1955 was the year of wraparound windshields , tubelesstires , flying saucer wheel disc , and more vivid colors than a month of Canadian sunsets . small wonder that Ford ’s chic newCrown Victoriawas to become a Greco-Roman symbolic representation of the prison term , if not one of the year ’s hottest sellers . route tester Tom McCahill , write in Mechanix Illustrated , called it " laden with more saleable angles than a shipload ofMarilyn Monroes . "
The 1955 - 1956FordFairlane Crown Victoria was the crown gem of the bright two - pure tone and chrome era . One of the most imaginativecarsof an inventive X , it took off for the welkin in looks — but never in sales agreement . In this article , we ’ll explore what gear up the Ford Crown Victoria apart , from conception to twist .
Classic Cars Image Gallery
1955 was a great year to be shopping for your first Modern machine . Chevyfinally had a V-8 and looked as nerveless as Kim Novak in a stretch - nylon swimsuit . And Plymouth was hotter than the Cuban Mambo , strutting the first year of Virgil Exner ’s " Forward Look " styling and boasting a V-8 of its own . Ford , whose overhead - valve V-8 was now in its second class , romp many advanced styling themes , with a deliberately strong connexion to the new Thunderbird .
With the gamy - execution raceway already in high gear , the gross sales contest between the " Big Two " was off and run in 1954 . It was slaying on the dealers , and left the free lance with no option but to merge or become account . But overall , 1955 was a banner year for the industry , with yield just a whisker under eight million units .
A Look at the Numbers:
In 1954 , Ford had actually outproduced Chevy ( barely ) for the model twelvemonth : 1,165,942 versus 1,143,561 . But in the calendar - year sale airstream , Chevrolet outdid Ford , 1,417,453 to 1,400,440 , or just over 17,000 units . This brought about endless claims by both as to who really was " USA-1 . " Ford suppose it had a chance to lick Chevy in 1955 , but when the smoke settled it was Chevrolet with 1,640,081 sales to Ford ’s 1,573,276 , a lead of some 67,000 units .
exemplar - year production , however , was far more decisive : 1,704,677 for Chevrolet , versus Ford ’s 1,451,157 . Plymouth , as ever , read the back buns in output signal with 705,455 units , and while this was an impressive 240,000 - building block addition over 1954 , it was n’t quite enough to get the better of tight - charging Buick ’s 737,035 model - class yield .
What Made the Ford Crown Victoria News?
Matching the Chevrolet Nomad wagon in rank novelty of design was Ford ’s Crown Victoria , top executive of the new Ford Fairlane series , named after Henry Ford Senior ’s Fair Lane demesne in Dearborn . The " Crown Vic , " as it has been dear dub , was a sensational " non - hardtop hardtop " featuring a stainless steel tiara ( or " basket handle " ) enwrap over the cap of the hardtop body . Ford prosaically called it a " bright metal cap transverse molding . " Wrapping from the theme of the B - column location over to the other atomic number 5 - column billet , it was fixed — so the Ford Crown Victorias were n’t really a " dead on target " hardtop with an unobstructed side view .
liken to the standard Victoria , the Crown Victoria ’s roof was depleted ( the first Ford closed in cable car under five feet mellow ) , much flatter , and longer ( the rearward pillar were swept back an supernumerary three inch ) . This glasshouse , apropos , was shared with the 1955 Mercury Montclair hardtops , while Mercury ’s Custom and Monterey models get the taller Victoria roofline . The Crown Vic ’s windscreen was also lower , shared with the Sunliner translatable .
Not astonishingly , Crown Vics take care longer than the standard hardtop , although they were n’t — both the Crown Victoria and all 1955 Ford rider cars measured 198.5 in overall and rode the same 115.5 - inch wheel - base as in 1954 . Also featured on Crown Vics were a visored stainless windshield mold , vinyl inside in candy - flavored colour on the front bucketful seats , dim chrome and bright stainless - steel trimming at every curve ball and corner , and a rearward - seat center arm eternal sleep . Never mind the custom room access panel or huge trunk !
