$100 Million Look: 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer
As the 1950s rolled along, Chrysler Corp. was infused with fresh capital (thanks to a loan from Prudential) which enabled a redesign for its automobiles in 1955. Advertising would include referencing the car as having the “Hundred Million Dollar Look”. Dodge had three primary models based on new styling provided by Virgil Exner and the Royal was the mid-range model (above the Coronet and below the Custom Royal). They would also carry Lancer badging like the seller’s nice ’55 2-door hardtop that looks nice but needs some TLC. Located in Franklin, New Jersey, this Baby Boomer-era Mopar is available here on eBay where the opening bid of $8,750 has yet to be cast.
The 1955 Dodges were bigger than their predecessors and had tailfins that would do nothing but get bigger in the next few years. They were forerunners of the “Forward Look” cars of 1957 that caught the competition off-guard when they quickly became popular. Dodge racked up sales of more than 313,000 autos that year (according to the seller), of which nearly 26,000 Royal Lancer hardtops like this one would be assembled.
We’re told this Dodge has the “Super Red Ram” V8 engine with a displacement of 270 cubic inches. It’s a well-equipped automobile with power steering, power brakes, and an automatic transmission. The vehicle runs, drives, and stops, but the seller does not indicate how well the car does these things. Though the odometer reads 5,000+ miles the seller believes it’s more like 105,000. The buyer will reap the benefit of a collection of service records and shop manuals.
Overall, the body is good though the paint is dull in places and the chrome has begun to pit. Evidence exists of some prior work having been done around the rear wheel wells. Inside the car, the seats have some tears and will likely need to be redone. The glass is all good and we’re told the tires are as well, though we don’t know how old they are (age matters more than miles). This Dodge looks to have the makings of a solid but light restoration prospect.
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Comments
Buick floormats? MOPAR heresy!
Cool car with that hemi.I’d make it safe and cruise as is.I could see 10k for this as I see it in the pics.glwts.
I’m not sure what’s up with the side mldgs, at first glance it looks like the front clip was replaced, color is off slightly and there’s no body side mldgs like the doors and quarters. An internet search showed no images of any Royal Lancer with body side mldgs so maybe these are just the stick on variety meant to protect from door dings. Always liked these especially with a hemi.
Aftermarket side moldings, either adhesive or rivet-on style.
Also, there are Custom Royal headlight rims and tail fins.
Check out them there valve pan covers for a 270 cubic inch!
A quick turnaround vehicle? If the owner is guessing the mileage, he probably hasn’t had it very long.
Everyone in the NHRA has adopted the hemi engine for a reason as those hemi heads make the horsepower! Nice car but from New Jersey could be hiding a multitude of sins unseen to the 20 foot eye !
Yes, the 1955 Dodge hemi engine did have ten horsepower over the poly engine.
Until you put a 671 blower on it, no offense but big daddy showed what a hemi head could do not sure I head of a drag racing poly head before but I don’t know everything
High performance engines in the 50s was a piss poor idea. Suspension and tire tech was primitive plus the roads were not as advanced. That Dodge should have had a nice 230 flat head with a three on the tree. Perfect engine for that car and that time.
Here we go again , maybe a V8 was too much for you, but for hundreds of thousands of others , it wasn’t – just because it had a v8 it doesn’t mean everyone was trying to peg the speedometer needle on every “primitive” road ., and I’ll bet most of those drivers actually lived to tell the tale of their trips. You could just as easily have an accident in your stripper flathead Dodge as you would in a high line model ; if you look at old car photos, you can actually see wrecked Model Ts – jeez , how could they have crashed with a 4 cyl manual transmission car ? wasn’t that a perfect car for the time ?
I’m not normally a tank ride V8 fan, but this is a really stylish art car when you really start looking closely. A lot of styling effort went into this. I’d update to fuel injection and CDI ignition. Maybe alloy wheels with highway mpg tires, not too low of a profile. 19’s with 70cm sidewalls, not wide just proportional. I wouldn’t be mashing that pedal often. It looks like a townie boulevard cruiser, and that’s all it needs to be. Very interesting car.
Car does not run very well if at al.