THE POSEIDON AUTOMOTIVE COMPANY PRESENTS — THE ALL-NEW 1955 DOLPHIN TIDE
A new wave of engineering from Poseidon has arrived!
From the same minds that brought you the dependable Turtle compact, comes a bold new statement in Australian motoring — the 1955 Poseidon Dolphin Tide.
Crafted under the guiding philosophy of Excellence through Efficiency, the Dolphin represents Poseidon’s next leap forward in family motoring. Beneath its clean, modern lines lies a finely tuned Manta Power Units 1600cc OHV-2 Inline 4, delivering 47.7 kW of spirited performance through a smooth 4-speed manual gearbox. Light, responsive, and reliable — the Dolphin gives you steering that makes you feel alive.
Inside, you’ll find seating for five in a refined yet practical cabin, while its steel-ladder chassis and double-wishbone suspension bring confidence to every curve. Whether navigating the city streets or exploring open country roads, the Dolphin Tide glides forward with grace, economy, and innovation.
With its compact footprint, exceptional efficiency (9.8 L/100 km), and proud Poseidon craftsmanship, the Dolphin marks a new era for Australian families — an era where driving joy meets intelligent engineering.
The 1955 Poseidon Dolphin Tide — where efficiency meets emotion.
With a 39 hp advanced flat 4, 4 speed transmission, front wheel drive and a coil sprung rear axle, you can drive the car of the future today, with the Strenus 1100!
In the mid-1950s, the Mara Tovarysh people’s car was beginning to be exported to generate income in foreign currency.
The sole export model was the ““top-of-the-line”” Sedan Komfort Extra that, among other things, got the engine modified to run on leaded gas and the interior equipped with a radio that allowed for a free change in frequency instead of being locked to the Archanan state broadcaster station.
The model name differed between locations: Companion was the chosen name for English-speaking countries.
The Winson Eight was originally released back in 1939, but the passenger car production quickly had to be paused until late 1946 for the obvious reason. In 1954, the classic “Eight”, a nameplate named after the taxable horsepower rating in Britain at the time, was replaced by the all new Ruby, wearing a more modern envelope/ponton-style body. However, the Eight remained in production until 1958 as a budget-conscious model, also being marketed as a more conservative, classic style family car.
The Constellation N1 began its life as a Flint Motors research project in 1944 that sought to develop an automobile that might be constructed to fulfill civilian needs after the years-long pause in civilian automobile production resulting from World War II. For precious resources to be allotted to a civilian car, Flint decided the car would need to be reliable, economical, and capable of being built quickly and with few resources. As a result, the proposed automobile was much smaller than the typical American automobile of the time, with a specially designed 4-cylinder engine with a capacity of only 83 cubic inches (1.4 L). The research project remained ongoing as the war came to an end, but Flint eventually abandoned the effort as it became clear that American consumers were eager to resume buying full-size automobiles, and the plans were shelved. With the launch of the Marshall Plan several years later, Flint saw an opportunity to make use of its half-complete vehicle by partnering with European manufacturers and using assistance from the U.S. government to help build up the European manufacturing facilities. As a result, Constellation Motors and its first automobile–the N1–was born. With the need to both complete and update elements of the design, as well as to set up a new business from scratch, it would be 1952 before the N1 would launch.
Some highlights of the N1 include:
-A partial unibody chassis construction allowing use of economical MacPherson strut front suspension
-A 1.4L, 4-cylinder DAOHC engine paired with a 4-speed manual transmission providing 0-100 km acceleration in 23.3 seconds and fuel consumption of 8.1L/100km
-A premium interior, recirculating ball steering, and progressive springs to provide enhanced comfort (at least in this trim level)
-Durable construction providing an estimated lifespan of more 250,000 km before failure, with the engine projected to last more than 300,000 km.
I am only just now realizing the similarity of the body to the Henry J as well as some of the similarities in background story! My main inspiration for the concept was actually the abandoned Chevrolet Cadet–an ahead-of-its-time compact car design GM abandoned in 1946 after realizing there was plenty of postwar demand for full-size cars in the US.
I would also like to point out that Flint/Constellation actually had the good sense to sell this with a standard trunk lid and a reasonably nice interior, and in a market actually known to buy smaller, more economical cars…so maybe a Henry J with a few (hopefully) less disastrous marketing decisions?
The New World’s finest, redesigned for the Old World. In its Deluxe trimmings, Centara’s Elegant and endurant compact offers a combination of quality and comfort unmatched by any other automaker. Our “airback” profile maximizes the space available to passengers and cargo, making the car feel a segment larger than it is!
Step right up, signore e signorina, and feast your eyes on the all-new 1955 Dynara Fedele — the automobile built for families with style, for gentlemen with taste, and for ladies who deserve comfort, elegance, and modern motoring refinement.
Observe the flowing lines, the gently sculpted roof, the refined chrome detailing that catches the sunlight like jewelry. The Dynara Fedele offers a shape as graceful as an Italian villa and as purposeful as a Swiss timepiece. Its compact dimensions make city driving effortless, while its bold stance announces a presence far beyond its size.
