Let The Horsepower Race Begin!

Horsepower sells new cars. But are faster cars more dangerous cars? The insurance lobby thought so. Watch this video to see how the insurance lobby tried to snuff the great Detroit horsepower race of the 1950’s.

[@richarda996]

I still remember when we got the new dodge coronet four door with the 273. At ten years old I could sleep in the rear floor with my head on the drive shaft hump. My brother on the other side. By thirteen I was driving it on back roads and highways in west Texas and New Mexico. It was my date car at sixteen. Fond memories.

[@jimburig7064]

One of my uncles had a 3 tone 1956 Dodge Royal Lancer 2 door hardtop with all the bells and whistles. What a car!

[@danielstratos4254]

Very cool info you share in these old magazines!! Thanks Steve

[@danabourgeois5439]

Depression era sensibilities. That’s how I have come to understand my parents and grandparents.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Enjoyed!!!

[@leewilliams2094]

The 1956 Dodge D 500 was the first Dodge supercar built to compete in NASCAR. In 1987 and 1988 my 56 D500 won it's class in the La Carrera classic vintage road race in Baja Mexico beating every sports car built before 1957 including every Jaguars Porsche Mercedes-Benz and Ferraris. A truly world-class automobile.. my car was the actual May 1956 Hot Rod magazine test car. A wringer no doubt LOL

[@mikeyb.3004]

Thank you. Great presentation!

[@Kirby1969]

Thank you for another awesome walk around!!!

[@RobiticDuck]

Steve's brain works just like how my brain works! love these videos!

[@johnnydodge]

Thats funny the darnd hot rodder was like " Get outta my way Pops" while hes on the wrong side of the road stripe lol

[@gregfiltz9734]

Steve, very accurate presentation of the 56 Dodge. I own a 56 Dodge purchased by my mother. The engine availability in 56 Dodge was a six cylinder, a smaller v8 270 called the red ram, the largest v8 315 called the super red ram, and the same 315 with performance package (read 4bbl etc) called the super powered super red ram, and the 315 Hemi d500 was optional order.

[@chrisjeffries2322]

That door handles belongs to a 1950s Refrigerator.

[@Mercmad]

PS, I can see a English Ford Prefect/Anglia 100E next to the dodge,or the rear half of it. Quite an advanced chassis design,unibody,McPherson Strut etc.

[@joelmurphy7980]

Wish I still had my '55 Plymouth with a swapped in 440. Fun car.

[@DannyColdhill]

The pixled dog makes me smile every time 😄

[@corvairjim1]

That Corvair Monza wheel cover in the trunk was from a 1965 model. Steve said that the Monza was "1965, '66, '67" but the Monza was available every year of Corvair production, coming online midway through 1960 (it's first year) and running all the way through the end of the line in 1969. Monza was consistently the best-selling trim level (except for 1960 and '69), even though it cost more than the less well equipped 500 and 700 series cars.

[@BoricuaBiker2012]

Protecting the dog's identity 🤣

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Great video! Man I can imagine how beautiful that car must have looked in it’s pristine hay day! Glad to see you have real live dog this time!👌😂👍

[@1320Jason]

Great video Magneto!!

[@joemazzola7387]

K t Keller also said that we make cars to sit in not to pee over

[@angrypoolman]

Steve, your hair is Avant Garde! I call it "The Heat Miser". Rock on, Steve!

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you back in the Junkyard soon

[@RoadNoise29100]

Those reverse lights are the BOMB!

[@timbrady6473]

I’m digging the Sasquatch hairdo. Wearing that lumberjack jacket is a safety precaution so as not to be misidentified when in the woods .

[@jimc3688]

Interesting differences between the Dodge and Plymouth poly engines.

[@davidp2888]

Exner's designs were so...unique.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

315? The A series engines we got here in Oz were 313ci until around 62 where they became 318 with 3 91 bore. This on Chrysler Royal, similar car to this and later Dodge Phoinex.

[@Wooley689]

Man, I sure do like all these videos.

[@brianandglendaharkin9457]

Still love the poly Motors .

