Most Outrageous Automotive Interiors: 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer La Femme

Learn more about the La Femme trim, offered only in 1955 and 1956 on Dodge models. Quite unique!

[@johnhaddad3401]

I was 10 in '55, and I could recognize any American car just by seeing 1 taillight. I was crazy about cars! What a sweet looking one this was!

[@blairwilliamson5554]

My grandmother had one of these cars. My parents liked it so much they bought a 1956. Was riding with my mother when the steering wheel came off . My mom managed to get the car parked and called the dealership to get it reatached. That weekend my dad traded it for a Buick Roadmaster.

[@DanEBoyd]

My Grandpa let my Dad drive his Buick in the 1940s when my Dad was real young, and the steering wheel came off, and they hit part of a bridge!

[@gregbrightwell4682]

I've always said, and still do, that Dodges are a gold bar of a motor, wrapped in a pile of "excrement " of a car.

[@crankychris2]

I remember my grandpa has a mid 50's Plymouth Savoy. As a little kid I remember that it had a "horsehair" headliner. It was the cheapest Mopar they made, with sticky vinyl bench seats.

[@AtlantaGymFan]

Too scary

[@carlsaganlives5112]

Did the airbag deploy?

[@windowcreek1798]

My Dad bought this exact car. When he picked it up, it came with a two Dcell battery toy of the same model. There was a button you pressed that inflated a little rubber bladder that turned the front wheels. I still have the toy. Amazing.

[@tomdelisle8955]

The dash design in really good. Simply and good looking with everything flowing together nicely

[@UberLummox]

Yeah, big time!

[@sharksport01]

The black dash and steering wheel part would look better in dove grey imo. Black makes it look like Good-n- Plenty.

[@chriscadillac8448]

I always thought that was one of the best V8 emblems I've ever seen. 👍

[@tonylindsey8912]

You did a very good job! I am the guy who wrote the definitive article about LaFemmes almost forty years ago, that has been plagiarized for profit, dozens of times. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has dug up even a sliver of new information about LaFemmes since then. Maybe that's all that there ever will be. I spent three weeks in the back stacks at the National Automotive History Collection doing research for the LaFemme article in Automobile Quarterly. At the time, it was the longest article that they had ever published.

[@RareClassicCars]

Wow. Cool! Thanks!

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Much appreciated!...Good research is almost a lost art, these days...too much "instant" info on KZbin, etc.

[@tford1601]

Where can I read your article sir?

[@xmo552]

Am I wrong....., was there one in American Graffiti?

[@tonylindsey8912]

@@tford1601 I will be posting it online, and will announce its URL on this page...

[@Wileylikethehawk]

What a fantastic looking car!

[@UberLummox]

The '55s are just so strikingly gorgeous! Nice to learn more about it. Thanks for the video. Go Dodge!!!

[@mcy1122]

Excellent video about a relatively unknown but culturally interesting trim. Also appreciate how you always connect the dots by providing context (e.g. Chrysler world-class engineering / quality at the time). Thanks Adam!

[@billolsen4360]

Lots of the trim (fenders, hood scoop and especially the chrome) was to put the buy in mind of jet aircraft. GM, Ford and AMC were doing that too at the time.

[@philhand5830]

Chrysler also had the 413 CID V-8 out in the same years!

[@davidkastin4240]

Absolutely gorgeous Dodge. Love it!

[@Primus54]

That restoration (I assume it is a restoration) is flawless. I had forgotten how beautiful the ‘55 Dodges were! I know you are more of a 60s/70s guy,but I really enjoy the 50s cars you occasionally feature, Adam. Thank you! 👍👍👍

[@davidzoller9617]

What a lovely ladies car all around. Never heard of it. The design and quality looks great. Can't say the same about the 1956 model.

[@waynejohnson1304]

I agree with you on the quality and ride points. These were big comfortable floatmobiles. They were ruined by the overly stiff "Torsion-Aire" ride. This car is beautiful!

[@UberLummox]

Overly stiff? Never heard that one before!

