By the mid-fifties most Dodge/Plymouth cars ( & all Chrysler products) had regular automatic boxes(My Granddad was a Dodge/Plymouth dealer)......In fact they had push-button selectors.......Most all others, except the Edsel (buttons in the middle of the steering wheel), had the stalk column selectors.........
My Granddad had a 1956 Dodge D-500 black Custom Royal 4dr, WW's, duals.....HOT!!
Craig may be right......someone converted an auto to a stickshift, (probably a floor shifter?)...........but left the column selector in place........
"What"?
Aloha!
Claud Pipkin
Claudpipkin@aol.com
Hotston, Texas
Veteran USAF
