1955 Ford Crown Victoria

High: $22,000
Avg.: $16,500
Low: $3,000

From a styling viewpoint the 1955 Ford was an all-new car, right from the plain-Jane Mainline Tudors up through the spiffy new Thunderbird. Even the top of the line model name was new, with Fairlane replacing the previously used Crestline. (Fairlane, incidentally, was the name of Henry Ford I’s mansion in Dearborn, although it was spelled Fair Lane and was said to have been named after the road where the Ford family farm in County Cork, Ireland was located.)

A year before, Ford had introduced the Crestline Skyliner as a variation on its regular two-door Victoria hardtop. Featuring a green-tinted plexiglass roof panel over the front seat passenger and driver, this body style met with good customer acceptance and was carried on into 1955 as the Crown Victoria Skyliner. The word “Crown” was added to the model name thanks to the sweeping chrome band bisecting the roofs on both the Crown Victoria and the Crown Victoria Skyliner. In addition, in 1955, there was a regular two-door Ford hardtop that carried on with the designation of Victoria.

A Crown Victoria Skyliner was a very scarce sight on American roads even when new with only 1,999 examples finding customers. The Crown Vicky, by contrast, enjoyed a healthy sales total of 33,165 cars, making this model a lot easier (and lower-priced) car for collectors to acquire today.

Most of Ford’s mechanical changes occurred in the 1954 cars when the venerable flathead V-8 was replaced by a new overhead-valve V-8 engine, dubbed the “Y Block” by Ford advertising and promotion people. For 1955, this “Y Block” was punched out to develop 162 horses versus the ’54’s 130. Ball-joint front suspension was also introduced on the 1954 Fords and carried over unchanged for 1955.

People liked what they saw in the Ford showrooms in 1955, and the company ended the year with the best sales total since 1923 when the Model T dominated the industry.

Today, seeing a ’55 Ford of any type at a show is a comparatively unusual sight compared to the army of ’55 Chevys that are seen from coast to coast. Exactly why this situation exists is somewhat baffling, but nonetheless it exists. Certainly the mid-’50s Fords were prone to body rust and rot but so were the Chevys. And, while the ’55 Fords didn’t have quite the hot performance image of the Chevys, they could certainly get down the road in rapid time. In any case, they are harder to find than Chevys of the period but not as expensive, model for model. And while Chevrolet didn’t have the equivalent of the Crown Victoria in their model lineup, the collector price levels of the Vickys versus Bel Airs make them attractive buys and certainly the more unusual of the two rivals.

If you’re in the market for a ’55 Crown Vic the main thing to check besides the obvious body integrity is the interior and the “crown” itself, for these pieces are nearly impossible to find either NOS or used. As with any collector car, buy the best example you can consistent with your budget.

Specifications 1955 FORD Crown Victoria
Base price: $2,302
Base weight: 3,380 pounds
Body: Five-passenger, two-door hardtop coupe
Frame: Ladder type with X-bracing
Wheelbase: 115.5 inches
Length: 198.5 inches
Suspension: Independent A-arms with ball joints front; semi-elliptic leaf springs rear
Tread (f/r): 58/56 inches
Brakes: Four-wheel hydraulic drum
Engine: OHV V-8, 272-cu.in., 3.62 x 3.30-inch bore and stroke, 162 bhp @
4400 rpm, 7.6:1 compression ratio
Transmission: Three-speed manual standard; Ford-O-Matic optional