[@waynejohnson1304]

@@UberLummox Yes. Most people wanted a car that floated. The torsion-aire ride didn't give that to you. It was too stiff for the taste of most people, at the time.

[@UberLummox]

@@waynejohnson1304 ChryCo. sold millions of cars past '59 that were all torsion bar car. Many yes, I don't know about "most people". Semantics I guess. Most that bought high end, yes.

[@waynejohnson1304]

@@UberLummox I think that people who bought them were impressed by the "forward look" styling and not the ride comfort. They were okay if you could travel above 80 MPH on a fairly regular basis but, at the speed limit, they were jerky if the road had broken pavement or there were a lot of dips and humps in the road.

[@louisflores2552]

This car is definitely a rolling piece of art..tons of thought and engineering went into this product masterpiece

[@christopherkraft1327]

Hey Adam, I had never heard of the La Femme edition Dodge!!! This car is absolutely gorgeous!!! The interior is beautiful & definitely very feminine!! Thanks for sharing this interesting video!!! 😁👍👍

[@DSP1968]

What a fun car to feature, Adam! I've never seen one up close, so this video was a real treat. In particular, thank you for featuring the 1955 accessories.

[@barriobajaj]

Love these! Especially the '56 model. Chrysler revisited the foral motif interior with the "Mod Top" cars that had matching interiors.

[@tombrown1898]

Chrysler was at the top of its game in the Fifties, and their sales reflected it. Harry Truman drove a '55 Custom Royal Lancer, in dark green and white. Bess drove a black '55 New Yorker. Great, great cars.

[@anderander5662]

And now presidents no longer drive.... even ex-presidents are chauffeured around at our expense.

[@tombrown1898]

@@anderander5662 It wasn't until 1958 that ex-presidents received a government pension, of $25,000 a year, plus office expenses. That was solely for Truman's benefit. Herbert Hoover was a millionaire and didn't need it, but he took it so as not to embarrass Truman.

[@anderander5662]

@@tombrown1898 I guess that's why Harry Truman said if you get rich in office you're a crook...🤔 But that brings up something else, Hoover was a Republican and Harry Truman a Democrat yet they had such respect for each other, those days are gone

[@DavidHall-ge6nn]

Beautiful car! My Aunt Joyce, a stunning blonde, had a pink '55 Lincoln convertible that got a lot of attention at stoplights. I don't think it was just the car.

[@johna.4334]

Aunt Joyce to male onlookers... "Hey handsome, feelin' frisky?"

[@slicksnewonenow]

Chrysler really did have some unique colors available at the time! My aunt and uncle custom ordered a 1956 DeSoto coupe in grey, but with that same pink roof and the sweep was painted lavender. They were pretty wild people 😂

[@the23rdbryan]

I've known about this car for decades and researched it many times. It's definitely in my top 5 favorite cars in all of history. I was raised in the 70s and 80s around cars that were considered antique back then. I did get to see a La Femme at a car show once in the mid 80s. Loved it then and love it now. While that isn't really a possibility now, I'm currently searching for a daily driver full sized luxury chunk of American metal. It amazes what a younger generation considers a "full size" sedan these days. I currently drive a 97 Cougar XR7 and its just too small and too new for my taste. I have had people comment on how "big and heavy" it feels. Me ?? Are they crazy ??? It is NOT a "big" or "heavy" car to me or even close to it !!! I'm newly subbed here and looking forward to the content !!!

[@dbradley8805]

Oh wow, my folks bought a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer, it was pink and black and white, very sporty looking car, had the spinner hubcaps, got it at Ballard Motors in Taft,Oregon at the time. Always loved that car, wish I could find it now as an adult, I’d scoop that up for sure,

[@gregclyde7046]

Thanks for bringing theses classics out to admire today. History is valuable.

[@hawaiifiles]

Probably the most beautiful sales flop ever made. It is nice that some of these still exist. Great video.

