The Dodge Lancer is a name that Dodge used for three unrelated cars in the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s. It began as the hardtop designation of the full-size 1955 Dodge, returned on a compact based on the Chrysler Valiant and finally appeared on a front-wheel-drive mid-size hatchback.
Dodge Lancer at a glance
| First use | 1955-1959, hardtop models of the full-size Dodge |
|---|---|
| Second use | 1961-1962, compact based on the Chrysler Valiant |
| Third use | 1985-1989, front-wheel-drive Chrysler H platform |
| 1959 Custom Royal Lancer | 361 cu in V8 with 305 hp |
| D-500 option | 383 cu in V8 with 320 hp; Super D-500 with 340 hp |
| 1961 engines | 170 cu in slant-six, 101 hp; 225 six, 145 hp |
| Hyper-Pak | 148 hp from the 170 and 196 hp from the 225 |
| 1962 drag result | 12.68 seconds in the Golden Lancer |
| Replaced by | Dodge Dart (1963) and Dodge Spirit (1989) |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Lancer.
History of the Dodge Lancer
Dodge used the Lancer name from 1955 until 1959 for the two- and four-door hardtop models without a B-pillar in the full-size Coronet, Royal and Custom Royal lines. The Custom Royal Lancer was a hardtop only and the top-of-the-line Dodge in 1959, with 6,278 two-door and 5,019 four-door hardtops built that year and 11,397 Custom Royal Lancers in total. It used the 361 cu in V8 with 305 hp, and a D-500 option added a 383 cu in engine with a single Carter four-barrel rated at 320 hp or a Super D-500 with dual four-barrels producing 340 hp. The Custom Royal Lancer had a padded dashboard and steering wheel, Lancer emblems on the wings, steering wheel and hubcaps, foot-operated wipers, dual radio antennas, deluxe side trim and thick chrome eyebrows, with power windows and brakes, air conditioning and swivel seats on the options list. The Lancer designation was dropped for 1960.
For 1961 Dodge applied the name to a higher-priced, upmarket version of Chrysler’s Valiant compact. The model appeared when Chrysler assigned the Valiant to Plymouth for 1961, leaving Dodge dealers without a compact to sell. All Valiant body styles were available, including two- and four-door sedans, a two-door hardtop and a four-door wagon, and after 1962 the line was renamed the Dodge Dart. A survey of 1961 Lancer owners by Popular Mechanics, covering 1,023,938 miles driven, reported that 77.6 per cent rated their cars excellent, with handling, comfortable ride, performance and styling as their main likes.
The Lancer’s wheelbase and body shell were identical to the Valiant’s, but the trim was more upscale, with round tail lights and a full-width grille instead of the Valiant’s cat’s-eye lights and central grille. The 1961 trims were the basic 170 and the premium 770, and for 1962 the hardtop became the GT with two-tone paint, bucket seats, blacked-out headlamp bezels and grille slats and GT medallions. The base engine was the 170 cu in slant-six with 101 hp and the optional power package the 225 cu in six with 145 hp, with a die-cast aluminium 225 block available after the start of the 1961 model year. Any engine could be fitted at the dealer with Chrysler’s Hyper-Pak kit, which gave the 170 an output of 148 hp and the 225 196 hp: a Hyper-Pak 225 Lancer reached 60 mph in 8.6 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 16.4 seconds.
The Lancer was a force on the drag strip. Wayne Weihe won the C/FX class at the 1962 NHRA Winternationals with a Hyper-Pak Lancer, and the Golden Lancer of Dode Martin and Jim Nelson, powered by a 413 cu in V8 prepared by Chrysler’s Ramchargers team, ran the quarter mile in 12.68 seconds at 113 mph. Even so, Lancer sales did not meet expectations and were about half those of the Valiant, so the name was dropped when Dodge’s compact was redesigned for 1963 and became the Dart. The Lancer name returned in 1985 for a front-wheel-drive mid-size model on the Chrysler H platform, which stayed in production until 1989 and was replaced by the Dodge Spirit.
Design and features
- Three cars, one name: a 1950s hardtop, a 1960s compact and a 1980s hatchback.
- Custom Royal Lancer: the most luxurious 1959 Dodge, with a 305 hp 361 V8.
- Hyper-Pak: a dealer kit that turned the compact Lancer into a drag-strip contender.
- Valiant twin: the 1961-1962 car shared its body with the Plymouth Valiant.
Dodge Lancer versions
- Coronet, Royal and Custom Royal Lancer (1955-1959): the hardtop versions of the full-size Dodges.
- Lancer 170 and 770 (1961): the two trims of the compact.
- Lancer GT (1962): the bucket-seat hardtop with blacked-out trim.
- Lancer (1985-1989): the front-wheel-drive H-platform hatchback.
The compact Lancer became the Dodge Dart, while the 1950s hardtops belonged to the Dodge Coronet and Dodge Royal lines, and the 1980s car was replaced by the Dodge Spirit. More Dodge models are in the Dodge collection.
Sources
- Dodge Lancer, English Wikipedia: three versions, engines, Hyper-Pak, racing