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Inspiration for the Crown Victoria
It could be contend that the original inspiration for the Crown Victoria was theLincolnXL-500 fully operational show car done by Bill Schmidt and Elwood Engel for Ford ’s fiftieth Anniversary in 1953 . It had an all - fibreglass scarlet soundbox and an all - methamphetamine hydrochloride ( or Plexiglas ) roof with a tiara of unstained steel .
It could also be argued that the immediate inspiration for Ford Crown Victoria was the Mystere . This was a non - running fiberglass styling field / show car that go completely into the astrals and back to incorporate legion styling cue for 1955 and tardy FoMoCo product gondola — but never made it to anyone ’s drive .
Joe Oros , who worked for George Walker ’s away styling group at the prison term and after became theatre director of Ford styling , arrogate that the Mystere did not at once inspire production automobiles . Oros contest there were a number of styling " themes " being developed at the time that were carried out on the Mystere , as well as on many production automobiles .
Who Designed the Ford Crown Victoria?
Some of the stylists who worked on the Mystere were Bill Boyer , L. David Ash , Frank Hershey , and John Najjar . They were all experiment with styling themes that would appear on a turn of advance intent and production automobiles . The 1955 Fords were done under Frank Hershey , who was fired by George Walker as soon as he study over Ford ’s growing styling section in 1955 . Assisting Hershey were Bob Maguire and Damon Woods , both now at peace , and John Najjar and Art Querfeld , both now withdraw in Florida .
Interiors were done principally by the recent L. David Ash , whose claim to fame was the peek - a - boo limpid top first seen on the 1954 Ford Skyliner and Mercury Sun Valley . Ash should also be credited with the famous fivesome - spear ( or " check mark " ) body - side chrome , which was executed on both the Mystere and output Fords .
Ford stylist John Najjar repeat the peep - a - boo theme on the ' 54 Ford " Astra - Dial Control Panel , " which was keep on the ' 55s , although the speedometer was slightly drop to cut reflections in the windscreen . The base of the Astra - Dial carry number - signal arrows , changeling visible light for source and oil pressure , and gauge for fuel and engine temperature . MagicAire heater , radio , and clock were correct in three great circles in the centre of the dash . A root - wind clock was standard on Fairlanes , an electric clock optional . Both the heater / breathing machine and radiocommunication ascendency consider some acquiring used to .
How the Body Style Got Its Classic Look
According to the late Dave Ash , who had as much to do with the Crown Victoria as anybody , the manakin began biography in 1953 as a full - sizing clay with a " observably lower roofline and more sloped rearward roof than the stock Victoria hardtop . " It in the first place carried the name " Special Victoria . "
Among a radical of young Cartesian product contriver who dazzled engineers and management with this car wasDonald E. Petersen , who in posterior geezerhood would become President of Ford Motor Company and then Chairman of the Board . Petersen win over management that a railcar with a low roof visibility could be built without sacrificing midland headroom .
Just prior to this project , Ash had developed the Plexiglas roof concept for the ' 54 Ford . From there , he was assigned the chore of participating in the full - size of it clay modeling of the 1955 Special Victoria . Ash then became a key digit in working out the item of the " Crown " and the Plexiglas top on the 1955 ( though he never did take full credit for the aim ) . Art Querfeld did most of the Crown Vic ’s unparalleled inside trim design .
Two Versions of Crown Victoria
The 1955 - 1956 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria fare in two version , with the bubbletop over the driver ’s compartment for $ 2,272 , or with an all - steel cap for $ 2,202 . Ford built 13,344 " Skyliners " for 1954 , and 1999 Crown Victorias " with transparent cap " for 1955 , then a mere 603 Crown Victoria " Skyliners " for 1956 ( the quotes being official Ford jargon during those years ) . These sure expect like great deals nowadays !
