Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Starting around '53/54 the Mopar brands were well known for introducing "Spring Specials" with revised or additional trim and new colors to jazz up sales for the spring selling season. Even new model names, such as the '55 Newport Heron, were introduced. The Executive seems to follow this trend, in a last ditch effort to buck up sales.

Starting around '53/54 the Mopar brands were well known for introducing "Spring Specials"

We still seem to have a few of the "California Specials" introduced from time to time --- seems mostly by the imports -- but don't remember them being quite as many or as special as some in years past.

Speaking of Mopar, I remember reading about and seeing a few picts of the mid 50s Dodge - La Femme or some such. Don't know if that was more a show car or in this category as something to boost sales or even a serious attempt at a model. Can you imagine the uproar if such a car was done today.

"Believe it was intended for the junior businessmen types who couldn't quite afford the big time yet. One of the Packard books authors mentioned they had called it the car for the man on the way up."


"Executive" was one of the buzz words of the mid fifties. For the first time the middle class, middle management group was big enough to be a market all its own.

Edsel was marketed to the young executive on his way up too. Evidently Packard beat them to it by a year or 2, or possibly Edsel copied Packard's marketing - not that it did either of them any good.

Some pundit did an essay about that time on the excesses of modern advertising, one of the ads he picked on was selling socks "in the executive length" meaning long socks.

The idea of selling to the new managerial class was fashionable at the time.

For Howard,

Some years back a good friend of mine here in Tucson purchased a "Le Femme" from a seller. The car remained in Tucson for awhile before authorities from the Walter Chrysler museum learned about it. The museum folks arrived in Tucson and over 3 days inspected the car from every angle possible & ultimately purchased it. I understand that the car now resides at Walter's museum back east. The car was quite beautiful and it was actually adorned, colored and crafted by women for women in particular.

Thanks, I had never seen one or knew if they sold many but do remember it was designed for women. Pink and had some extra convenience factors and makeup drawers or mirrors or some such. Didn't know women had much of a hand in designing it though. It was certainly different times.

I was just thinking that today, women want and do work in places that back then they might not have wanted to or wouldn't have been allowed near. Any car crafted along the LaFemme lines and advertised as such would probably be met with pickets and boycotts as being sexist or some such.

"An interesting '55 footnote was La Femme, a special limited-edition Custom Royal Lancer hardtop painted pink and white. As the name implied, it sported accoutrements for m'lady, including a folding umbrella and a fitted hand bag stored in the back of a front seat. La Femme returned for '56 (the women's movement was still many years away), but though briefly considered for volume sale, no more than a handful were produced."

-Automobiles of the '50s, by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide. 1997

Attach file:

---

  (30.13 KB)