[@arevee9429]

Love it! That dusty rose is a great-looking color. I painted one of my bikes that color and friends referred to it as "sick salmon pink". I think the car looks quite tasteful and not "over the top".

[@thomasjordan5578]

Heather Rose.

[@judgegixxer]

I like the black dashboard and glovebox area. The gold letters look nice on it.

[@CarolAnn-gh9fl]

This is my dream car. I saw one at a car museum in 93? I fell in love.

[@jonathanabbott8579]

Really entertaining. Loved the Dodge drive-in style ads you added at the end. Great work as always! Chrysler really was the innovation leader in the late '50's.

[@philhand5830]

AND the 60s

[@yuckabuster]

I love your flow through relaxed style on your reviews. Nice work. Pleasant to listen to. I have this car only not a Le Femme... all original and in family since new. They are beautiful cars. Glad to see these La Femmes, not many are in existance anymore.

[@kerryyeroyan8212]

One of the most classically beautiful cars of the 50’s I still have my dad’s 55 Custom Royal, it’s champ!

[@CA-nm7mb]

Although I love late 50’s styling of a lot American makes and models, the 54-56 vehicles of the time all seem to have larger interiors with very tall rooflines. That Dodge is absolutely gorgeous and I actually never heard of that model before. For instance I own a 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood and that car has a massive interior. Its dimensions are large all around, and what I really appreciate about it is how easy it is to get in and out of the car because it’s almost like entering a Crossover because of its tall height. The seats are wide, thickly padded and has a tall backing. Driving the 54 Cad feels completely different versus any late 50’s-60’s Cadillacs in a good way IMO. Compare the mid fifties Cads to the 57-60 models and those cars are low slung and are less spacious. Especially the 59’s where they had terrible leg room, and headroom for its size. It’s so strange that you can have similarly sized cars but yet vastly different interior space dimensions.

[@DEADMANRIDING1]

Big interiors, big roofline, big families- 6 kids was no big deal back then. Wedged the kids in the back, in lieu of seat belts... 😅😵

[@ditzydoo4378]

La Femme Fatal... I like it. It's funky and bold enough to be out-there without being so over the top as to be off putting.

[@tem1939]

In March of 1955 I became 16 and my mother was riding the bus when it passed the Dodge dealer. There was a pink, black and white 55' Custom Royal Lancer sitting in the front window of the showroom. She was blown away and told dad about it when he got home. That evening, they went down to the dealer and ended up buying it. The pink was on the front end and sides, the mid-section and deck lid was black, the roof was white. Upholstery was black cloth with tiny silver flowers on the mid-area and white doe skin leather across the top, front edge and door interiors. It had the Red Ram engine along with dual exhausts. The same spinner hub caps as this one, but also with flush fitting, flaired skirts. Signal seeking radio with dual rear speakers and all the other features shown here. It became their main car for about 4 years. Never needed any repairs.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

What I love about 50s car was just how often things were changing- from styling, to powerplants and other engineering details. This color combo is stunning and obviously a standout today . Always felt the two toning on the hood looked excellent on these. I like the restyled rear end on the 56, but the 55 has a better interior. Love all these mid century cars, where the more dowdy cars of the early 50s really began to turn into stylish cruisers. 55-56 Plymouth's are my favorite of this pre forward look era.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

A neighbor of my dad was a taxi driver, and had a 56 Dodge for his job...back then, I thought it was so blah looking...now I can see how cool it actually was!

[@gene978]

The condition is so Amazing to my eyes. Thank you for this change of pace.

[@patmclean1951]

It’s really quite stunning, fantastic styling

[@edbarker8636]

You certainly wouldn't be able to call a trim package that today but very interesting car you do come up with the neatest things

[@bc5441]

Thanks, Adam! This is the adult-market counterpart to the Lionel Girl’s Train of the same period. That’s an interesting prow-like piece on top of the hood. It’s not unique to La Femme; I see it on other Royal Lancers (and it is in contrasting colors on those too). Interesting, hard to miss, and I’m not sure it’s attractive, but that’s a matter of taste.

