This charming little chariot is so cute! Not many cars could pull off tri-toned pink, lavender, and white . . .
Found on Craigslist; location Stroudsburg, PA. Seller’s description:
Regarding colors, I should say Sapphire White, Chinese Rose, and ?????? I’m assuming the lavender paint is original, but that shade doesn’t show up on this chart. I can just imagine someone walking into a Dodge dealer’s and saying, “I want the top-of-the-line Dodge sedan. I’ll take it in white, pink, and purple!” Oh, so de rigeur for the times!!
That’s just one of many mysteries I’d like to know the answers to. The front plate is from Quebec–is there a Canadian connection?
The ad says “engine free”. Does that mean it actually runs or it’s just not seized up? I’m trying to determine if power steering and power brakes are under there. A dainty carriage like this really needs those power assists for relaxed, effortless driving.
Interior seems fair-to-good. Are we missing a headliner? That’s a $1000 job right there.
Here’s a close-up of that jewel-like dash. (Photo is from another internet site). There’s the pod for “Push-Button PowerFlite” transmission. “The magic touch of tomorrow!”
If the inside door panels are nice, I get a good feeling about the entire car!
“Panel-Perfect” interior. Luxury fabrics befitting the Custom Royal–the most costly 4-door sedan in the 1956 Dodge line.
Ah, what would it be like to start ‘er up, gently depress the accelerator, and guide that enormous steering wheel for a trip around the block, riding in pink and purple splendor?
Here’s what Consumer Reports had to say about it:
Trunk looks good. That might be the original jack.
That terrifying rear! A mere precursor to even more otherworldly, far-out shapes yet to come from Dodge, hitting the public, thundering in rapid succession: 1957, ’58, ’59, ’60, ’61, ’62!
I already have my own pastel-colored Dodge, a 1960 Phoenix (top of the Dodge Dart line) in aqua blue and white. This Dodge Dart Phoenix, with its power steering & brakes, lush seating, deluxe interior fittings, smooth and well-insulated slant six engine and Torsion-Aire ride drives like a dream–and comes very close to the high-priced Imperial in terms of luxury and smoothness, but without the excess weight, bulk, and gasoline consumption.
Dodge as a brand has always appealed to me: Take a low-priced Plymouth, but make it longer, fancier, plusher; with nicer upholstery, intricate dashboards, and more powerful engines. Sort of like what Mercury was to Ford, and what Pontiac was to Chevrolet. Of course, all this got muddled up in the late ’60s & ’70s when differences between the two makes became minor and inconsequential. By 1981, did it really matter whether you bought a Dodge Aries or a Plymouth Reliant?
Earlier in this post I referred to the ’56 as being “little” and “cute”. It may surprise you to know that the long- and sleek-looking ’60 Dart is actually 4″ shorter than the ’56 Dodge! Styling has a way of fooling the eye. The ’56 is 4″ higher, which somehow makes it seem more compact.
Speaking of purple Mopars, several years ago I had the opportunity to buy a dark purple 1959 Imperial much like this one. It was a 4-door hardtop, but not a LeBaron, and not quite as nice looking as this. It did have the optional Silvercrest stainless steel landau roof. I took a test drive, noticed quite a few problems I didn’t like, so I didn’t pull the trigger. The price was $7 or $8K. Someone else bought the car, did a lot of work on it, and then listed it on Craigslist asking $17K. Whether that person got that price–and made or lost money–I don’t know.
If I were just starting out with my first old car, I would love to buy this ’56 Dodge Custom Royal. It is truly unique, and I think the colors are beautiful and so rare. I could easily take Interstate 80 just over the New Jersey/Pennsylvania line, hand the seller $4800, and get free delivery back home. And that would be the start of a wonderful new automotive relationship. The thing is, I already have 3 old cars and can’t take on any more. I, the Great White Knight, can’t rescue any more damsels in distress. $4800 OBO is actually a nice price, and I think this car will sell quickly. If I had a fair fraction of Jay Leno’s resources, I could do so much more! But that is the terrible downside of the old car hobby–limitation!
P. S.: I love this ’56 Dodge commercial (2 minutes), which truly reflects the optimistic yet innocent spirit of the times: We’re all Americans, leaders of the Free World–together we’re working hard, building great things with all these wonderful machines. We’ve got secure, good paying jobs working the line–so we too can buy these great cars we’re so proud of. Velvet-voiced announcers don’t sound like this anymore. Love the music too–jazz-influenced classical, possibly sung by Michigan J. Frog, LOL!
The present day is wonderful in its own ways, but to me there will always be something truly special about what is called “The 1950s” in America!
It’s a pisser! I would not mind driving around in this gem. Thanks for bringing it to the fore. And remember, “No other car rides like a De Soto.” OOPS! Did I say that?
