After the refreshing new post war designs of 1949-51, Ford took it up a notch with a radical new look for 1952-1954 that led the way into the fifties.
Crestline led the way and was top-of-the-line with five smart body styles. The Fordor Sedan, Country Squire Station Wagon, Sunliner Convertible, the Skyliner (with transparent roof) and the Victoria 2-door hardtop that you see here. It’s been in the same family since 1958 and covered just 32,110 miles since new!
External changes for 1954 included a new grille with central spinner and round parking lamps replacing the rectangular ones. At the rear there were slightly larger taillights.
Inside, there had been a restyle with a new Astra-Dial Control Panel and speedometer with a transparent lid that allowed more light in during the daytime to illuminate it. The block pattern door panels were also new and unique to the Crestline.
Under the hood of this Crestline Victoria there’s a, “new for 1954” 239 cubic inch “Y” block V8 engine replacing the older flatheads. Despite the same displacement figure, horsepower was up outputting 130 horsepower which was up 20 hp from the year before.
It was a $76 option to get the V8 rather than the Mileage Maker six. It came with a 3-speed manual transmission as standard. The original owner opted for overdrive bringing the total to $186.
It was also the year that Ford started using a plastic bag reservoir under the hood for the windshield cleaning fluid – Ford were the first to do this, replacing the easy to break glass containers that had been used previously.
Ford sold 95,464 Crestline 2-Door Victoria Hardtops for the 1954 model year. If you wanted a V8 one then it would have cost you $2,131 plus any options.
The Crestline would have been up against cars like Chevrolet’s Bel Air and Plymouth’s Belvedere for sales. Although Chevrolet sales were better, Ford’s Crestline beat the Belvedere by a wide margin.
This 1954 Crestline Victoria is currently for sale on eBay. (follow the link for lots more photos)