Dodge Royal | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Dodge |
Production | 1954–1959 |
Model years | 1954–1959 [1] |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Full-size |
Body style | 4-door sedan [1] 2-door coupe [1] 2-door hardtop [1] 4-door hardtop [1] 2-door convertible [1] 2-door station wagon [1] 4-door station wagon [1] |
Layout | FR layout |
Chronology | |
Successor | Dodge Matador |
The Dodge Royal is an automobile produced by Dodge in the United States from the 1954 through 1959 model years. [1]
The Royal was introduced for the 1954 model year as the top trim level of the Dodge line, above the mid level Dodge Coronet and the base level Dodge Meadowbrook. [1] It was offered only with a 241 cubic inch 'Hemi' V8 engine. [1] The 1954 Royal V-8 range comprised 4-Door Sedan, Convertible, Club Coupe and Sport Coupe, [2] the latter being a 2-door hardtop.
In 1954, Dodge President William Newberg drove a yellow, Hemi-powered Dodge convertible as the pace car for the Indy 500, the first Dodge to ever do so. To commemorate the event, Dodge offered a mid-year package called the Royal 500, a special trim package to add to the Royal convertible. This package included chrome wire wheels, special badging and a continental spare wheel kit on the rear. Officially, Dodge built 701 of these pace car replicas. [3]
The introduction of the Dodge Custom Royal for the 1955 model year saw the Royal moved down to the intermediate trim level, above the now base-model Coronet. [1] The Royal Lancer name was applied to the 2-door hardtop model and Royal Sierra to the new station wagon models. [1]
For 1956 the use of the Royal Lancer name was extended to include a new 4-door hardtop model. [1] Station wagons now included 2-door Royal Custom Suburban and 4-door Royal Custom Sierra models. [1] External changes were mainly the growth of tailfins, redesigned taillight housings and side trim treatments. Changes at the front were limited to the addition of six "fins" in the grille (not to be found on the lower-grade Coronet) and an altered hood ornament. [4]
The Royal continued as the intermediate trim level in the Dodge line for models years 1957 through 1959. [1] A Royal Lancer Convertible was added for 1957 only and the station wagons were moved to their own series in the same year. [1]
The Royal was discontinued for the 1960 model year, when the full-size Dodge line was reduced to two trim levels. [1]
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The Dodge Custom Royal is an automobile which was produced by Dodge in the United States for the 1955 through 1959 model years. In each of these years the Custom Royal was the top trim level of the Dodge line, above the mid level Dodge Royal and the base level Dodge Coronet. 2-Door Hardtop, 4-Door Hardtop and Convertible models were marketed under the name "Dodge Custom Royal Lancer".
The Dodge lineup was refreshed for the 1958 model year, continuing the three-line scheme of the 1955 Dodges with the entry-level Coronet, Royal, and ornate Custom Royal. The Regal Lancer was added as a new top-of-the-line model in spring.
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