[@kaischmidt8030]

I thought I would be the first train guy to make that comment!

[@benjaminrush4443]

Wow. What a 'Show Boat'. Nice style even without the "Extras". Thanks.

[@rickcentore2801]

Excellent video! Chrysler products in 1955 had the one year only auto transmission shifter on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel. They introduced push button shifting in 1956.

[@michaelkehm3663]

What a beautiful restored example! My neighbor had a 1956 Dodge Royale Lancer. Well built and a solid ride and driving car with the Red Ram V8 and two speed push button Powerflite transmission. He was the original owner and drove it into the mid 70's when the floor boards became like swiss cheese.

[@everettoehlschlaeger8139]

the 55 was MUCH nicer looking than the 56. Our neighbor had one. to me it was a very elegant and gorgeous looking automobile !

[@solemandd67]

I read in a Consumer Reports book on 1950's cars that a Chrysler executive exclaimed to the press at the La Femme model introduction; "Every woman and self respecting ______, will want one." Obviously the 50's weren't so fabulous for everyone. Interesting car and historical perspective. Thanks for posting.

[@rileysteve]

There was a drag-queen in Tampa back in the 70's that had one. Funny as hell to see her happy ass driving up and down the Bayshore in it!

[@sergioleone3583]

Another enjoyable and informative video Adam! Nice touch with the old Dodge commercial at the end.

[@wandahelmer1038]

I had the 55 dodge custom royal back in the day 2 tone blue. what a stunner.

[@Paramount531]

Great video! I have seen only one of these, it was in the old Walter P. Chrysler Museum. I loved that ad, too!

[@ZGryphon]

I love the way the '56 version has a more restrained interior. It's like someone at Chrysler realized, a little belatedly, that the '55 interior might have been just a _little_ bit much for, say, any woman who expected her son to be seen getting out of her car at school in the morning. :) (Also, wait a second, "full-time power steering"? Was there such a thing as PART-time power steering?)

[@MickeyMousePark]

i believe what they are referring to is that it is not "Power Assist steering" which seemed to work great over about 20 MPH but not when parking etc..

[@curbozerboomer1773]

@@MickeyMousePark I have never heard of Power Assist steering, but that sounds like a real thing, back in those days.

[@friendofdorothy9376]

I’ve seen lots of Chrysler car commercials and literature from back then that said their power steering was always working, while other make’s went in and out…and was not “on” all the time.

[@geofjones9]

The GM power steering didn't use power assist to make the minor corrections to keep the car on the road. I thought the GM version much more natural.

[@ohioyodertoter6827]

My mom which we lost would have fallen in love with this car

[@Johnny_RB]

New subscriber here as of this moment. i like your presentation - not rushed, thorough and entertaining. I remember cars similar to this one still running the streets when i was a young mechanic in the early 1970s.

[@loumontcalm3500]

Always liked these- rarely were the grooming & umbrella still with the car.

[@blondie1169]

Beautiful work of art.

[@bennyhill3076]

I can't imagine what a 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer *La Dude* would have looked like if one had been built!😆

[@jamesengland7461]

Denim blue lower and cotton white upper paint with matching interior, with a fold-up cigarette pouch in the shoulder area of the seats :)

[@bennyhill3076]

@@jamesengland7461 Lol!! AND with a dash mounted Brylcreem dispenser.

[@WydGlydJim]

Personally, I think it is gorgeous….not sure what that says about me….😂….anyway the dark dash color against the bright pink is stunning…. 👍🏻

[@discerningmind]

All it says about you is that you like the colorful cars from the fifties, the same as most of us.

[@gastoche]

Love it. The 1956 looks even more haute couture. 20 of the 1956 left, wow! They're worth a fortune I guess. In Cuba maybe?

[@Duke_of_Prunes]

The pastel pink interior matches the interior of my 1963 bathroom at my house -- it is very calming and pleasant in my opinion.

[@jeffwhaley2233]

Saw the 55 at a 90s car show/sale, Charlotte Motor Speedway. Beautiful.