The equivalentMercurySun Valley first appeared in 1954 , and sold 9,761 copies . short known is that there were also 1,787 Sun Valleys built with the Plexiglas roof for 1955 . While the Merc bear the same dead body code as the 1955 and 1956 Ford Crown Victoria , the glass top was pretty larger than Ford ’s , and there was no tiara . It has also been rumored that one or two 1956 Mercury Sun Valleys were make , but none have ever show up .
While not expensive — only $ 70 more for a 1955 Ford Crown Victoria with the Plexiglas top — it was n’t a very brilliant idea as it cooked the passenger on even gently ardent , cheery Day , and was unendurable in the Southwest . The top had a indifferent gamy - green tint that theoretically filtered out 60 per centum of the Sunday ’s rut rays and 72 percent of the blaze , to further keep out heating system and glower . Ford added a nylon headliner that zipper in place . While optional on the Skyliner late in 1954 , it was standard on the 1955 - 1956 Crown Vics . But , of course , it made trivial sense to order the see - through top only to zip it up .
minuscule marvel that the bubbletop bombed in the showrooms , and soon after on used car lots . None of these models survived into the 1957 manakin twelvemonth . Even today , cars so equip do not demand near the prices that their sheer novelty would indicate .
A Sedan That Stood Apart From Other Vehicles
What really tap the public off its pastel pinkish wind sleeve in 1955 was the entirely new Fairlane series , which let in two - and four - doorway sedan , Victoria hardtop coupe , the two interpretation of the Crown Victoria , and a Sunliner convertible . Total 1955 Ford Fairlane yield was 626,250 units , or about 45 percent of total 1955 Ford output . The number of Crown Vics was 33,165 , plus 1999 Skyliner versions . Victoria yield , at 113,372 , underscored a public druthers for Ford ’s traditional hardtop , which had been around since 1951 . In 1955 , this fashion model name for $ 107 less than the Crown .
The 1955 Ford physical structure , with its GM gold - fish - bowling ball windshield ( nearly 1,100 straight inches ) , was n’t as new as it looked . It was really an passing cagey rework of a now four - year - old physical structure construction with the inner panels and chassis track change very little . Ford had expend so much money correct its 1949 - 1951 body mistakes with the all - new 1952 that the firm was n’t about to do it all over again for 1955 - 1956 — nor was there really any need to .
While steel reinforced , the Crown ’s tiara wasnota roll streak . Strength came from the stock frame of the Ford Victoria hardtop . All 1955 Ford frames were much modify from 1954 with a crushed snapper section and more kickup at both end . saloon and wagon had a K - shaped center hybrid - member , but the transformable , Victoria , and Crown Victoria material body got supernumerary rigorousness via an ecstasy - shaped support .
Ford ’s testis - joint front suspension — introduced on the 1952 Lincoln and 1954 Ford and Mercury — boasted a number of melioration for 1955 , the most substantial of which was angle the front wheel mandril forward by three arcdegree . This resulted in what was hyped as " Angle - Poised Ride , " take to reduce route shock transmitted into the passenger compartment by some 15 pct .
Mechanics of Crown Victoria
Theengineof the 1955 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria was the second - yr version of Ford ’s " Y - Block " overhead - valve V-8 , famous for its problems with valve lubrication on the top goal and the virtue of foresighted life on the bottom death .
The Y - Blocks featured " unbending rich - auction block twist , " a crankcase doll hanging well below the crankcase itself for impart strength . While the 239 - cid 1954 Ford V-8 had the same deracination as the time - honored flathead , it had a much larger bore than stroke . The trouble with the 1954 V-8 was that it did n’t bundle all that much major power .
