The Most Popular Mopar Cars Of The 50’s
The Most Popular Mopar Cars of the 50’s. The 1950’s were peak times for American cars. Mopar played a large role in shaping this era of vehicle’s sleek designs, powerful engines and innovative features. Mopar cars from this decade remain iconic. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Mopar cars from the 1950’s that still inspire enthusiasts today.
1955 Chrysler C-300: The Original Muscle Car
The original C-300 was a performance icon of its era. Showcasing the abilities of the early Hemi engines on the hard-packed sands of Daytona Beach. It was there in 1955 that a C-300 posted a 127.580-mph two-way average in the flying mile, more than 7 mph faster than its nearest competitor. In the hands of pioneering NASCAR team owner Carl Kiekafer, the C-300 went on to win the ’55 NASCAR Grand National Championship.
1957 Plymouth Fury: The Star Of The Highway
Fewer than 500 units divided Buick’s third place to Plymouth’s fourth in the 1956 sales race. Best yet, Chrysler Corporation had a big surprise for competitors for 1957. Truly all-new cars, not just a rehash or redo or a reskin. Lower, longer and wider with long and high tail fins, big windshields, and spectacular styling by the design teams headed up by Virgil Exner. It resulted in a third-place score for Plymouth, with sales soaring past Buick. With just under 7,500 sales was the Plymouth Fury two-door hardtop. This time with 318 cid and a full 290 hp, once again available only in white with gold anodized trim. The Fury was a genuine up-scale muscle machine intended for fewer buyers when compared to Ford’s now newly upscale Fairlane 500 and Chevrolet’s Bel Air. It also did its job of being a “halo” car to bring punters into the dealerships.
1957 Dodge D-500: Speed Meets Style
Dodge offered its top-of-the-line Custom Royal series for the 1957 model year. With either the standard Red Ram V-8 engine or the optional, high-performance D-500 engine. And when fitted with optional dual-barrel carburetors, the D-500 was also referred to as the Super D-500. And super it was, with an output of some 310 horsepower. The hardtop Royal Lancer Coupe offered here is one of very few known with the Super D-500 engine and is additionally well optioned in many other ways. Including the Power-Flite automatic transmission, power brakes, power steering, power seat, power windows, a radio with dual antennas, and factory air conditioning.
1956 DeSoto Adventurer: Luxury With Power
Representing the top-of-the-line for DeSoto in 1956, the Adventurer was offered as a limited edition, two-door hardtop. Affectionately dubbed the “Golden Adventurer” among collectors. Based on the hugely popular Fireflite Sportsman Coupe, the Adventurer featured sleek lines courtesy of Virgil Exner’s spectacular, finned “Forward Look” body. All 996 limited production Adventurers were snapped up within six weeks of production.
DeSoto paired the sleek Adventurer body with a specially modified, high-performance version of its S-24 341 cu-in Hemi breathing through dual four-barrel carburetors to help achieve a claimed top speed of 144mph. The Adventurer’s special Hemi engine was mated to a push button Powerflite automatic transmission. All underpinned by heavy-duty suspension and power brakes.
A decorated AACA Grand National Prize winner, this limited production DeSoto is finished in two-tone Jet Black with Adventurer Gold complimented by turbine style. Also with Aluminum gold anodized wheel covers, anodized gold aluminum mesh radiator grill, with special Adventurer medallions, and badging. As a special model, the Adventurer interior colors and materials were closely coordinated to the exterior. Also including a white steering wheel with gold grips, seat and back bolsters in gold metallic finish, seat cushions and back inserts in brown tweed, and black carpet with gold Mylar flecks.
1953 Dodge Coronet: The Affordable Family Car
The 1953 Dodge Coronet was a more accessible Mopar vehicle, appealing to middle-class families seeking a reliable yet stylish car at an affordable price. It gained popularity for its “Red Ram” HEMI engine, which, though smaller than some of the other high-performance Mopar engines, still delivered impressive power and performance.
Known for its sleek design and focus on comfort, the Coronet offered a smooth ride and a touch of luxury. Making it one of Dodge’s best-selling models of the decade, as well as a symbol of the era’s automotive innovation.
1959 Chrysler Imperial Crown: The Definition Of 50s Luxury
The all-new 1957 Imperial featured an industry first, one which we can all enjoy today in any car. This was curved side-glass rather than straight. Under the skin, the massive and powerful Chrysler “Hemi” was both bored and stroked out to 392 cubic inches, and was capable of producing 325 hp.
Also, it had enough torque to hoist the nearly 5,000-pound car to 60 mph in under 9.5 seconds. And the quarter mile in just 17 seconds at over 80 mph. The suspension was the most advanced in the industry. With new torsion bars in front and exceptionally well-engineered Hotchkiss drive with semi-eliptic springs at the rear, as well as the famous Torqueflight three-speed automatic transmission that debuted late in 1956. Chrysler’s own power steering system and Airtemp air conditioning systems were standard and optional.
The 1950s marked a period of innovation and style for Mopar. These cars not only represented the best of mid-century American engineering. They also embodied the era’s spirit of optimism and forward-thinking design. For classic car enthusiasts today, these models remain symbols of an unforgettable time in automotive history.