[@ralphgedney1782]

On a side note there was the mans version of this car called the Texan. I am not sure if it was built in 55 or 56. It is also an extremely rare vehicle.

[@friendofdorothy9376]

I just recently saw a video here on KZbin about the Texan. It was a regional model though, while the La Femme was nationwide in availability.

[@gr7485]

Its not a model I've ever heard of or seen before. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[@terribelbliss9646]

Great video. Thanks for sharing you knowledge. 🤓👍

[@robertdean7950]

Great looking car. This was a unique idea.

[@billolsen4360]

My first car was a 55 Plymouth Belvedere, got it in 1974 as a gift. Very reliable! Straight 6 engine always ran cool. Rear doors opened at a 90-degree angle for easy loading. Overdrive transmission returned 26MPG on the highway.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Chrysler offered that solid flat 6 for over twenty years, until they came up with the innovative Slant six.

[@billolsen4360]

@@curbozerboomer1773 Yes a mechanic friend said "That engine goes back to the 30's!" and that they'd perfected everything about it by '55.

[@southbound5968]

I was at the unveiling of this beauty in Asheville, NC in 1955.

[@nomebear]

An elderly lady in my neighborhood owned a '55 Dodge Royal Lancer la Femme, the only Dodge on the street. It was a stunning car as compared to others, and definitely styled for women. In the 50's Buick Roadmasters, a '58 Electra, Cadillac Fleetwoods, Pontiac Star Chiefs, and Oldsmobiles. There was one Chevy Impala. Fords or all kinds dominated the farm and ranch businesses.

[@billjones3071]

Beauty!!!!!

[@davesimmons1373]

A very unique color combo and interior. Wow.

[@saxongreen78]

Since the 1960s many of us straight men seem to have forgotten that it doesn't make you gay to drive a girly car...back then, cars looked more _feminine,_ and a surprising number of blokes did the grocery shopping and cooking for their households and didn't feel threatened about having that role. The 1960s kinda stuffed everything up. This is a beautiful car that I would be proud to drive everywhere.

[@66skate]

I've seen several of these over the years. The survival rate may be higher than people think. I like that 60 Imperial Coupe on the left that is wearing 59 Imperial hubcaps. I had one of those as well as a 4 door in the same color.

[@HRConsultant_Jeff]

Looks like a car that Mary Kay would award to sellers. I had a 53 Coronet that came with a semi-hemi that I think led to this engine.

[@fob1xxl]

It was very typical in the 50's to trim them out to the max. Especially when the pinks and pastels were popular. In 1955 I thought the Mercury Montclair was a far more beautiful car. In 1957, Dodge was gorgeous!

[@johna.4334]

Agreed, that mid-fifties Merc Montclair was drop dead gorgeous.

[@davesimmons1373]

Most people would not know what year or model or make this car is, but I am glad that you posted this. I sent to a friend who loves the color pink and this is a perfect color for this car.

[@johnbehneman1546]

I LOVE IT!!!! GREAT VIDEO AND EDUCATION. THANKS FOR SHARING!!! A VERY BEAUTIFUL CAR.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 👍🙂

[@yoursoulisforever]

I did a complete restoration on one of these in about 1993 for a professor at the University of Kansas. The only non-stock modification I did to the car was to install a three-duce carburetor system on its original small block hemi engine. If I remember correctly, the carburetors and manifold were era-correct.

[@BiggeDink]

I've seen a Studebaker of that vintage with a similar pink interior. Great video.

[@colibri1]

I was trying to think of other car editions specially targeting women and I remembered the 1978 Ford Mustang II with the Fashion Accessory Package: "Especially for you, lovely lady!," but it only featured special upholstery, special pinstriping, and special vanity lights and vanity mirrors.

[@johnnymula2305]

Definitely not a color i would go with. But what a beautiful car. I like the way the trim lends itself to a perfect two tone frame.

