1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer LaFemme

The gains woman made in reaching independence, including significant strides during World War II when they joined the American work force en masse, resulted in more buying power in the 1950s. This brought an increase of influence in the consumer market, and automobile manufacturers took notice, and concept cars were designed and built to (hopefully) appeal exclusively to women. General Motors led the way with the pink Parisienne, the Impala Martinique, and Cadillac's Eldorado Seville Baroness.

Dodge was the first automaker to make good on their dream-car promises, announcing their La Femme in 1955 as a $143 option package on the Custom Royal Lancer hardtop. The La Femme was based on two 1954 Chrysler show cars named the La Comtesse and Le Comte, and both were built with a Chrysler Newport hardtop body with a clear plastic roof over the entire passenger compartment. The La Comtesse was painted 'Dusty Rose' and 'Pigeon Grey,' but the Le Comte wore a more masculine color scheme.

The La Comtesse and Le Comte were met with favorable response from the public, prompting Dodge to create a production version.

The Dodge LaFemme was based on the Custom Royal Lancer hardtop and had a 120-inch wheelbase, a length of 212.1 inches, and was powered by a 270 cubic-inch (4424.5cc) dual-exhaust Red Ram Hemi V8 engine with overhead valves, a Carter four-barrel carburetor, and delivering 193 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The transmission was a PowerFlite automatic. It is believed that at least 1956 La Femme examples were fitted with an optional Dodge D-500 engine.

The Dodge La Femme, as the name suggests, was designed specifically for women. The regular Custom Royal Lancer front fender badges were replaced by prominent gold 'La Femme' badges. The exclusive two-tone color scheme was of Heather Rose and Sapphire White, while the interior featured special Rosebud cloth fabric and white vinyl upholstery.

Accouterments meant to appeal to women included a pair of specially designed seatback boxes, one to hold a coordinated raincoat, rain hat, and umbrella ensemble, and the other for storing a custom handbag containing a soft rose leather shoulder bag fitted with compact, lighter, lipstick and cigarette case. The handbag was a keystone-shaped, pink calfskin purse with a gold-plated medallion that was large enough to have the owner's name engraved on it. The purse was designed and made by Evans Case Company of North Attleboro, MA.

The well-equipped La Femme came with full factory instrumentation, a courtesy lamp package, and an Airtemp heater/defroster unit.

The 1956 La Femme had a Misty Orchid and Regal Orchid color scheme, replacing the previous Heather Rose and Sapphire White colors. The interiors had 'La Femme'-only seat patterns, headliner, carpeting, and interior paint. The seats were covered with a heavy white cloth with random patterns of short lavender and purple loops. The heavy white headliner fabric incorporated many tiny random splashes of gold paint. The loop pile carpeting was done in several shades of purple and lavender.

The 1956 La Femme continued to have two boxes behind the seats, but the purse was not offered in 1956, and only the rain coat, rain cap and umbrella returned.

The La Femme was only offered in 1955 and 1956, and it is believed that 2,500 examples were built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2025