I spotted this 1957 Dodge Royal during one of my regular online searches for 50s classics. It was really close to what I was looking for myself. I asked the seller for permission to list it on my website but didn’t get a response. So, I just kept it in my saved items to see for how long it will stay on the market.
Several months later a friend of mine introduced me to the new owner of…
I spotted this 1957 Dodge Royal during one of my regular online searches for 50s classics. It was really close to what I was looking for myself. I asked the seller for permission to list it on my website but didn’t get a response. So, I just kept it in my saved items to see for how long it will stay on the market.
Several months later a friend of mine introduced me to the new owner of 1937 Dodge project. It was in my country since new, had many missing parts and needed a total restoration. The owner asked me to find for him some of the parts he needed in the US. When I saw the car, I understood that its restoration will cost more than a car from the same era in running condition. I explained this to the owner and showed him some online ads in the US. He quickly understood that he’d better buy another car instead of trying to restore the ambitious project he owned. So he asked me to start looking for a pre-WWII car for him. We started discussing the cars I found for him. He also shared a memory from his childhood: when he was a kid, he and his friends were running after a big, finned car that was passing on the street in his neighborhood. He didn’t know the brand but remembers that this car was like nothing else he has ever seen. We concluded that a 50s car will be a better choice especially since he is planning to drive it a lot. Since I was constantly monitoring the 50s classics ads, I knew what was available on the market. I sent the 57 Dodge Royal ad along with one more for a 1959 Dodge Coronet as well as few more for GM cars from the same era. The man immediately chose both Dodges and we inquired about them. We didn’t get an answer from the 59 Dodge seller, but the seller of the 57 Dodge answered. It was not easy to convince him that we are serious buyers, because we are out of the country, but once I succeeded, he became very cooperative. He sent me a couple of detailed videos that gave us a good idea of the car condition. We were delighted to see what an awesome survivor it was. This two-tone blue Dodge was exactly what we were looking for. We arranged the details of the deal and bought the car. It took a while until the payment clears in the sellers account, but once this happened, the transportation company managed to get the car almost immediately. This was a great news, keeping in mind that the Dodge was in rural Northwest Minnesota where the winter is severe with -20 degrees temperature. I was very excited to receive some pictures from the seller when the car was loaded on the trailer. The Dodge was looking great. Another challenge appeared when the car reached the port. The war in Ukraine just started and this caused delays for all transportation services in the Black sea from where the car was supposed to arrive. Anyway, it finally left the USA with roughly one long month or so delay and arrived successfully with no transportation issues in Bulgaria. The new owner was very happy to see it and was impressed with the condition of the Dodge. I was also pleased to see how preserved it was – original paint, mostly original interior and chrome that were looking great. The two-tone blue paint scheme is also very beautiful. The engine was running very smooth and was another evidence that the 48 000 miles are most likely actual. The car had very minor rust issues in the trunk pan. Taking in mind how popular were the rust issues among the early Forwardlook cars they were nothing. Last but not least, I confirmed for myself that the 1957 Dodge is a very beautiful car even if it is just a 4 door sedan. Many people underappreciate this body style, which means that there is still a chance for some people to own a rare beautiful car like this without spending a fortune. I wish to find one for myself too.