If you desire a car that is stylish yet sensible, elegant yet efficient, innovative yet faithful — then the 1955 Dynara Fedele is the automobile that will carry you proudly into the future of motoring.
Just like the name states, the fedele is loyal and made to be your pretty companion along the way, no problems, no left you stranding somewhere, this is our loyal friend for you and all your family
The design looks sporty enough and quite fancy with plenty of chrome to be seen. Mechanically though with a body on frame construction and solid axles at both ends it is definitely a bit on the agricultural side. The Dynara has the lowest driveability and reliability by quite a margin. It also has the highest service costs, no doubt due to the use of a premium interior and a phonograph which seems very unusual for this segment.
The only estate car entered here, the design is good with no glaring oddities to it. The basic interior really lets the car down as it has significantly the lowest comfort score, which usually would make the car more reliable but that isn’t the case here. Fuel economy is on the higher side as is purchase price too.
A fun looking cute little sedan car, the doors do look like a dent waiting to happen though. A flat four engine driving the front wheels gives the car good driveability, the engine isn’t massively powerful but is enough here. The lack of any entertainment means even with the standard interior this has the second lowest comfort here. Very much on the upper end of the budget too.
Surprisingly the only rear engined car in the challenge, also quite a ground breaking design as an early attempt at an mpv. Overall a strange looking car but the packaging does maximize interior space. driveability is in the mid pack, which is good going for a rear engine layout. Comfrt is unsurprisingly low and reliability could be better. Purchase price is a bit high for such a small amount of car, tiny car and tiny engine does give this significantly the best fuel economy.
A contemporary “bug” looking small car that almost looks like it has a cute face on the front. Driveability is quite low for the small size, comfort conversely is better than you might think for how small it is. Quite expensive and the worst practicality on test.
tied for the largest car here, an attractive if dated design by the mid 50’s.The Fabienne has the largest and most powerful engine here. Driveability is at the upper end, the comfort however is let down by suspension tuning even with a premium interior and the large interior size. The price of the large engine is poor fuel economy and high service cost.
Similar feel to the previous car, the design however isn’t as well done. I like the front end, but the rear lights seem very haphazard. The load area is a full hatchback giving the best practicality here due to the large opening. The P905 uses a relatively large inline 3 engine but the fuel economy isn’t too bad. Driveability is middle of the road, comfort is in the upper echelons though. The purchase price and service costs are competitive. Stats are very much in the middle for this mid pack car.
A very chrome heavy front end, the bumper design gives some nods to American design’s of the 1950’s on a very European looking body. The front indicators are in a rather odd location, looking like tears from the eyes of the car. Overall a strong showing here from Partner with driveability, comfort and reliability all in the upper quarter of entries. The maximum purchase price and quite high fuel usage let the Popular down.
Bit of an interesting design on the Edinburgh, the headlights work well, the indicators are too close and the side repeaters really are out of place. Overall it works just about but it could do with some tidying. This is the second front wheel drive car, also powered by a flat four engine. This has the highest comfort with good driveability and reliability too. Price is just a bit higher than the final three cars. The Wentworth does have the lowest environmental resistance, though in the 1950’s so if the car last five years you are doing well.
The last bit is coming tomorrow, tbh I would have it all in one post but it’s getting a bit late now to carry on writing the last three
I did notice the low comfort before I entered the car, but simply figured it was a 1950s Budget car thing and most of the field wouldn’t have managed much better. Should’ve probably gone for a standard interior but I decided to read the description of a basic interior and it sounded like what that car would’ve probably had, had it been real. Oh well, Every car is a learning opportunity.
A simple design but everything is in the right places and overall it looks decent enough, just some more depth to the design would have been nice. Running a very reliable inline four engine with tried and tested ladder frame. The Companion has the best driveability, second best reliability and competitive enough comfort. The really winner here is the stunningly low purchase price, a lot is packed into very little initial outlay. If the cost had been a higher priority and/or the design had been stronger this really might have won.
A very strong design here, somewhat “classic” looking by the mid 50’s but very believable as a real sensible family car. I love the spare wheel behind the load cover. An under stressed ohv inline four engine drives the rear wheels, the Eight has the highest reliability on test and strong driveability. Purchase and service costs compete very well, slightly higher comfort could have pushed this into first
A very forward thinking design, the N1 works as a mid 50’s car but also could realistically work into the 1960’s too. I do like the semi-hatchback aerodynamic appearance. The only real change i would do is lose the rear indicator this early on and keep one large red light at the rear. The Constellation isn’t the highest scoring in the top priorities but it manages to be high on all three, and at a competitive price too. It does also have the highest safety and environmental resistance which always helps swing things to a family buyer.
Delighted to be able to pull out the win on this one against some strong competitors! @mart1n2005, you probably don’t remember this, but you were the host of I think the second competition I ever entered–a Cool Wall–and my entry for that finished last or close to it. So I like to think I have learned a bit in the last year and a half.
I will gladly host QFC66 and will post a thread today with a poll with some possibilities for people to vote on.
My main inspiration for the concept was actually the abandoned Chevrolet Cadet–an ahead-of-its-time compact car design GM abandoned in 1946 after realizing there was plenty of postwar demand for full-size cars in the US.
