GM’s Canadian-specific models, such as the Beauvillemont, Parisienne, Acadian, etc., get a lot of old car press, but the General wasn’t the only one with a Canada-specific portfolio. ChryCo’s Dodge division got in on the action with the Regent, such as this beautiful 1954 edition, that hails from Aldergrove, British Columbia. This is quite a find, courtesy of Scott, and it’s the first we reviewed on BF. Let’s take a close look at this north-of-the-border Mopar and see what we have. Those with an interest will find the listing here on craigslist, where it’s available for $12,900 (don’t know if that’s Canadian or U.S.; $12,900 U.S. = $17,802 CDN; $12,900 CDN = $9,348 U.S. at May 1, 2025 exchange rates).
Research indicates that while the front end of the Regent resembles a standard ’54 Dodge, the body is actually that of a Plymouth Savoy, making this an entry-level model. All regents were assembled at ChryCo’s Windsor, Ontario, manufacturing plant, and production continued through 1959. Body styles started out with two and four-door sedans, though a “Mayfair” two-door hardtop was later added to the lineup. The seller tells us that this Regent is in excellent condition, and “No rust, no filler, good paint done about 5 years ago.” It looks great, and this is one two-tone arrangement I really like. The finish has a lot of depth, and the chrome bits sparkle. The stainless trim is strong and all in place, as is the proper badging. The listing claims continual indoor storage, and this Dodge looks it.
The interior’s condition matches that of the exterior, except for the bedspread/dining room table linen that’s covering the front seat. Is it protecting the seat or hiding a problem? An inquiry will have to be made. Beyond that, the upholstery is a blue and white striped fabric material with matching (sorta – the upper part of the panel is covered in a pale red material) door cards. The listing mentions, “New headliner, new flooring (carpet or actual floors?), seats in perfect condition.” The instrument panel is small and simple with legible gauges, but of classic design for the era. Small details such as the weatherstripping and windlace present perfectly. Nice to see is the inclusion of seatbelts.
The engine appears to be a 115 HP, 228 CI, in-line, flathead, six-cylinder powerplant (no listing details) that makes the rear-wheel hook-up via a three-speed manual transmission. With only 65K miles (kilometers?) showing on the odometer, this Dodge is said to “Run and drive perfectly. No issues.”
As I stated at the outset, we don’t cover Dodges of this era often, especially a Canadian-specific model such as a Regent. Being a seldomly encountered model, especially one in this condition, makes this Dodge a fantastic addition to one’s collection. Of course, no collection needed; this would be a special Dodge just to own and drive. Bringing it here to the U.S. could be a challenge with all of the tariff business going on, but maybe there’s an exception for old cars. And, maybe one of our many Canadian readers will see this post and show interest. Whatever the case, this Dodge is deserving of a new home where its next caretaker will provide for it as well as the current one has, wouldn’t you agree?
Beaumont and Acadian :D Spellchecking on demand..9.99. please :|
Beaumont 🍁 here J.O. Along w a great cover 🎶 🎸
https://youtu.be/Md_a7_7_w6w?si=8SHNCBauP00QQ6Lb
Thanks for the corrections ThunderRob, keeps the quality of this site up. Many times it’s the knowledgeable commentators here that keep me coming back.
3 on the tree manual transmission. The odometer is in miles as Canada didn’t join most of the world in the metric standard until the mid 1970’s. The price is in Canadian dollars.
World in the metric standard in Canada for highway speed September 1, 1974.
We used to call these a “Plodge”.
Plodge. Awesome ;)
Ungainly at best and a bad investment for Chrysler!
Lovely even being Canadian
As I’ve frequently commented, I love aspirational names. What a contrast to today’s letter and number model names. Give Me Royal Regal Imperial Regency Brougham deElegance Collectors Edition with Coachwork by LeBaron. A one off 53 🤔 Chrysler CORONATION was built for Elizabeth II first visit to Canada. What an impressive beauty, truly befitting a Monarch. 👑 👸
Monarch was Mercury Monarch (Ford) in Canada not Chrysler.
Yes, I know. I was referring to The QUEEN. Not a car.
Rick W- I think it’s interesting how the marketing wizards in the auto industry have had a major influence on Madison Avenue’s promotion of a wide range of
consumer products. While the designation of ‘De-luxe’, as applied to Chevrolets in the 50’s, no doubt made the expression more common, the champion in my mind was ‘XL’, introduced by Ford in 1962, namely by the Galaxie 500 XL. You can now find ‘XL’ on any range of products, it would seem, so whomever thought it up should go down in an advertising hall of fame.
Australia had IXL jams (aka Jellies).
Surprising how many Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth cars had Regal styled names.
A team of cars like this one toured in a dare-devil driving team to Australian country agricultural shows during the early/mid 1950s!
@ Chris…Good point. Perhaps Those Execs were.
🎶 Movin On UP to 🎵a Deluxe suite in the sky🎵 ! I wonder if Elon Musk has any kids named Deluxe 🤔? I believe one’s named X. Maybe an XL or SUPER X? Or SUPER XL? I could say the whole discussion is SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPALIDOCIOUS! 😉 Just Poppin In to make Mary!
This looks like a pretty cheap way to get into the old car hobby.
The dashboard and instrument panel are almost identical to my 1952 Plymouth. Some folks will consider it stodgy but I like it and it appears to be in very good condition. The price is fair too IMO. Being in British Columbia means that it might as well be on the dark side of the moon as far as I’m concerned. GLWTS.
My first car, in 1965, was a 1954 Plymouth Savoy four-door sedan, with the 228 six, two-speed Powerflite automatic transmission, power steering and tinted windows. I bought it from the original owner for $375.00 CDN. It had 24,000 miles and was a dark green colour with lighter green upholstery. I loved that car, but it was slower than “molasses in January”. Since I was driving 30 miles each way on an expressway to work, I used my dad’s 1960 Oldsmobile and he drove my Plymouth locally to his work. This Dodge reminds me so much of my first (of many) Mopars. Nice car!
It doesn’t matter how long ago it was, we always remember the price of our first car!
I really appreciate this site’s featuring of Canadian cars! And I surely remember the Canadian Dodges that were Plymouth from the cowl on back. And the Canadian Pontiacs with Chevrolet tail lights. All these things bring back memories of the 1950s, for me. It would be fun to own a Canadian car, I think President Trump has lowered tariffs on certain cars, to help American automakers out: maybe he could exempt classic cars from tariffs? Never hurts to ASK…
To RICK W: I had thought that tariffs applied only to new items — so, you’re probably right. Therefore, I assume that a 71-year-old car would not come under tariffs (jus’ SAYin’…).
From what I have been able to determine, the existing 25-year rule applies for imports into the U.S. so the import duty would be the standard, existing 2.5%, not the 25% tariff.
JO
I am now the proud owner of this specific car featured (purchased from the Craigslist listing), I may be able to answer some of the questions posed in this coverage of my car! There is indeed no (or very little) rust, the car has been stored inside its whole life. The “bedspread” is just protecting the seat itself, the upholstery is perfect and I believe it is also original. The headliner and walls were redone by the previous owner, and the “new floors” means new carpet put down. The metal floor itself is in great shape (the entire frame/trunk/lower area has been covered with coating, an option from the dealer). There are two seatbelts (none in the rear), you are correct with your surmise of the type of engine. The car does indeed have only 64k original miles on her and she starts right up and drives with no issues whatsoever! She thankfully will be kept within the local region (not moved east or to the States) further cementing her local history in the area.
Congratulations Kyler, and thanks for your report! I expect that you will get many years of enjoyment out of this fine, youngish Dodge. You should feel like Royalty when driving it.