Very close to the 56 Dodge LaFemme. With a growing number of female drivers, Dodge offered LaFemme (complete with matching umbrella 🌂). Tri tone Pink, Lavender and Grey. A matching car intended for appeal to men never made it to production. The LaFemme didn’t live up to sales expectations and didn’t make it into 57. Yes! Yes! Yes! Put a song in you heart, a smile on your face and POP the cork on a 🍾🍸 and Drive on down to your local DOTCH Dealer! 🎵 🎶 🎵! Good Night to all you wunnerfull fine viewers! Lawrence Welk!
The Piper Tri-Pacer got in on the act in 1957: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/rampside-classic/rampside-classic-1957-piper-tri-pacer-shades-of-la-femme/
Yes Thomas, you DID say that! DESOTO had some of the best tri tones as well as IMO the best of Chrysler Corp styling! 🎵 It’s Delightful! 🎶 It’s Delovely 🎵 It’s DESOTO! 🎶 You said the secret word! The duck came down! Here’s your $50 bucks. Now hurry on down to your local DeSoto dealer and be sure to tell them Groucho sent you! Right Fennemen?
Regarding the mystery third color, do you think it could be Regal Orchid? There seems to be a few color charts for 1956 Dodges – I’m not familiar with them at all, but this one currently advertised on eBay lists a “supplement” page that contains Regal Orchid, which appears to be a purple/gray color. So possibly this color became available partway through the model year?
I believe the LaFemme was also available in Regal Orchid, so maybe the “supplement” just refers to limited availability. I don’t know if this color was available on many Dodge products, or whether it could have been a special order, but to me, the color itself seems to be close to your example here.
eBay listing link is here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335550132878
Chrysler was known for offering “Spring Special” colors and trims in the middle of the model year to spice things up, so these are likely midyear additions to the color choices.
OMG! That instrument panel is virtually the same as on family’s 61 Phoenix as well as 61 DeSoto. The opaque speedometer lit up at night. You could see it from in front of the car! Another Forward Look from Chrysler. Now, PLEASE don’t say Stellantis! 🤮
I notice the spare tire has the wheel cover on it. Must have been in the days when you got that extra wheel cover for the spare. Either that or the owner got it later.
Great looking car. I’ve not noticed this before, but the rear quarter photo really shows the design of the taillights. They look a little too much inspired by Buick for my liking. I liked the 55 Dodge rear better.
Funny thing about those Dodge taillights. When you moved up to a Desoto, there was an added third light in those fin towers for the extra money.
Yeah, the 1955 Dodges looked better (at least the lower trim models without the stubby little chrome ‘finlets’), but Chrysler products still had a 6v electrical system. That, and the dash lever for the PowerFlite versus the next-year push-button selector make them less desirable (mechanically, anyway) than the 1956 cars.
Then there’s the new TorqueFlite, except for its first year, it was only available in the 1956 Imperial and 300B.
Really wonder what “engine free” is supposed to mean. Maybe “free of issues”? From the photos, as the rest of the car looks reasonable, I would have to guess that it runs well enough.
That mystery aside, seems like an okay deal for someone wanting a nice, old ride. 1956 was generally considered the last good year for Chrysler products before quality took an abysmal nosedive that, to this day, they’ve never really fully recovered.
But, frankly, I’d rather have a 1956 Plymouth hardtop or convertible (maybe even a Fury), even if it just came with a wedge V8. I can’t really tell from the engine compartment photo but, AFAIK, the ‘Red Ram’ was Dodge’s version of the Firedome (Desoto) or Firepower (Chrysler) Hemi.
There’s no extra charge for the engine if you buy the car?
I guess there could be a ‘spare’ or ‘extra’ engine included. But if that’s the case, it’s very poorly worded. Which is kind of odd since the rest of the text is pretty clear.
Another possibility is that the engine is not locked-up and turns over (“spins freely”), but won’t start or run.
Don’t take me so seriously! 🙂
Splendid!
Thanks for pointing out how big these cars were. The ’55 Plymouth and Dodge were much bigger than their predecessors, and really started the growth of the low cost brands. Folks tend to assume that started with the ’57s, but that was just the styling that made them look longer.
Having now looked at all of the pictures in the Craigslist ad, several things are apparent.
1. This is a Canadian (Windsor) built car.
2. The engine is a 313, not a 315. Bore/stroke are 3.88/3.31. 315s are 3.63/3.80
3. The car is equipped with power brakes BUT NOT power steering.
4. Because the rocker covers identify it as a “Super Red Ram” this “may” have a 4v carburetor and dual exhaust. Better photos are required for positive confirmation.
Why is it a Canadian car? 313s used a closed intake manifold. 315s used an open runner (aka Air Gap) intake manifold and tappet valley cover. 313 rocker covers have an exhaust side that looks roughly like saw teeth. 315s in the same area have a uniform sine wave pattern. I notice the seller doesn’t list or show the serial number of the car. That would definitely confirm it.
