Australia's AP2 Royal grafted odd 'saddle fins' onto its tailfins — a grille-and-rear update that made it instantly distinct from the AP1 it replaced.
Lead trim: Royal AP2 V8
Chrysler Royal AP2AP2 · 1958–1960
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FactAustralia's AP2 Royal grafted odd 'saddle fins' onto its tailfins — a grille-and-rear update that made it instantly distinct from the AP1 it replaced.
A revised Royal, the AP2, was introduced in late 1958 with a new grille and unusual rear styling with additional "saddle fins" grafted onto the existing tailfins. It was available as a Royal four-door sedan, a Plainsman four-door station wagon and the new Wayfarer two-door coupé utility (the unrelated Dodge Wayfarer lent its name); the Plainsman was dropped from the range during the AP2 series. The choice of six-cylinder and V8 engines continued, the V8 identified by a V-shaped emblem in the grille and a small V8 badge on the rear quarter.
Collectors Spotted in the Chrysler Royal Lineage
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Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal AP2 V8 | 1958–1960 | V8 | 220 hp | 325 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Royal AP2 six-cylinder | 1958–1960 | Inline-6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
The final Royal, the AP3, borrowed its face from Detroit's 1959 DeSoto: stacked quad headlamps and triple tail lights on an Australian-built Plymouth-based sedan.
Australia's AP2 Royal grafted odd 'saddle fins' onto its tailfins — a grille-and-rear update that made it instantly distinct from the AP1 it replaced.
South Australia's Highway Patrol ran V8 versions of this Australian-built Chrysler Royal — a locally adapted family car good enough for police pursuit duty.
Chrysler's six-cylinder Royal was the direct heir to the very car that founded the company in 1925, and it stayed Chrysler's cheapest model for the rest of its life.
Chrysler's 1933 Royal broke from how the company had always named cars — it was only the second Chrysler nameplate that didn't reference an internal body code or a top speed.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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