The buzz in northern Ohio around '57 was that someone in the Cleveland area won a contest and was to receive a brand-new Dodge every year for the rest of his life!! I bet he wishes he still had this '57.
My Mother had a '57 Dodge Coronet 500. By today's standards, it was noisy. It also didn't ride very well either. I thought her '58 Chevrolet BelAir rode better and it was quiter too. Both of them had loud signal light clickers..lol
@cadrolls1 I'm sure your Mom's Chevy had a smoother, quieter ride, but as for handling, nothing from GM or Ford's big cars could touch any Chrysler from 1957.
@itsmegp46 I owned a "71" Chrysler LeBaron Imperial and it handled well but, if I had the choice to do it over again, I would have chosen Cadillac. Later, I owned a "71" Fleetwood and fell in love with the ride. True, it wasn't as crisp as the Imperial but, for long cruises with the cruise set at 75 M.P.H., the Brougham was hard to beat when it came to ride comfort. The problem with Chrysler wasn't with the torsion bars but, the clunky leaf springs in the rear. It was too firm for most.
@itsmegp46 I agree with you on ther handling characteristics of the Chrysler-built cars. At 110 M.P.H., my Imperial was ROCK steady. It seemed that the big 440 C.I. engine was just loafing too---ready to go even faster if I wanted to push it. Cadillac's front end seemed too "busy" at this speed and Lincoln went into a series of deep wallows because of the long, long soft springs. I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just stating a preference. Imperial would've been better on the Autobahn.
@itsmegp46 One other point I wish to make. Chrysler would have been my choice if I had to transverse many road of dirt, as was common in the era of this car, as the firmer suspension handled those kinds of roads better than a softer one. The "57" Dodge holds a special place in my heart as it was what we owned when my Father died when I was just 6 year's old. He worked part-time at the Dodge Village dealership here in Bristol, CT. where he was found dead. I miss him and the car-----even now.
@cadrolls1 My sympathies on the loss of your dad at such a young age, both yours and his.
Dirt roads weren't really an issue where I lived, I grew up in NYC. Anyway, my dad drove several Chryslers of that era, purchased mostly used. They rode well, handlded well, looked even better, but mechanically they were really pretty bad. Don't even get me started on the electrics!
Take me back to 1957!
JM13121 4 months ago
The buzz in northern Ohio around '57 was that someone in the Cleveland area won a contest and was to receive a brand-new Dodge every year for the rest of his life!! I bet he wishes he still had this '57.
srercrcr 7 months ago
cars then were works of art.
Rico8458 9 months ago
Dodge was the first to come out with the feature that automatically disengaged the parking brake when shifted into any drive gear.
cadrolls1 1 year ago
My Mother had a '57 Dodge Coronet 500. By today's standards, it was noisy. It also didn't ride very well either. I thought her '58 Chevrolet BelAir rode better and it was quiter too. Both of them had loud signal light clickers..lol
cadrolls1 1 year ago
@cadrolls1 I'm sure your Mom's Chevy had a smoother, quieter ride, but as for handling, nothing from GM or Ford's big cars could touch any Chrysler from 1957.
itsmegp46 1 year ago
@itsmegp46 I owned a "71" Chrysler LeBaron Imperial and it handled well but, if I had the choice to do it over again, I would have chosen Cadillac. Later, I owned a "71" Fleetwood and fell in love with the ride. True, it wasn't as crisp as the Imperial but, for long cruises with the cruise set at 75 M.P.H., the Brougham was hard to beat when it came to ride comfort. The problem with Chrysler wasn't with the torsion bars but, the clunky leaf springs in the rear. It was too firm for most.
cadrolls1 1 year ago
@cadrolls1 As I previously mentioned, for smooth boulevard ride pick GM, for best handling (at the time), pick Chrysler.
itsmegp46 1 year ago
@itsmegp46 I agree with you on ther handling characteristics of the Chrysler-built cars. At 110 M.P.H., my Imperial was ROCK steady. It seemed that the big 440 C.I. engine was just loafing too---ready to go even faster if I wanted to push it. Cadillac's front end seemed too "busy" at this speed and Lincoln went into a series of deep wallows because of the long, long soft springs. I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just stating a preference. Imperial would've been better on the Autobahn.
cadrolls1 1 year ago
@cadrolls1 Just imagine how well a Chrysler 300 handled from 1957 on compared to the marshmellowmobiles of the time.
itsmegp46 1 year ago
@itsmegp46 One other point I wish to make. Chrysler would have been my choice if I had to transverse many road of dirt, as was common in the era of this car, as the firmer suspension handled those kinds of roads better than a softer one. The "57" Dodge holds a special place in my heart as it was what we owned when my Father died when I was just 6 year's old. He worked part-time at the Dodge Village dealership here in Bristol, CT. where he was found dead. I miss him and the car-----even now.
cadrolls1 1 year ago
@cadrolls1 My sympathies on the loss of your dad at such a young age, both yours and his.
Dirt roads weren't really an issue where I lived, I grew up in NYC. Anyway, my dad drove several Chryslers of that era, purchased mostly used. They rode well, handlded well, looked even better, but mechanically they were really pretty bad. Don't even get me started on the electrics!
itsmegp46 1 year ago
WOW, pretty car! This is when America took pride in what we produced. 1957, one of the best years we'll ever know.
Great video!
dowopper51 1 year ago
Lol realm of silence! love the fifites!
Lumotaku 3 years ago
This WAS a beautiful car.
helmuthoorn 3 years ago 5