[@thevictim2072]

Dodge and Plymouth definately had the best made cars. There were many latec1940s and early 1950s still driven regularly through the 1990s. The Chevys and Fords were all done by 1980.

[@stoned-soup]

Poor dog is still at risk.... I hope she gets freedom soon and no longer has to hide her identity...

[@ronnorman1367]

Steve I think you're the first one out there to do this God bless you

[@bensonsspeedshop1191]

My 57 Plaza still has the lug bolts.

[@stevejarred6484]

Get well soon, Steve! I'd love to go on a junkyard crawl with him. I don't know how many parts we'd find but, boy! All the stories Steve could tell!

[@jamesonpace726]

Best. Hair. Ever...!

[@daynadiggle8169]

ERASERHEAD .

[@vonfragesq7145]

Why is the dogs face blurred out at 2:54? 🤣🤣

[@daynadiggle8169]

Had been on AMERICAS MOST WANTED .

[@Mercmad]

I'm a '56 model too. I know just how that car feels , a wild youth but now more interested in finding a chair I can relax in without being reminded of rusty bodywork..

[@ThePontiac98]

My dad had one of these by the time it was 4 years old the floorboards were gone

[@ExilefromCrownHill]

The lady's hand operating the push buttons was part of the appeal to women. Dodge tried to curry favor with women entering the market by creating a dodge model known as LaFemme. It tanked quickly.

[@ronframe387]

My mom's first car was a '56 Coronet four door in Mint green! It had the hemi and push button automatic. It was ten years old when we got it. Great memories of riding around in it!

[@frankfurther3828]

Steve, the hair looks good. It ain't gray, it's silver. And silver always beats shoe polish.

[@mrblobby8965]

half a ford anglia 100e in the background at 2:02 😊

[@nickjervis8123]

Please get well Steve

[@sadie376]

Would the dog at 2:54 not sign a waiver to show his face?!? Wow.

[@Stevie_B_0828]

I was so born in the wrong Era, being born in 1972 meant that I didn't get to experience these types of vehicles with such dramatic styling that I can't get enough of!!! I do try to emulate this type of style into my more modern cars I own by doing 2 tone paint, added custom polished stainless trim, wide whites, and Olds Fiesta tri-bar chrome spinners. My cars are head turners for sure and it gives me the same sense of pride that the original owners of cars like these had when these cars were new. To me, the perfect 1st date would be at the junk/salvage yard, among vehicles like this, I love these kinda cars and exploring to spot features no longer available on cars today. Thanks for keeping this genre of vehicles fresh in our minds, these vehicles deserve to be remembered. Great job, Steve. 😉👍

[@peterkovacs8654]

Insurance. Nice scam. They must be making tons of money, I don’t hear much complaining about today’s ultra high horsepower offerings, including the EV darling Tesla

[@derekcrymble9085]

3:15 ..... R.I.P. headphone users .

[@stevethomas760]

Steve, I continue to be amazed by the information you can give us. My father inherited a DeSoto from his aunt. Can't remember the year but it did have a Hemi. One thing I can remember is that he wasn't a fan of the mpg. Would be a fun car to tool around in now. Damn, my taste in cars has changed. Never would have thought driving a 4 door Desoto would be cool. Videos, keep um coming

[@ricksaint2000]

Get well soon

[@garysgarage.2841]

Somebody give Steve a comb.

[@chuckeecheese162]

Many thanks for keeping our history alive Steve. Awesome info. 🍻

[@SteveMagnante]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@darrellgraves8353]

@@SteveMagnantelove your videos Steve up here in Canada can’t believe these cars are allowed to rot😢

[@BigMikesHooptyBarn]

I really like the Coronet platform. I personally own a 1951 Coronet Diplomat 2 door. The original flat head 6 is long gone and it is now LA 318 Powered. Still a cool old car.

[@bmasontv]

K9!!!

