I have to agree with "frwl" that the special purchase ordered Torqueflite transmission for the 1956 Plymouth Belvedere that had a build date of July 05, 1956, was indeed a very late production model. Chrysler and its division car models for 1956 would continue its production to around mid-August of 1956, when then they would start shutting down its factories to re-tool and modernising its plants for the new 1957 car models. Production of its new 1957 car models would generally start slowly during the 1st week of September 1956 and would ramp-up at full production during the month of October 1956. 

This information on the 1956 Plymouth Belverdere that has a factory special purchase ordered Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission and is also shown on its body data tag "SP" codes is very interesting, for I have never seen a Plymouth model before with this transmission. I have heard thatsome of the highier priced models of Chrysler/Imperial, DeSoto, and Dodge (late production) car models were able to get the special purchase ordered Torqueflite transmissions.

In fact, my father is is now around 85 years old, had originally purchased his first brand new 1956 Chrysler New Yorker Newport 2-door coupe hardtop from Walton Chrysler in Chicago Illinois, which was one of the largest Chrysler dealerships in the country. My father had just graduated college in 1956 and on July 1st of that year, my grandparents had taken my father into the Chrysler dealership to pickout a brand new 1956 Chrysler car. My father saw a 1956 Imperial that had a Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission, which he drove and liked a lot. But, instead my father saw a 1956 Chrysler New Yorker Newport model on the floor that he like better, but it only had the Powerflite 2-speed automatic transmission in the car. So, my father asked the salemen if he could order a brand new 1956 Chrysler New Yorker Newport with the same 3-speed automatic transmission that the Imperial car had. But, the saleman said,"No" and my father then said he would wait and come back at a later date to purchase a new 1957 Chrysler car model that would come out in only a few months (Oct). My father and grandparents started to walk out of the dealership, when the general sales manager started to run after them and he said that the saleman was not correct. The general sales manager then told my father that Chrysler had allowed any buyer that purchased one of its late production highier priced car models, that they could special purchase order its Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission, which my father had then ordered the car and it took 30 days for him to finally get it from the factory. My father still owns and loves this car, but he no longer drives it and has put it away into storage, which I hope that I will be able to own it one day. I also own a 1956 Chrysler New Yorker Newport model, but my car has the common Powerflite 2-speed automatic transmission in it.

Also, there is another person that I have found awhile ago that also has a 1956 Chrysler New Yorker Newport model and he claims that his car also has a special purchase ordered factory installed Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission in his car and that his car is a very late production model ? I have attached a magazine article link below that was written about his car.

http://www.cruisenewsonline.com/1956ChryslerNewYorker/1956ChryslerNewYorkerFeature.html

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Great_Falls_Tribune_Wed__Aug_15__1956_.jpg (218KB - 353 downloads)

frwl also said the following ...

"SP is a Special Order or a Special Equipment; probably export model 

Torqueflite is upgraded restoration option same as power steering and power brakes…"

Also, power steering (351) and power brakes (365) was a regular sales option that was available for the 1956 Plymouth car models and it would NOT be listed on the factory's special purchase equipment orders, for both of them already have sales ordering codes. The special purchase equipment orders are only used when an option is not normally available for a particular car model and it would list the special equipment by its part number and/or a description of it, for there was no regular sales ordering codes available for that particular special equipment and car model.

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I was looking thru all my old 1950's newspapers that I have in my collection and I happened to find a couple of car dealership ads that were selling a 1956 Plymonth's top of the line Belvedere cars with a Torqueflite automatic transmission, which I have also downloaded. I will also try to find and download a photo of my father's 1956 Chrysler New Yorker Newport's very late production (July 1956 built) car model that he had originally special purchase ordered "brand new" from Walton Chrysler dealership in Chicago, which has a Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission and he still has this car.

(1956 plymouth torqueflite =Rapid_City_Journal_Tue__Dec_31__1957_.jpg)

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1956 plymouth torqueflite =Rapid_City_Journal_Tue__Dec_31__1957_.jpg (131KB - 327 downloads)

1956 plymouth torqueflite -Warren_Times_Mirror_Fri__Apr_29__1960_.jpg (145KB - 324 downloads)