[@averyparticularsetofskills]

Wow a car commercial as long as this one would never fly today, but it was awesome to see.😃

[@curbozerboomer1773]

And this is part of the confusing social stress that I now feel, as an old Boomer!...Raised in one era, but now living in a radically different one...I still hold doors open for women, but sometimes get a dirty look in return.

[@Looneybob1]

My brother and I each have a 55 dodge royal. Interesting cars and not well known. ALWAYS have people commenting on mine everywhere I go.

[@genegoodwin8925]

There was a 1955 Dodge eactly like this one sitting on the side of a country road about six miles from where I live until last year. It was amazing because it was sitting out in the weather and still looked g=in great condition.

[@stevehill5997]

Never heard or seen this before. Thanks for the excellent video

[@daviddunmore8415]

The '55 looks much better thought out, My wife just saw the '55 in this video, and really likes the colours and the interior - she'd want ALL the accessories intact though.

[@jamesmisener3006]

Awesome ad Adam. Cool history on the LA Femme. Cheers 🇨🇦

[@dave1956]

I always thought that the 1955 Chrysler lineup was gorgeous. They had to muck it up with fins in ‘56.

[@timbutterworth6414]

It also came with a matching purse and umbrella!

[@crankychris2]

The mid to late 50's were an exciting time for Mopar...Ford and GM too! The salesman would show you brochures with an inredable array of colors. Even better, unlike hi-po big block V-8's and deluxe radio, there was no charge. One simply picked the trim, engine, and options, then took fancy brochures home and spent hours drooling over the dazzling cobinations of colors. Coral, turquoise, pink, and various greens were all popular, white cars with dark gray interiors were not. ;))

[@zuikoglass4091]

Outrageous? no. Tasteful for the era? yes. I have always been attracted to it.

[@plunkervillerr1529]

It`s a automotive work of art.

[@kerryyeroyan8212]

Dodge did a squirrely thing in 1955.. changing the “Hemi” engine’s nomenclature to “Super Red Ram” and calling their non- Hemi head engine the Red Ram which was the previous designation for their Hemi head engine. The 1955 Red Ram was a “Poly Head design and visually looked nothing like the older Hemi. Both engines were 270cid and shared many of the same parts. Regardless that Lefemme is a real beauty!

[@billgolisano9811]

Car for the 1950s was a work of art.

[@pmbair]

Pink (or Salmon) & black was a ‘50’s thing… My brother had pink & black golf shoes!

[@tpxchallenger]

Beautiful. I know the "forward look" Chrysler products and the tri -five GMs get more attention, but holy wow, beautiful.

[@tonylindsey8912]

Forgot to mention: The reason why the 1956 LaFemme interior would be an excruciating and EXPENSIVE restoration job is because every fabric used was bonkers: - The seat fabric and headliner was white canvas with a random spattering of shiny gold paint. Conversely, the 1955 interior seat fabric was EASY to reproduce, because it was a woven Jacquard fabric. Every restored 1955 LaFemme has that repro cloth interior. Many people without 1955 purses used that same repro fabric on antique luggage, to make it look like the stylish 1950's suitcases came with their car. - The 1956 carpeting was worse. Heavy white canvas with two-tone lavender yarn pile, with randomized high, low and bare spots throughout. All 1955-56 Dodge interiors were made from fragile Nylon-style materials (trendy at the time), so heat and time caused the fabrics to crumble to powder. That's why I wrote and published the article, so that I could create a LaFemme Owner's Directory and we could all share the costs of reproducing interior fabric.

[@allencrider]

Tony the Tiger sings in the commercial at the end.

[@stevesosebee5860]

I love this car, never heard of it before, thanks for the video !!!

[@skibee50]

My first car a 55 Chrysler Windsor Loved it

[@gregbrightwell4682]

I love this car! Just beautiful.

[@georgestoner9541]

Beautiful car and interior 👌 😍 ❤️

[@rogerlloyd7809]

My honeymoon car in 1960 was a 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer, red convertible.

[@pjcrafts]

I owned a 1955 Dodge Custom it was a nice car. Mine was all pink