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“Open the door on tomorrow!” shouted the ads. “Eyes widen, hearts quicken at this dream come true” claimed the sales brochure. With all-new body shells and the hemi V-8 bored out to 270 cid, the 1955 Dodge Royal improved on the prior 1954 cars by being wider, longer, lower, and more powerful. The wheelbase was stretched to 120 inches from 114 or 119 inches in the 1954 models, which gave Virgil Exner plenty of room to work a fabulous design. The modest six cylinder engine was boosted for a second year in a row, from 110 hp to 123 hp – a 20 hp increase in two years. The V-8 engine’s additional displacement added as much as 53 hp.

A new top-of-the-line Dodge Custom Royal entered the lineup with a more powerful standard V-8 and additional trim. The car also carried small “fins on top of fins.” Both Royal and Custom Royal models could be ordered as two-door Lancer hardtops and four-door sedans, while the Royal also had a station wagon and the Custom Royal had a convertible and hardtop sedan. Tri-color paint schemes were popular and eye-catching for both models.

Seldom do model names get so confused as Dodge’s use of “Custom,” “Royal” and “Lancer.” This car labors under the burden of all three. “Custom” was an upscale level of trim, “Lancer,” was initially Dodge’s name for a pillarless “hardtop,” either coupe or sedan. “Royal,” was a V-8-only series, the topline until “Custom Royal” upstaged it in 1955. That year, also, the Lancer name was applies to three of the four Custom Royal body styles, a sedan and a convertible as well as the hardtop coupe.

Even more confusing is Dodge’s introduction of “La Femme,” a spring 1955 marketing campaign directed at women. La Femme was a Custom Royal Lancer hardtop in Heather Rose, a pink shade, and Sapphire White. Special upholstery and accessories, including a purse and a raincoat, were included in the package. But Heather Rose with Sapphire White was a regular color option, so “non Femme” cars, particularly non-hardtops, could have La Femme colors. This Custom Royal Lancer Convertible Coupe is one of those.

The body contours and paint are both excellent, although the brightwork exhibits a few blemishes. The canvas convertible top rests beneath a white vinyl boot when lowered. The upholstery is pink vinyl with off-white insets. Brown carpet lines the floor. Options are modest: just power brakes, AM radio and heater-defroster, in addition to the PowerFlite automatic transmission. Aside from the eight-passenger station wagon, the Custom Royal Lancer Convertible Coupe was, at $2,723, the most expensive 1955 Dodge. Just 3,302 were built. This car is arguably one of the best.