Want a surprise, look up the performance of a 54 New Yorker 2 door hardtop with a 331 Hemi, 4 bbl carb, with the much better 3 speed auto trans. In 1954, that Hemi 4bbl in the 2 door hardtop was considered to be one of the fastest production cars of the year. [/quote] I'm pretty sure that the cast iron 3 speed Torqyeflyte type trannies didn't come out and be used until 1957.
My mother bought a used 1949 or 1950 Dodge or Plymouth(CRS) in around 1956, I learn how to drive in that fluid drive tranny with that low power flat head six. You didn't need to use the clutch pedal unless your where going to change gears from forward to reverse or visa-versa. Once you had the shifter lever in the gear you wanted you could let the clutch out and let it sit their idling with no forward motion until you gave it some thrpottle, you coulld shft from 2nd to 3rd without using the clutch pedal also, let off and move the gear shift lever from 2nd to high and away you went at a snail pace
My Father in law owned and drove a 1956 Chrysler 4 door New Yorker sedan that had the pushbutton Powerflyte (2 speed) tranny in it, I bought a 1959 Dodge Coronet in 1964 that had a 326 C.I. Poly motor that was exactly identicle to the 1959 318 Plymouth poly motors for that year only. That car had a pushbutton two speed Powerflyte in it also, that was the last year that Mopar offer that 2 speed tranny, I think