Lastly, I’m calling bogus on the bottom “purple” colour. Canada had different paint colours that the US, but that wasn’t one of them. I’d call the pink and white correct. Again if the seller had posted the body tag (which is also different than those used on US cars, it would show the paint code, and we’d know for sure how it was originally finished.
Wow! It’s amazing that you would know all those arcane facts. Thanks very much for posting!
What bothers me are the taillights. I had thought for a time that the 1955 taillight design for Canadian Dodges was carried forward to 1956, except with a taller fin.
I had thought these fancier taillights were on pure Dodges only, ie. USA made cars.
Also, the dashboard would possibly have been the same as in the Plymouth.
Maybe the Custom Royal was a higher trim level than say a Coronet or Crusader.
At the end of the day I agree this is a 1956, made in Canada car. Your engine analysis seals the deal. I also noticed that the one I shot and posted here years ago have the features that make this a 56.
Luckily it is clearly across the country by more than 60 miles otherwise. It is just like that 71 Pinto sedan last month in fabulous condition for $4600, 2.0L, and four speed. Given work and other tasks I couldn’t get to it for several weeks even though 40 miles away. Maybe it is a good thing in the end?
A “engine free” means it’s not stuck, I’m amazed no one here knew this .
Don’t mean it will run fine though, many older vehicles were parked when they began to smoke or knock .
Doesn’t look very far from being made to run and find out though .
That woven nylon upholstery looked great but I bet if you *touch* the door cards they’ll rip .
-Nate
I agree with Nate’s interpretation. Although it may be a bit redundant given the implication that the car actually runs and drives, I guess one should never assume such things.
“Engine turns” is the more typical phrasing, and it’s usually reserved for things that have been out standing in some field for a long time.
Nate, I do think most know what engine free means. Definitely those mechanical minded.
Thank you Nate! I would never have known without you cluing me in. Here I thought that there was no extra charge for the engine. Silly me!
The top photo colors look eerily like the US Army’s “Pinks and Greens” color scheme…
What a great find! It’s unique. I’ll leave it at that.
But that dark purple Imperial? Oh my…If I’d run across that, I’d probably sell half of what I own to acquire it. That is an absolutely gorgeous car!!
7:23 PM, Thursday Sept. 12th:
The Craigslist posting has been deleted. I guess the car sold?
This is exactly the kind of car that you should buy.The body and interior are in great condition. I took the ‘engine free” comment to mean that it turned over freely, but wasn’t currently running. Hence the free delivery. If it is the original interior, it’s quite likely that it will deteriorate rapidly once the car is placed in use. The foam rubber crumbles, many times the fabric will fray, and the seams will break the threads and come undone. That’s not a criticism of the car, it is very old after all.
For me, It was always easier and cheaper to fix the engine. Unless it suffered a catastrophic failure, It’s usually things like a bad head gasket or valves and rings. The seller might be aware that it will need gas tank and fuel system cleaning and it would be better for the buyer to handle all that. Not too mention going through the braking system. If it were up and running in good shape it would be selling for several thousands more. At one time I would have turned up my nose at a “more door” like this, but this particular car is a real time capsule, and those are getting harder and harder to find. I’ve finally learned to appreciate them!
“Le Femme” colors.Nifty looking ride.
I love original cars like this. I wonder what’s under that cooling seat pad. I remember my mother buying those for the vinyl seats in our un-a/c 64 Olds Cutlass.
Hi all,
My name is Alex. I am the lucky guy who was able to buy this car and take it home. After some research, it’s a Canadian made Custom Royal from 1956. It has a 303 cu.in. V8. The Paint Code is 3035, which are actually Chrysler Colors. 30 is Sand Dune Beige and 35 is Desert Rose. So mystery solved: the current paint job is not factory correct! The top and roof should be Sand Dune Beige and the bottom should be Desert Rose.
The car has body putty in the front fenders which I will replace with better fenders. The motor turns over, but I will need to pull the motor and transmission as I want to rebuild them both. I already have an American production 1956 Dodge Royal with the 315 poly. I rebuilt the motor and transmission already in that car.
Any one have leads on 303 engine parts? Weren’t these in mid year 1956 plymouths? Please reply back with any knowledge, as this seems to be an oddball car. Only 7000 Canadian Custom Royals were made in 1956. Plymouth motors and Chrysler colors and a Dodge body and Trim. What a mopar!
Congratulations! Thanks for filling in the details on this car. Enjoy!
303 engine parts? You mean Auto Zone doesn’t? 🙂
Given that’s an A family engine at least some parts from the common 318 poly might fit. At least it’s likely to be better than finding parts for the Dodge hemi/poly.
Best of luck; nice to know it’s in good hands.
And the Québec plate? if she took a détour there during her life which makes the low mileage plausible , such a beauty doesn’t drive in the snow here . Btw with mes recherches en francais I found her here on a French European site for sale too
…and the text said about the engine ”Moteur en parfait état” . https://www.goodtimers.com/fr/annonce/dodge-custom-royal-lancer-1956/