CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: the 1956 – 61 Dodge D-500

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to try to have some fun in the process. 1956 saw the advent of some true performance bargains. Powerful V8s were no longer exclusive to the expensive cars such as Buick, Cadillac, or Chrysler. They were now showing up in everything from Ramblers to Chevrolets. Not to be left out, the Dodge division of Chrysler had an ace up its sleeve, and unlike the Chrysler 300 Series, or the newly introduced Plymouth Fury, you could get the most powerful engine available in a Dodge for almost every body style. Introducing the Dodge D-500.

Continue reading after the jump!

The 1956 D-500 was a high-performance model derived from the standard 1956 Dodge but differing in many ways. It included a heavy duty suspension and other chassis upgrades from the New Yorker and Imperial lines, upgraded brakes, and a high-performance 315 cu in Hemi-head V8. A four-barrel Carter carburetor pushed output to 260 hp and 330 ft lb of torque. The 3-speed manual transmission was standard, with the PowerFlite 2-speed automatic as an option. A rare NASCAR-specific option was the D-550-1, which upped power to 285 hp. The D-500 originally used only the Coronet 2-door sedan and Royal Lancer hardtop and convertible bodies, but later on, you could specify the option package for any body style in the Dodge catalog.

The hemi was officially (and clumsily) called the “super-powered Super Red Ram,” but soon became known simply as the “D-500″ option. There were larger valves, mechanical lifters, reprofiled camshaft, and higher compression (9.25:1) to give it the claimed 260 horses, close to double the maximum power Dodge had offered just two years before. Dodge’s mild 1956 face-lift (of the 1955 Body) brought higher, finned rear fenders to all models, which now included V-8 Lancer four-door hardtops in each series, which could be optioned as a D-500. As on other Chrysler makes, control of the optional Powerflite automatic changed from the chromed corporate dashboard wand of 1955 to the soon-to-be-infamous pushbuttons.

The 1957-1959 Dodge D-500 was a continuation of Dodge’s high-performance package in the late 1950s, with a choice of conventional carburetor or fuel injection. Top horsepower of these vehicles ranged from 333-345, usually with two four-barrel carbs, but in 1958 the top 333-bhp rating came via fuel injection, which was quickly withdrawn because it proved so troublesome. By 1959, Chrysler dropped the famous (or infamous as might be said) Hemi Head engines in favor of a “Wedge Head”, but still producd ground pounding horsepower. These cars were extremely fast, and could be quite colorful, too, but some feel they’re less distinctive than the 1956 D-500. They’re also comparatively scarcer, however.

In 1960 The consumer could choose a D-500 Ram Induction high-performance engine on their new Dodge at extra cost. This eight-cylinder engine had an overhead valve, 90-degree V-type, ram induction manifold and a combustion chamber that was wedge-shaped. The compression ratio was 10:1 with a bore of 4.25 inches and a stroke of 3.38 inches. The engine had a piston displacement of 383 cubic inches. Also, there was a full-flow oil filter, dual exhausts, and two four-barrel carburetors with a horsepower rating of 330 at 4800 RPM and torque of 460 pounds at 2800 RPM.

By 1961, the D-500 package was in it’s last year, continuing on with the horsepower ratings from 1960, in a uniquely styled body. Because of the new style, Dodge actually lost market share, going from 6th place in the industry for 1960, to 9th in 1961. And if the Dodge boys thought 1961 was bad, it was about to get worse for 1962. But we won’t be covering these smaller dodges yet.

Searching throughout the CarDomain members, there doesn’t seem to be any D-500 Dodges, so if someone reading this knows anyone with these rare and colorful Dodges, have them create a ride page for us to take a look at. I do have a surprise though. Here is Paul Garlick’s Dodge D-500, originally built for the Mexican Market. It took a 1961 Plymouth front clip, and mated it to a 1961 Dodge Polara body, and this thing is loaded with A/C, Record Player, wire wheels, and just look at the engine.

There you have it, a prequel to the muscle cars that were soon to be introduced in the 1960′s. Is this “Forward Look” Dodge an Obscure Muscle Car, and does it belong in the lot, or is it just another 50′s showboat, with a lot of dazzling chrome, and multi-colored paint, and is only good for cruising around in? As always, I look forward to your comments.