Event Coverage "7th Known" Dodge La Femme, Up on the Block!

Check it out!

Here's the link to the auction:
http://www.fowlkesrealtyandauction.com/auctions202.htm

I wonder what this puppy will go for? It's unrestored, but still. And I don't know about there being 7 known left - the registery below says there's at least 8 '56 models.

http://www.dodgelafemme.com/

Here's the original post where the auction was announced here on the HAMB:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=591056

~Jason

 

so whats so special about it besides only a few made?

 

It's the "women's" model. La Femme. Get it? pink....fancy upholstery...

 

I'll bet if you want it, you can get it cheap. rare or not there is not much of a demand for them...........

 

Not so sure about that, I know of one that was restored very nicely but not perfect that sold for 75,000.00 a few months ago, it is a 56 and is NOT on the registry linked above. The previous owner was not internet savvy, and the current owner keeps a low profile.

 

I do believe they came with a matching parasol and purse. For real I'm not being a smart ***.

 

Ah yes, the rare La Femme, they did come with the parasol and other womens ammenities. Very rare and one of the only true salutes to the women behind the wheel. Congrats MoPar!! Can't believe it is in such great condition, good luck. Google it if ya need more first hand info. ~sololobo~

 

a neighbor of mine did the final ***embly on one of those La Femmes a couple years back. the car showed up to his shop all painted and pretty, and his job was to install all the trim and bumpers and such and get it running.

as far as I know the car is still in the San Jose area of Californy.

 

Infinately nicer looking cars than tri five Chevies....

 

I want that saratoga!

 

Yep ...

1956 Dodge LaFemme - San Jose, CA​

... and I think the guy is a HAMBer too ... can't recall his name though.

 

HA!! WTF ev'ar.

 

The La Femmes were based on the Custom Royal Lancer, so the one headlight ring that it has is incorrect. And the correct ones are hard to find!

Neat car, but far from the '7th known'...

 

Just because you see tri-5 Chevys about 1000:1 to Mopars of the same era, doesn't mean they're better.

 

Not only did they come with a matching purse, but they also came with a make-up kit and a bolt of matching fabric for the woman to make a dress from. And yes, that is real. Here is a pic of the one at the Chrysler Museum in Detroit.

 

That's hilarious. What probably seemed very progressive at the time would most likely be considered incredibly ***ist now. The car might as well have a c***erole stove built into the dash and padded pedals so she can cook dinner barefoot while driving.

Great auction though, some really nice stuff there, would love to have that '61 Imperial coupe.

 

Yeah, I talked to one of the original designers, he volunteers at the Museum. It was a bad idea from the start, the timing was wrong. They started designing these right after WWII ended, to give the working woman a car of her own, but at the time, the man of the house made the decisions.

 

They did research in the 50s that showed more American women were making household purchasing decisions than at any other time in history. That's because there were millions of new homes and new families in them. There were also more two-car families than ever before. That was the impetus behind the La Femme package, but as we have seen, it was a flop. But at least it wasn't as ugly as an Edsel. (sorry Edsel owners, hahahaa)

 

That's about all that can be said for it. It was still the '50s, in most households, the man made all of the major decisions. If anybody was going to get a special car, it was the guy. He could have a two door while the wife got the wagon.

Luckily, that means we have a bunch of well-taken care of wagons to play with!

 

the ad campaign for these things read "by appointment to her majesty, the american woman". if for no other reason they are cool because it was such an odd option, and flop.

 

Right. Popular does not mean BETTER. Nor does scarce or seldom seen. I dig this old MOPAR, but not at the point of a put down of a group of cars that have NOTHING to do with these rare car put up by the OP.

 

I know of 4 in North Carolina alone, so i think the "7' is highly disputable. The windshield in my 56 came from a La Femme parts car 15 years ago or so. Mopar has had several cars that were too far ahead of their time to catch on.

 

I am in Eastern PA. There is a gentleman that had 2 Le Femme cars a few years ago, he may still have them. He also had one that was a guy type package, don't remember much about it. Might have had cow hide interior or something like that. All his were in original condition and driving.

 

Normally, I'm against crushing old cars.

This thread has caused me to reconsider.

 

They also made one called the "Texan", maybe that's the other one you were thinking about.

 

If anyone wants to read some obscure information about the La Femmes, Texans, or anything else on these old Mopars, there is a pretty decent site out there for them.



Check these threads out... some GOOD info in them.

LaFemme: http://forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=2430

Texans: http://forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=25942

 

A number of years back, I think both "Cars & Parts" & "Collectible Automobile" ran features on the La Femme. This is 15 - 20 years ago. I've got the copies somewhere in my Archives.

The '55 is a tad "cleaner" in looks with the side-chrome in the "belt line" area; as you see, the '56 drags it down and back.

And, yes, a fully-loaded, restored La Femme, with ALL the accessories could reach high numbers at Auction.

PS: The strange looking item on the back of the Front Seat in the pic is a Trash Bin/Waste Basket for those riding in the Back Seat to put there gum wrappers, and, used Kleenex in...in case you were wondering.

JK www.legends.thewwbc.net

 

I don't think too many ladies would complain if their high end SUV came with some matching designer accesories. " Oh look Buffy my Escalades interior matches my Channel bag!"

 

Basically, it's a color scheme, and the same idea as the many Mustang variants Ford has been doing latetly.

 

It is a pretty interesting bird. Also not so sure about 7 known to exist, but could make a great car.

There are also some other interesting items at that auction, especially the Sun engine and distributor testers. Have fun if you go to the auction.