Flair Fashion: ’56 Dodge Sierra Station Wagon

The Keller years at Chrysler ended in 1955 with the advent of stylish cars like the 1955 Dodge Royal Sierra Custom station wagon. K.T. Keller, corporate president since 1935, liked conservative styling with high rooflines that allowed passengers to keep their hats on. But America wanted sleek, stylish cars and Dodge sales were suffering. Chrysler’s new chief of design, Virgil Exner, really shook things up. His styling was dramatic by 1950s standards. In 1955, Virgil introduced new styling for all Chrysler divisions. Responsibility for the Dodges fell in the capable hands of Maury Baldwin, one of Exner’s young recruits. The 1955 Dodge had what copywriters called “Flair Fashion” styling. Two and even three-tone color schemes were used to make cars appear longer and lower. The interior wasn’t neglected with two-tone upholstery and a full complement of round gauges grouped in front of the driver. The public loved it, and Dodge sales increased by more than 75 percent for the model year. We really like the color scheme of this ’56 Sierra wagon with green and orange separated by a strip of chrome moulding. Now that’s bold. The interior shares the same scheme and the dash shows Virgil’s penchant for round gauges. Wild is the word we came up with. We would lose the chrome wheels because it just doesn’t make a big enough statement. The seller wants $16,500 and since he says all of the mechanicals are in good shape , that isn’t unreasonable. Now go find a neat Airstream to pull. Click here to contact the seller.