[@chrisscearce]

Hi Steve, great video on this Dodge Coronet. Boy, as a teenager working for a man that only worked on these 50s Chrysler products, I've seen 100s of these 56s. They all seemed to be different in some way or another. The rear taillights seem to be different, some with 2 some with 3. Some 2 tone, some 3 tone piant The red ram was an excellent little engine. A lot of them I remember you couldn't feel it running sitting inside. My biggest gripe was brake jobs. Some would come off easily, and most were stuck, frozen, or fused together. No amount of heat or slide hammering was gonna make them turn that drum and axle lose. 1 or both wheel cylinders on each wheel would've been leaking. It could be that Mr. Zimmerman just passed those jobs to me, and it just seemed like they all were a pain to work on. He drove a 4dr 54 Dodge Coronet green top with a cream coloured body, that looked like it came from the showroom floor. He always referred to it as the "Little Dodge" It had the little hemi. Namaste 🙏🏼

[@Christian-wj7dk]

You need to get that puppy dog to sign a waiver so you can show his face! Dogs rule! Great videos, Steve!

[@marioncobaretti2280]

Thats the days of steering columns that didn't crush on impact and crushed you

[@bengtnilsson8780]

Thanks for the lesson, very interesting, and Dodge is in my heart. Have a -59 C R 4d pillar.

[@privateprivate1865]

So cool

[@_Dave_S]

Steve, I thought you were wearing some sort of weird fur hat until I realized it was your hair! 😂😂

[@radiodeletedude]

Always learn something new in Professor Magnante's class. Never heard of Highway Hi-Fi. Familiar with 78's, 45's, and 331/3's, but I've never heard of 16 rpm records. Truely a guy that knows "something about everything" in the car world. 😎

[@seed_drill7135]

Before books on tape you could borrow books on record that played at 16 2/3. The fidelity was deemed to poor for music at that speed.

[@Daniel-fd3wp]

Yes sir the Professor never fail. 👍

[@monarch1957]

I have a old record player that plays 33 45 78 and 16 rpm records but never seen a 16 rpm recoed.

[@Damone7653]

Rear seat dog option was very rare... only 9 were ever built.

[@Don14320]

oh the memory of the old cars. I remember running a Dodge 440 in a 69 and watching the gas gauge drop as you raced down the highway, great memory but couldn't do that today that's for sure. Thank you for segment. Loved the detail on the battle of the insurance industry and auto makers.

[@treeandaturd]

Not the meanest junk yard dog I’ve ever seen.

[@kc0lif]

nice car. woof woof.

[@ron8802]

You have become the one I first go to......thanx for the amazing content....Steve

[@christopherdaly9718]

Just a small correction. The 315 & 325 Poly & Hemi engines used intake manifolds that were interchangeable with each other. The Hemi came with a four barrel while the Poly was usually a two barrel engine. To upgrade my friends 315 two barrel Poly engine on the cheap, I simply donated my 325 Hemi manifold & the deed was done. I suspect that the factory, or dealers, simply did the same thing. Oh yeah, my 325 Hemi is running dual quads, so the original intake was surplus. Win - win.

[@mjg263]

Man, what an awesome looking dash!

[@CatholicBoy1957]

Can we get a gofundme started and buy him a Farah Fawcett wig? He would look awesome. .

[@88SC]

Those throttle quadrant style control levers on either side of the column look right out of a P-51 Mustang.

[@zoltanliszkai2162]

A car never killed anyone, someone didn't know how to drive and most still don't

[@thomasdearment3214]

My first car I bought with my own money was a 64 Plymouth Fury with a push button automatic. Loved that feature. didn't know why they discontinued it until later. Silly

[@ashleysipe470]

You are a machine Steve! It just saddens me to see all those beautiful cars go back to where they came from.

[@johngranato2673]

One of your best videos, Steve! Thanks a Million!

[@kevincruz4045]

Heedless Horsepower!! What a little gem. My Grandfather bought a new 50 Olds Rocket 88 just because of that V8. He got several speeding tickets with that car.

[@tkflanagan4449]

Steve, you are AMAZING.........Thank you so, so much I was born in 1954 !!!

[@DuneRunnerEnterprises]

Informative,and interesting!!!

[@Mr.XJ.96]

Love it!!!! We are picking up a 65 factory Big Block 4spd car this week.....Can't wait.

[@edwardbianchi192]

Love that hood! I never knew that some were functional!