For 1955 , the displacement was invoke 14 pct to 272 cid , enough to be a few cubes larger thanChevy ’s new 265 V-8 . The compression proportion go from 7.2:1 to 7.6:1 in the standard rendering , and Ford gas up its short - stroke " Low - Friction Design " and " Automatic Power Pilot . " The latter was " Ford ’s sole carburetion - ignition - burning system that prepare sure just the correct gun admixture is heat at just the correct instant and burned completely to give you the most ' go ' from every free fall of gas . "
Also touted were mellow - efficiency " Turbo - Wedge Combustion Chambers " and new 18 - millimeter spark plugs , which resisted frame - up of deposits and sealed better due to " point seat mental synthesis . " The result of all this was 162 HP , 32 more than in 1954 .
The Introduction of Power Options
begin with the 1954 V-8 , Ford had offered a " Power Pack " option with high - compression headland , four - barrel carburettor with robotic choke , and dual exhaust . Predictably , it develop a taste for premium fuel . In 1955 , for $ 35 above the $ 100 cost of the bag V-8 , this package had high 8.5:1 compression and a four - barrel carb , raise the horsepower to 182 — but was uncommitted only with Fordomatic . two-fold exhausts were stock on all Fairlane V-8s .
Two other magnate options were added along the elbow room . One was the braggart - gauge 292 V-8 from the new T - Bird and 1955 Mercury , with 8.5:1 compression , four - barrel carb , and 198 bhp . This was part of a especial - lodge package for Fairlanes and station waggon that also admit Fordomatic . recently in the class , a peculiar 205 - bhp " Interceptor " 292 , apparently for police enjoyment , appeared on the list , an outgrowth of the manufactory ’s efforts in NASCAR stock - car racing .
The base engine for all 1955 Fords was the " High - Torque I - Block Six , " the 223 - Criminal Investigation Command overhead - valve six introduced in 1952 , now shit at 120 horsepower . The V-8s , overdrive ( $ 109 ) , and Fordomatic ( $ 178 ) were optional . Rarely ( if ever ) were Crown Victorias ordered with the six - piston chamber engine .
The ‘Speed-Trigger’ Start
For 1955 , Ford called its three - velocity automatic " f number - Trigger Fordomatic Drive . " That was because it embodied " a new automatic down in the mouth gearing for excess - debauched starts or quicker , safer passing at low pep pill . … First , with picker set at Drive ( Dr ) you may start out in either low geared wheel or intermediate as you choose . For a real ' Speed - Trigger ' start , just bid the accelerator to the toe - board and you ’ll blink away in low-pitched gear . . . with contagion shift mechanically from crushed to intermediate to direct . For most drive , starts will be through intermediate gear as in previous Fordomatics . " By compare , both Chevy ’s Powerglide and Plymouth ’s PowerFlite were two - speeding units .
Along with the reworked Fordomatic was a " rubber - Sequence Selector … mounted in control panel just above steering column where it ’s wanton to see . It is light up for well-to-do reading at night . " That safety sequence was the Park - Reverse - Neutral - thrust - Low arrangement that would later be adopted industry - wide ( GM still had Reverse below Low ) .
All the Luxurious Add-Ons You’d Expect
It was in the 1952 - 1954 era that Ford began bid all way of convenience options . For 1955 , you could equip your Crown Vic with " business leader - Lift Windows " for $ 102 , " 4 - agency Power Seat " for $ 64 , and , of course , " Master - Guide Power Steering " for $ 91 and " Swift Sure Power Brakes " for $ 33 .
Air - conditioning was also offered , but rarely choose for prior to 1956 , when it was call " SelectAire Conditioner " and be $ 435 . And of course there were a myriad of small options , such as " I - balance " tint glass and " rearward fender cuticle . " Although the base price of a 1955 Crown Victoria V-8 was $ 2,302 , a fully loaded object lesson — as a good many of them were — evince a bottom line closer to $ 3,500 . The Crown Victoria Skyliner V-8 cost $ 2,372 , making it $ 48moreexpensive than the Sunliner V-8 translatable , but still well below the $ 2,633 Country Squire V-8 .
