Looking as smooth as can be, this 1952 Dodge Wayfarer Business Coupe is among the most unique body styles available in this era. This long-trunk beauty is said to be “mostly rust-free,” and it can be found listed here on craigslist in Wheatland, Wyoming, and the seller is asking $7,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Mike F. for the tip!
I believe this color is Silhouette Green, but I’m not positive. I think it may have been Manchu Green originally, as the engine compartment looks more like that than the lighter color on there now. It can’t be original paint after 74 years, but it sure looks like it’s in nice condition. I’d bet this area of Wyoming is easier on vehicles than some upper-Midwest and eastern states that lay down thousands of tons of road salt, and the seller says this car is mostly rust-free. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but it seems like any rust would be in the usual areas: the bottoms of the doors, fenders, and they do show one photo of what I’m assuming is a shot of the floor somewhere, and it looks a bit… soft.
Dodge made the Wayfarer model from 1949 through 1952, and it was a low trim-level model, with the Business Coupe being made for customers who sometimes used it as people would use a pickup or SUV today. The trunk compartment was big, as you can see above. Perfect for hauling sales samples and other things while a person is on the road visiting clients. It looks good inside that huge trunk compartment. Here is a 1952 Dodge brochure.
Colors-a-plenty inside! The seat clearly isn’t original, but it looks nice in the photos. The door panels are missing, and the paint under there isn’t the current body color, and the tan/fawn dash color may be original to the car, no matter what body color a person ordered. The 8-ball-like shift knob on the three-speed lever is pretty cool, and I’d lose the necker-knob on the steering wheel. Otherwise, a nice cleaning up, fixing any floor rust issues, adding some sound-proofing and rubber flooring, or even carpet, maybe redoing the seat in a more correct 1952 pattern and fabric would be on the list for me. We don’t get to see behind the front seat, sadly. This is the only seat in this car, as a three-seater Business Coupe.
The engine is Dodge’s 230-cu.in. L-head inline-six with 103 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque. Backed by what the seller says is a manual, which would have been a 3-speed with a column shifter. I assumed they were all Fluid-Drive, but maybe not. They say it runs well, and it has new tires, a new gas tank, and an electric fuel pump. Hagerty doesn’t list a Business Coupe, but they list a Wayfarer 2-door coupe as being $6,100 for a #4 fair-condition example. Any thoughts on this one?
Looks like a slice of Key Lime Pie on wheels.
These old business coupes are one of my favorite body styles. No matter what make. I’ve read many times how reliable these old Chrysler flat head six motors are. This would be great to see the interior finished up.