After hearing St. Regis, we think of the 1970s M-body Dodge sedan produced for a couple of years. The name in the ‘50s was attached to a famous five-star hotel in midtown Manhattan so any vehicle named after it had to be equally plush. Chrysler New Yorker St. Regis was introduced in 1955 and a lot was new at Chrysler Division. Chrysler had introduced the new Imperial brand known for its technical luxury purposes. Imperial was a brand on its own, though was still produced by Chrysler.
As a result, the Chrysler brand increased in all dimensions, the 300 models featured a sporting dimension to the marque, and the New Yorker was boosted to the top of the models. There was a space on Chrysler’s brand where the Imperials were and New Yorker St. Regis occupied the gap. St. Regis was only offered as a two-door hardtop and was a trim option. It acquired FirePower Hemi V8s just like the other New Yorkers. Contrasting color roofs were common in 1955, the St. Regis had the Windsor’s simplified Chrome, the roof color seemed to be lower on the hood, and also the fenders and doorstops. For 1956, the two-tone paint was common in the Chrysler line the St. Regis was given a three-tone exterior something no other Chrysler had. The steering wheel was two-tone color-keyed, interior fabrics were well designed, and full carpeting.
St. Regis would cost a buyer $44 more than a similar equipped Newport. What made it a nice car was that it was a window dressing. The only two-door left was a hardtop since the club coupe had been dropped making it more attractive. Chrysler would always stand out when it came to technical innovations and engineering like the Hemi engine but their styling and quality were quite questionable.