Dodge La Femme
The Dodge La Femme was a car of the Custom Royal Series, the Dodge in the model years 1955 and 1956 offered. The existence of the La Femme was due to the realization of the Chrysler marketing department that women in the 1950s with more and more interest in cars and the women, mitredeten more and more in the color that should have the new car a couple. The La Femme was an attempt to get a foot in the door to the automotive market for women.
The concept of the vehicle based on two Chrysler show cars of model year 1954. Their names were Le Comte and La Comtesse, based on the Chrysler Newport Hardtop and had clear plastic roofs over the entire passenger compartment. Le Comte was held in masculine colors, La Comtesse was " dove gray " painted " Pink Dust " and to convey the feminine traits. The positive response encouraged Chrysler in the follow-up of La Comtesse concept.
This concept was passed on to Dodge and was named La Femme. First car of this series was a 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer hardtop in " Saphierweiß " and "Heather Pink ". From there, the exterior of the vehicles with a special, golden lettering " La Femme" was provided on the front fenders instead of the usual designation "Custom Royal Lancer".
The interior has been reworked and better equipped. The seats were upholstered with special fabric with pink rose petals on pale pink background. The door panels consisted of pale pink vinyl. At La Femme there was also a rectangular handbag that harmonize with the interior colors. You could be stowed in a special shelf behind the passenger seat. Each bag was provided with a make-up set consisting of lipstick container, cigarette case, lighter and purse, which were designed and manufactured by " Evans ". The back of the driver's seat was a tray with raincoat, rain hat and umbrella that matched the rose flower decoration in the interior. The prospectuses mentioned that La Femme Extra was " ... for her Majesty the American Woman " made .
In model year 1956 La Femme returned with no less theatrical thunder: The dealers received letters from the marketing department, where La Femme has been called " astounding success ". This year, Dodge replaced the color heather pink and Saphierweiß by " hazy Orchid" and " Royal Orchid". The interior of the 1956 model was not inspired by the 1955 model but had specially made only for La Femme seat patterns, paints and carpets. The shelves behind the front seats in 1956 also changed to accommodate the raincoat, the rain cap and the shield that came with the car.
End of the model year 1956, the Dodge La Femme one and put the concept shelved. Since the La Femme only a special equipment package for 143, - was U.S. $, its production numbers were never recorded separately from the other Dodge models. However, it is believed that about 1,500 vehicles in 1955 and about 1000 vehicles in 1956 emerged.