[@Slimjim260]

Can’t tell you how good that really is Steve fabulous lesson!!!

[@christopherprince3250]

Owned a 54 Coronet with the Red Ram Hemi, nowhere near as good looking as the 56. I'm 6'2" and could wear a hat all day in it. Great post Steve, keep them coming

[@randyarock]

I love that you blurred out the dog’s face… 😂. He didn’t sign a waiver? Love these short classes on the old rides of yesteryear. 👍

[@lonkraus3425]

Getting some upholstery work done and owner of shop has a beautiful 68 polara 500 convertible with 383. I cant find production numbers for model thought maybe someone here or the man himself could provide the answer. I'm here in southern California where cars are rustfree!

[@Mr.Death101]

Another great video, I learned so much from this then I keep on learning every episode. Thank you so much for this free education

[@maidenrulz73]

Were these videos recorded earlier or does it not snow in Massachusetts ?

[@Rom3_29]

Wonder what heedless horsepower people would say today’s over 500 hp vehicles…

[@brianandglendaharkin9457]

Go 👍🏻💯🇦🇺MOPAR Go in HP always has . love the show steve . That would of been a nice car to own in its day I’d have one now .

[@kdowz934]

I love this content. Thank you Steve!

[@janderson8401]

It took my mom a long time to get her drivers license, back when automatic transmissions were rare. Even when my parents could afford to get a car with an automatic, she wouldn't drive it because it would start moving as soon as you let off the brake. Her cars remained 3 on the tree manuals until Dad retired and she then had a full time chauffeur.

[@madmike2624]

Outstanding video Steve. Tha facts and reference material you provide is top notch!! You must have rooms and rooms of automobilia. I bet that was one sweet looking car in its day!! Thanks to super Shane for more great camera work. Looking forward to tomorrow's classroom subject!!

[@SteveMagnante]

Thanks again!

[@volktales7005]

That Corvair hubcap is one year only from a '65 Monza. Working to get mine back on the road soon...

[@MechaFenris]

tsk tsk insurance companies. :) Correlation is not causation. :P

[@daveridgeway2639]

Hi Steve, grate video! Your information is very correct in regards to Chrysler Corporation producing vehicles that where taller with more head room in them, into the 1960s and 1970s especially in the rear seat(s). If you park a 1968 Dodge Charger right next to a 1968 Pontiac GTO, or a 1968 Ford Torino, you will blatantly see a taller roof on the Charger with much more rear seat head room in the Charger Vs the GTO or Torino. You see, Virgil Exner, was 5'10" tall and he insisted on to be able to sit in every seat while wearing a fedora hat that was popular in the 1950s. The horse power race fed the fire to higher insurance rates, stiffer speeding laws and the driver's license point system. Please do not discard the Chevrolet Corvair Monza wheel cover, it's worth a bit of money. I realize that your a Mopor Man, but by the way, when are you going to produce a Chevrolet Corvair video? Please! Please reply. Dave...

[@knifetrain3118]

That car must have been so cool when it was new!

[@danr1920]

Parents had a '65 Coronet. I was very young!

[@Scalihoo]

I was around then too, might've seen it

[@skipnick]

that dog is in witness protection???

[@bertonfeuchtwanger9779]

Steve, Thank you for another class room presentation. As a kid growing up in the sixties, I remember these cars and how distinctive they were full of style and innovations ahead of their time. Enjoyed seeing the junkyard dog, she was hoping for a treat or pat on the head. It is OK to keep your hat on, we know it is cold in the northeast. These old cars have a story to tell thank you for being their voice.

[@SpeedyG289]

Great video. Anyone know how Steve is doing?

[@brewsky38c]

Many hotrodders think they should’ve developed the poly motor! What is your take or what do you know

[@Mike_Collins392]

Insurance companies stopped the HP race. Thats the reason for Chrysler wedge engines ( at that time ).

[@galactica5]

I have a Hemi powered Royal D500 4 door like this. How did the right front roll down window look? was it separating or clouding at the edges? I can't tell if that is the solex tinted glass or non-tinted. I've been waiting for you to do one of these for a while, great video.