There was a time when Chrysler built a Town & Country that wasn’t shaped like a minivan. The example above hails from 1954, which makes it a second-generation car. They were all wagons and I believe they all came packing 413 cubic-inch V8 engines. In fact, that would be the first V8 offered from Chrysler.
This example here is looking a little worse for the wear, but not terribly so. In fact, the patina appears to be downright charming. Inside, the wood bits are still there and the seats seem to be in decent shape. We can think of the perfect way for such a machine to live on, if someone out there isn’t willing to drive it as is.
Jonathan Ward from Icon needs to turn it into one of his Derelict builds. The whole idea behind these creations is to retain the earned history from every scratch, nick, and dent. Now, Icon has already done its Derelict work on a Chrysler wagon in the past. Melding a 51 Chrysler wagon with the front clip from a Desoto sedan and then stuffing a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 under the hood, the Icon team created a bit of automotive art work. Drivable artwork, at that.
With the right client (read: the appropriate amount of money required), Ward and his team could turn the car above into a truly killer ride. And it would be transformed without sacrificing any of its style or history.
This 1954 Chrysler Town & Country is for sale on Craigslist with an asking price of $4,000.
[Source: Craiglist]
Icon needs to Derelict this 1954 Chrysler Town & Country
About
12 responses to “Icon needs to Derelict this 1954 Chrysler Town & Country”
-
413 was a RB wedge motor – a derivative of the B motors first developed as the 361 that came out in the late 50’s.
That Town and Country would have had a first gen Hemi – I think they were 331s for Chrysler (then growing the 354 and finally 392) and Dodge and DeSoto had smaller displacements-
Yep. I don’t think the 413 came out until ’59 or ’60. In 1954 the FirePower V8 was a hemi 331, around 180hp with a two-barrel, but capable of big numbers with better induction and modern tweaks.
These cars are simply gorgeous, and this one looks remarkably solid. The asking price is very reasonable– almost a steal, IMO. -
Spot on. I think Jeff visited the Wiki for T&C wagons, which incorrectly identifies the engine for this.
-
Can confirm
-
-
-
One of the last US cars of the 50’s without fins?
-
Yes, unfortunately, fins reared their ugly heads in 1955 in several marques. I much prefer the late-40s and early-50s styling in American cars. However, the ’56 T&C’s fins were pretty restrained, and the styling overall was beautiful (especially up front), One of my favorite all-time cars, the Volvo Amazon (122), reminds me of the ’56 Chrysler.
-
-
Wombat 2? Could easily drop a 6.1L in it and be finish before Wombat 1…
-
Go the reverse Wombat and drop in an OM617?
-
I too, would seriously consider diesel. And a manual transmission. And, I’d paint it brown.
-
Not quite the same now that DaimlerChrysler isn’t a thing any more.
-
Sure, just that DaimlerChrysler (which hasn’t been a thing as long as Hooniverse has been published) was part of the inspiration behind Jeff’s original plan.
-
I knew point B, but not point A
-
-
-
-
Leave a Reply