A Royal Welcome for a 1958 Dodge Regal Lancer!

By Darrel Burnett, Executive Director – The Automobile Gallery & Event Center

The reward of meandering down memory lane is having the luxury of peering into the past from a perspective of charity rather than clarity. We gloss over the blemishes in favor of the bliss.

The year 1958 is the perfect illustration.  If you weren’t there, 1958 was in lockstep with the most explosive economy of the 20th century. We were just one big happy family in the 50s weren’t we? Weren’t we?

The 1950s invented the middle class, suburban living, and unprecedented prosperity fueled by the automobile industry which accounted for an inconceivable 1/6th of all the jobs in America.

Then, along came 1958! Just when the engine of ingenuity had the pedal to the metal the economy started sputtering like a two-cylinder tractor. All evidence suggests that 1958 should have gone down as one of the greatest years in global automotive history giving birth to the Chevrolet Impala, Aston Martin DB4, Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite, and Motor Trend’s Car of the Year for 1958, the four-seater Ford Thunderbird.

Despite those incredible icons that would later leave their indelible imprint on classic car culture, the U.S. found itself flailing away in the darkness of a crippling recession with car sales cliff diving to a decade low 5.5 million units from an all-time high of 8 million cars a mere 3 years earlier in 1955. At one point, the outlook was so disparagingly dismal that unemployment in Detroit plummeted to a paralyzing 20%.

Dodge’s response to cratering car sales was a winter coat of chrome! Chrysler Corporation’s wizard of design Virgil Exner’s spectacular one-year-only Dodge Regal Lancer splashed onto the scene in February 1958 shining from sea to shining sea. A great first impression left a lasting impression. Forget top-of-the-line, Exner’s ravishing Regal Lancer was worthy of “top-of-the-world” status.

As the show pony of Dodge’s longer, lower, wider “Swept-Wing” redesign for 1958, the Regal Lancer was only available as a 2-door hardtop with special colors, trim and interior. Buyers were offered their choice of four exclusive color combinations – Bronze and Black, Black, and Bronze, Bronze and White, and White and Bronze.

Exner’s intent was to rekindle languishing sales.

The Regal Lancer missed the mark on that front but in the process left an indelible mark….as one of the most beautiful American cars ever built. If this is the first time you have ever heard of the Regal Lancer there is a good reason why. Only 1,163 were ever manufactured and we are honored to have the one below front and center at The Automobile Gallery & Event Center!

Special nameplates on the side spears and extra chrome strips shooting down the sides from front to back made the Regal Lancer an instant object of affection. A wraparound windshield, double slant-back antennas on the trunk, and towering fins shooting into the sky oozed opulence. As if the “Super Red Ram” 350 cubic inch V-8 with 295 horsepower isn’t enough to put a twinkle in your eye, the Regal Lancer even puts a twinkle in the interior. Glittering gold fleck carpet treats passengers to a celestial experience right here on earth!

The rest of the interior is equally elegant highlighted by a bronze instrument panel with textured aluminum inserts, special trim, and a slick 3-speed, automatic Torque-flite push button transmission. Luxurious cloth and vinyl seats create the impression of four bucket seats to complete an ultra-plush package.

Owner and exclusive Chrysler collector Randy Guyer from Minnetonka, Minnesota has a special bond with his 3-time AACA Senior Grand National Champion Regal Lancer now on display at The Automobile Gallery & Event Center. As 1 of just 20 known to exist in the world, Randy and his Regal Lancer received the ultimate honor in 2024 when his Regal Lancer was selected as 1 of 15 finalists for the AACA’s (Antique Automobile Club of America) Zenith award in recognition of the most carefully detailed and restored vehicle in the world!

With all due respect to our friends at Buckingham Palace, please make it a point to swing by and see the king of our royal family!