs!
They do =)
Two Bottles of Whiskey
- by - Bob Atkinson
two bottles of whiskey
feelin’ mighty fine
I’m just a flyin’ through the world
barely gotta dime
up and over the mountain
not takin’ my time
bottle of whiskey
makes me feel fine
slalomed through the grapevine
hour on the road
zip through the valley
carryin’ quite a load
lordy lordy
hit the bottom of the hill
car’s doin’ fine
tires squealing sweetly
as they cross the yellow line
lordy lordy
headin’ up through the baker’s field
lights so bright
palm trees a wavin’
at the mopar in the night
speed signs are posted
all around the town
cops are sleepin’
they don’t wave us down
horray !
Maggie’s sittin’ waitin’
on her porch in Valley Joe
Donna’s there too !
Waitin for brother Earl to show
double nickel Dodge engine
seems so alive
twice its age in MPH
flyin’ through time
lordy, lordy
gotta keep-a-movin’
500 miles of road
singin’ Hank’s songs
holdin’ on to one’s soul
99 through California
on the way to Valley Joe
that’s where I’m headin’
speedin’ down the road
yeah
that’s where I’m headin’
speedin’ down the road
Thank you so much for sharing that song =)
A Million Times better looking than what I see on the roads these days is all I can say guys, all of them Chrysler,Dodge,Plymouth,DeSoto,Imperial and the rest of them GM,Studebaker ( never really liked Fords at all 🤣🤣🤣🤣 , I,ll drive any of them weather Dodge,Oldsmobile,Pontiac,Studebaker, just one thing, I thought Dodges were much faster than 104mph, didn,t one actually came out with the fastest Stock lap on the early Daytona Beach Race, think it was 140mph, in 1955???? It actually beat the new Chrysler 300 which was an embarrassment !
That was a very special dodge if I remember it was the dodge version of Chrysler 300
Elo
Elo telephone line
Yep a great ELO song =) man I was born way too late
Good observations on these rad 55 Dodges! That they were so well designed that they look like art makes me a big fan! Exner had fantastic ideas, so I choose his vision as that era's best. Chrysler was a fool to have fired him like they did. If the big wigs had had better quality standards and practices, people wouldn't have been so turned off by the Sixties.
Keep up the gr8 enthusiasm, luv your content.
I’m a huge Exner fan as well.. he made Chrysler what they were in the late 50s.. and Sort of in a way defined 50s culture to the fins and jet culture without exner things would have been totally different..
I don’t have a donation button because I don’t want this to ever be about money.. that’s sort of why I never did a live event yet because I don’t want it to be about that I want it to be about keeping the information out there for anybody that wants it =)
@@What.its.like. Ohhh! Party on, Garth! Oh shit I looked again and those visors are teal, sorry
Exner was actually not responsible for the 1962 designs.
He was in the hospital recovering from a major heart attack.
Tex Newberg, then Chrysler president, was on at a cocktail party in mid-1960 and overheard a conversation between some competing company officials [Ford and GM] regarding their upcoming 116" wheelbase models.
Newberg assumed [incorrectly] that they were talking about their upcoming full-size cars. The next morning [Monday] he called in the design staff and ordered the '62s to be reworked and shrunk th fit a 116" wheelbase.
Exner called the downsized '62 Plamouth/Dodge plucked chickens.
As the story goes the design team converted exners design (slightly changed it and downsized it to compete with the “smaller chevy”, and the original design wasn’t bad looking, sad thing was exner got fired over the whole ordeal).. and that’s how the auto industry is one day your high on a mountain next day your out the door it’s an industry where no one is safe..
Work on improving the sound levels to make them more level. Very annoying for sound level to suddenly increase. Loud sounds are not exciting or appropriate. It's a vented gas cap not gas car.
It’s because I don’t have a microphone and I talk softer when with the car is because, there are generally people in the background and they might think that you’re talking to them if you talk louder otherwise it’s almost like you’re talking to yourself by the car if people get weirded out hard to explain..