Famous for its glass roof, the Ford Crown Victoria Skyliner certainly offered innovation through its transparent roof. This 1954 example is mostly complete and comes with some very nice spares including a new glass roof panel! With 2 days remaining, the bidding has remained low at $1,525.00. Check out this unique small Ford here on eBay out of Clairton, Pennsylvania.
Inside much of the original upholstery is still in place, but the carpeting is long gone. Sadly the seller did not include any pictures of the engine, although this old Crown Vic is a runner! The glass roof panel is still in place, and much of the rubber seals are in place although I am sure they are worn and dry rotted by this stage in life.
The dash and its accessories are in fair condition, but the steering wheel suffers with several cracks. The back seat area is fair with no obvious damage other than some minor fading and dirt collection. The door panels are in place, but the driver side panel is ripped across the bottom. It is not exactly clear what condition the floors are in, but the passenger side door jamb area has some rot that will need to be dealt with. The seller is including some spare body panels, rubber seals, a new glass top, and several other spares that he has collected over the years.
So what are we looking at here? Examining the body reveals that there is rot in the rockers as well as in the lower wings of the front fenders. The driver side rocker rot stretches farther than the passenger side rocker rot. The quarters appear to be in fair shape, and the body looks relatively straight. There is some crispy surface rust to be found in the trunk, but there does not appear to be any holes or rot to speak of. I can only imagine what this car would have been like back in 1954 on its first moonlit date. Pleasant styling along with its glass roof solidified a special place in history for this small Ford. Would you take on this Skyliner project?
What I have learned from my own car restoration is that rare doesn’t necessarily mean valuable. Even though these crown Vic’s are rare they’re never going to command high dollars. The amount of work that this car will need tells me its new owner better either have deep pockets or a high level of skill with a facility to back it up. I think these cars are gorgeous when restored and I hope it gets there, but rust is like mice if you see one you know there are twenty more in hiding and a lot of this rust repair will be custom work. It’s a shame that this car was left to rot to this point, but at least it has escaped the crusher so far.
Don’t think this is a crown
Couldn’t agree more with Mark’s comments. I remember one when I was a kid, though I think it was a 55 IIRC. Having the plastic roof panel intrigued the heck out of me. My folks knew the owner and he let me sit in it and look up through the top, now that was a thrill to kid about 6-7 years old.
I hope the right person can get it, fix it up and put it back on the road, though I expect it will be a bumpy road there what with all the rust etc to deal with.
1st of all, it’s not a Crown Victoria Skyliner, it’s a Crestline Skyliner. Crown Victoria Skyliner came out in ’55. It sure looks sad now, but I think these were the top of the line for Ford. They only lasted until 1956, when people found out how hot they were.
Your right Howard vintage air would be required on this car.
Had one in 1959, no ac needed
i understand the allure of technology but myself, i would have wanted a convertible rather than a see through top.
It will be very warm unless it has functional ac and even then the ac of the day was not strong.
moonlit nights this would be awesome but really no diff than a current sunroof.
this would have been really functional if ford had included a sliding shade.
The glass roof creates a different experience than a conventional sunroof or a convertible. I own a Mustang GT with a glass roof, a Ram crew cab with a conventional sunroof, and a ’68 Mustang convertible. The size and position of the sunroof in the Ram mean that the driver has essentially none of the sunroof experience. The ’68 convertible is fantastic when the weather is just right, but there’s always wind to contend with. The glass roof in the Mustang is always in the driver’s peripheral vision, and can be enjoyed in any weather (except snow – never try to drive a modern Mustang GT in snow). The view during a thunderstorm is amazing. Modern glass technology has eliminated much of the heat that this Skyliner would transmit to the passengers.
That being said, you either appreciate it or you don’t, which is why these aren’t valued in line with their rarity.
Our next door neighbors son bought a new “glass top” ’54 in dark blue with a white top. I thought it was the most beautiful car I had I had ever seen. A friend of Dad’s bought a 54 Mercury Sun Valley in that greenish turquoise. Even in Fairbanks (summer only, of course) the heat was almost unbearable–and that was before global warming. In this day, these cars would probably be more plentiful in a museum than driven by a collector to the big shows in “hot” (temperature wise) towns. I know that I certainly couldn’t stand to drive one here in Eugene, OR where I have often heard the ridiculous statement that you don’t need air-conditioning.
I owned a 54 Victoria 2 door hdtp at one point in my lifetime. It didn’t have the plexiglass roof, but it did have electric windows and seat. The 239 v8 threw a rod right through the block destroying the engine. I bought a 272 t-bird engine from a junk yard. I really liked that car. They have not acquired a high dollar status, so restoration will not be for profit, just a labor of love. Good luck to all.
Based on the first sentence of the listing I surmise that the roof is a big deal on this car.
These are really interesting vehicles and it deserves to be saved. Hopefully the right person can pick up on the cheap, as bidding is still fairly low at this point.
This should have the 239 y block with130 hp when new. It was a one year only engine in cars, but I think it was available in some trucks in 55. Might be hard to get parts for, but could always swap it for a more plentiful 292 or if you want to do it on the cheap, a 302.
This Skyliner appears to have originally been baby blue with a white roof. Unlike the Mercury Sun Valley sister to this car, the Ford glass-top was available in any factory two-tone color combo., whereas the Mercury came in specific colors. Thought it might’ve been lt. green originally, but the blue vinyl on the door panels & seats confirmed the blue color. Always wanted a `54 Glass-top of either make, and this one isn’t so far gone it calls for passing up. Missing trim isn’t too scarce, and the addition of the replacement glass top is the one item that should attract any potential buyers. Those panels are over $2000. on their own!
In the ’80’s I passed on a green ’54 sun valley runner at a car show for $1500 because I didn’t have anywhere to put it at the time. Fresh out of a Nebraska barn.
Another one bites the dust.
The seller states that it has an automatic, but I see a clutch pedal and an “Overdrive” emblem on the trunk lid.
I believe that is the emergency brake pedal you see.
The ’54 Ford didn’t use an emergency brake pedal.
It’s a shame that it hasn’t been taken care of over the years. I had a ’54 Ford business coupe back in the ’80s that was a decent old car. Ran good and the body was decent with only a bit of rust on the rear rocker panels. I didn’t keep it as long as I would’ve liked. My friend who owned it had owed me some money and gave me the car in payment. But a month or two later he came up with the money he owned and I let him have the car back. I really enjoyed driving it, and it got decent gas mileage, too.
Is this the one on BF about one year ago?
I see it has a tow ball receiver on the back. Looks like something straight off a postcard from Yellowstone National Park or any of thousands of vacation spots around the country.
Quick search of what this car might have pulled.
Or maybe this…
Clairton, Pennsylvania. That’s the town the movie “The Deerhunter” characters were from.