While test a 1955 Customline four - door with the 162 - bhp V-8 and Fordomatic , Motor Trendobtained a non - exhilarating 0 - 60 time of 14.5 seconds and an medium top speed of 95.2 miles per hour . With overdrive , Motor Trendshaved the 0 - 60 meter to 14.1 seconds . Even with Power Pack , it was laborious to break 13 seconds , althoughRoad Testmagazine crowd a Ranch Wagon so equip to a top amphetamine of 108 miles per hour .
But all in all , this made Ford no lucifer for a Chevy , which with Power Pack and Powerglide could easy zipper from 0 - 60 in about 11 seconds .
1956 Crown Victoria
For 1956 , Ford sported only minor styling change and go on with the voguish Crown Victorias , adopting their prospicient , down roofline for all Victorias ( and Mercury hardtops as well ) . A four - door Victoria was even added , but not in Crown form .
Ford now boast 12 - volt ignition ( Chevy had it in 1955 ) and a choice of three V-8s . The venerable two - barrel carb 272 was rated at 173 bhp with stick , 176 with Fordomatic , but was only for low - short letter Mainlines and Custom - lines . The 292 — called the " Thunderbird Y-8 " and again borrowed from the 1955 T - Bird and Mercury — was for Fairlanes . It had a Holley four - barrel carb , 8.0:1 compression , and 200 bhp ( stock contagion ) ; with an 8.4:1 squeeze it cranked out 202horses(Fordomatic ) . Optional at mid - year was the " Thunderbird Special " 312 ( not quite the sameengineas the 272/292 ) , snitch at 215 bhp with stick , 225 with Fordomatic .
Carburetion was again a Holley four - barrel . Other progression for 1956 were an automatonlike choke for all V-8s , increase valve lift across the board , a Modern distributor control diaphragm , and some differential modification . The six , still received across the line , was upped to 137 bhp via 8.0:1 compression .
The 1956 Ford front destruction sported a parking lighter intervention using a " pod " theme snatch from the Mystere . The V - shaft side trim on Fairlanes was convert and widen somewhat , and the taillights gained new lenses . DoI sported a major dashboard change , eliminating the Astra - Dial in favor of a " Thunderbird - eccentric control gore " with a hooded musical instrument bunch highlighted by pear-shaped , easy - to - understand dials and a simplified MagicAire heater / deicer setup .
How Safe Was the Ford Crown Victoria?
sale of most make were down after a streamer 1955 , but Ford ’s drib in sales that year has frequently been associate to its safety safari — which may or may not be true . goad by Cornell University ’s research efforts and the first twelvemonth of its own guard clank syllabus in 1955 , Ford decided to go all out for prophylactic in 1956 with its " Lifeguard design"advertising campaign .
Standard equipment let in strong " double - grip " door latches , " cryptic - center " patelliform steerage wheel , sunken instruments , and safety design door and window handles . For a few dollars spare , buyers could order a safety package consist of padded bolt and Sunday visors , as well as seat knock . ( Seat belt were first offered by Ford in 1955 . )
Marketing studies soon show that talk about safety really turned off some buyer , but Ford continued to push safety decent up until 1968 , when the federal official made it required for everybody .
Crown Vic’s Impeccable Handling
The 1956 Ford retained essentially the same expert handling and ride gadget characteristic of the 1955 models , but with considerably more snap . With a 292 locomotive and Fordomatic , Motor Trendwas able to make out the 0 - 60 sentence to 12.2 seconds , a good 2.3 second faster than in 1955 . But this still was n’t enough to keep up with Chevy , which outran Ford at Daytona and in early 1956 NASCAR racing , but not nearly by its 1955 margins . Ford ’s retaliation was the 312 V-8 , which totally outclassed Chevy later in the class .
In the most exhaustive trial run that he had ever done , Floyd Clymer drove a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria Skyliner 3098 international nautical mile forPopular Mechanics . It was fit out with the 292 and Fordomatic . Clymer was not one who went in for 0 - 60 times and fastest one - fashion runs . He had pocket-sized niggles and picks about the railroad car , but was most impressed by its comfort at sustained high speeds , covering 900 sea mile effortlessly on the last sidereal day of his test .
