Chevrolet automobiles sold much better than Ford models in 1955 although Ford was rated high in styling and engineering. With that in mind, Ford designers purposely retained much of the physical appearance from the ’55 model when they designed and built the 1956 Crown Vic.

That year’s popular Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria increased the vehicle’s horsepower nearly 15 percent from the ’55 model to as high as 215 horsepower thanks to a Holley four-barrel and shaved more than two seconds off the car’s 0-60 elapsed time. The bottom line was that the more powerful Holley engine allowed drivers to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 12.3 seconds, compared to 14.5 seconds in the same car one year earlier.

Maybe even more so than power, however, 1956 was the year Ford consciously turned to building safer cars. Seat belts, mandated by law in 1959, were first offered as options by Ford in 1955, and in the 1956 model the same offer held true for persons willing to pay an added price.

Other safety features that were introduced into the 1956 Crown Vic included stronger door latches, recessed instrument panels, padded dashboards, and recessed steering wheels.

It’s hard to believe that the less powerful 6-cylinder Crown Vic sold for as little as $2.337.

Ford gave buyers of Crown Vic’s in 1956 the option to choose from among three V-8 engines to run their cars.

An increased valve lift, changes in differential, new distributor control diaphragm, and an automatic choke for all V-8 models, too, were new components in the ’56 version of the Crown Vic .

The popularity of this car seems to have risen through the years, possibly because of its stylish look, as it’s not uncommon for the 1956 Crown Vic automobile to be named Best of Class or even Best of Show in car shows in the 21st Century.

Opening doors, hoods, and trunks are just some of the moving parts you’ll see on these die-cast replicas. Perfectly proportioned at 1:32 scale of the original automobile, these replicas would only take up 6” of space on your desk and be a great conversation piece.