A sleek black beauty from the tailfin era

TESSY WITH THE FINS

I was driving around the tiny and very secluded enclave of Mill Basin, Brooklyn when this rocket ship presented itself. Forgettaboutit!

This is a 1959 Dodge Royal in Jet Black. This car is powerful and evil. This is for the hitman who works alone. Christine was a '58 Plymouth Fury but you could just as easily picture this smooth ride mowing down Arnie's enemies while on fire.

There was just no way to get a pic of the front which is a shame. The front has 4 headlights nestled under slanted, angry chrome eyebrows. The grill looks like a metal monster clenching 2 swords in its teeth. I wanted to reach out and touch it but I was afraid of the consequences. *Time Bandits spoiler alert! Even the hubcaps double as roulette wheels to take all your money.

Royal is written out so innocently on that electric razor trim. In fact, look how subtle and perfect that trim is at the starting point. The chrome follows the exact shape of the fin, framing it.
I even dig the door handles on this ride.

The rear end of this thing is straight-up science fiction! Four rockets form the taillights and the fins look like they help keep this thing on its course while engaging light speed. Its very hard to miss but the door hiding the gas cap is unceremoniously placed right on the side of the fin! Any less dynamic of a car and it would stick out like a sore thumb, but here you barely notice it.
If these fins look outrageous consider this: 1959 was the year of Ecto-1 and the other tallest-fins-ever Cadillacs. These are actually somewhat reserved!

This Royal is playing a neat trick as it is truly a large automobile. The trunklid remains flat as a table before coming down at almost a right angle from the end of the fins. The space inside is colossal! However with the Forward Look design of the late '50s Dodges it exudes an air of athleticism.

Well that's where we'll back away from this black beauty that just wants a moment alone. Mill Basin is a unique little pocket of folks who definitely don't like the idea of outsiders rolling through their hood so I made a quick pit stop to take these pics. A few blocks later we passed an unmarked but extremely obvious cop waiting on a side street. The thing is there is ZERO traffic in the dead-end cul-de-sac of Mill Basin in the middle of the day. I got the impression that anyone suspicious would be stopped and sent their merry way stat!