Motor Life , meanwhile , tested a 202 - Equus caballus , Fordomatic - equip Fairlane , zip through the 0 - 60 run in 11.6 second . Motor Lifelauded the handling : " The ease with which it can be whipped around tight turn and excellent acceleration out of corner furnish by the good low - final stage punch of the 292 - three-dimensional - inch Fairlane engine make this railcar playfulness to drive . " Also noted was a firmer drive than the competition , with the further comment : " However , do n’t believe that comfort has been sacrificed observably . "
The End of an Era
All 1956 Ford prices were up from 1955 , $ 66 in the example of the Crown Victoria V-8 . intelligibly , the bloom was off the Crown Vic as production tumbled to 9,209 , plus only 603 Skyliner versions . Standard Fairlane Victoria production , however , was up to 177,735 two - door and 32,111 of the new four - door . The entire Fairlane reckoning for the year was 645,306 , about 19,000 best than in 1955 .
In addition , there was now a Victoria in the Customline series ( $ 1,985 with six ) , with 33,130 produce . The achiever of the stock Victoria at the expense of the Crown can be partly explained by its now portion out the Crown Vic ’s long roofline , which made the Victoria bet almost as good for $ 144 less in the Fairlane V-8 series , $ 245 less in the Customline V-8 .
For 1957 , Ford broke its traditional three - year cycle by introducing its most changed styling since 1949 . The 1957 Victorias would have been enhanced greatly by a Crown Victoria , but other than a few preliminary sketches for such a model , it was not to be . Public reception plainly did n’t warrant the tote up output cost . No real reason has ever been given for the Crown Victoria ’s want of popularity , although the fact that it was n’t a " true " hardtop with disappearing Bel - pillars must sure have been a major gene . The 1955 - 57 Chevrolet Nomad wagon never sold in great number , either .
Gone But Not Forgotten
Overall , Ford output for the 1956 manakin runnel dangle 42,679 unit , to 1,408,478 . Meanwhile , Chevy fall by 137,550 cars , to 1,567,117 . Interestingly , while Ford sell 85.1 percentage as many cars as Chevy in 1955 , that digit actually moved up to 89.9 percentage in 1956 . Perhaps the established sapience that insists Ford consider a thrashing in 1956 because of its safety campaign really is n’t genuine — in terms of yield , at least . Ford actually gain on Chevy in 1956 .
The 1955 - 1956 model years support as a unique period in Ford history , marked by first-class handling for the standards of the day , technology that was better than most , and styling that has weathered the test of clip . In fact . Crown Vic Skyliner models have been grant Milestone Car condition by the Milestone Car Society . The Crown Victorias are rightfully the treetop precious stone of the Ford collection from that " Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White"time period .
Ford Crown Victoria: A Cherished Classic
The Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria epitomizes the elegance and racy technology of its era . While equipped with a rearward roulette wheel drive system , this model facilitate a seamless transfer of power through its effective torsion converter , especially obtrusive in variation accommodate with Ford ’s robotlike transmission . The fomite often brag a dual exhaust fumes system , enhancing not only the car ’s performance by ameliorate exhaust flow but also lead to its classifiable aesthetic .
Although it did not sport modern advancements such as a traction restraint system of rules or power locks — technologies that became standard in later eld — the Fairlane Crown Victoria was still a wonder of its clock time . The sturdy rearward end substantiate the fomite ’s smooth handling , emphasizing the blend of luxury and performance that made this mannequin a treasured classic .
This clause was update in conjunction with AI applied science , then fact - checked and edit out by a HowStuffWorks editor program .
1955-1956 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria Specifications
The 1955 - 1956 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria models represent a unique period in Ford account . Here are engine specifications for 1955 - 1956 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria , and elaborate specification for the 1955 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria .
1955
4V
