For model year 1954, Ford decided to add a little show car razzle-dazzle to the showroom by introducing the Skyliner. a 2-door hardtop that featured a tinted acrylic glass panel in the front section of the roof above the front seat area. Ford claimed they had “another original idea,” but the novelty soon wore off as owners complained of the additional heat that the permanent sunroof let into the Syliner’s cabin. Only 13,144 Skyliners were sold that first year, and sales would really tank for the 1955 and 1956 Crown Victoria glass roofs before the idea was put out to pasture for the 1957 model year. This ’54 Skyliner was part of an estate, and the seller describes it as “ready to drive home”. Another big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting this Skyliner listed here on craigslist in Greenwood, South Carolina. The seller is asking $17,500.
Based on the photos, this ’54 Skyliner looks like a good, solid, driver-quality collectible car. There are some paint chips and bubbles visible on the roof in several areas, but overall, the attractive Killarney Green Metallic body paint with a contrasting Snowshoe White top looks good (as does the chrome, trim, and glass). The Skyliner is also sporting the optional Coronado Deck on the trunk, which was a dealer-installed accessory on 1952 through 1954 Fords. It has the hint of a continental spare, but without the weight and bulk of a conventional continental kit. The stainless steel faux wheel cover and license plate holder bolted directly to the decklid and could be painted to match the car or in a contrasting color. Although the Coronado Deck gave the look of an exposed spare, there was no tire inside. It looks like the passenger door has some alignment issues, and I think this Skyliner would look sharper with period-correct wide whitewall tires.
The above photo of the Skyliner’s interior was taken on a sunny day, and you can see a greenish tint on the front bench seat from what Ford called the “tinted transparent panel.” Even though Ford offered an “easy-sliding roof curtain” to help block out the sun, owners still experienced a warmer-than-usual cabin climate. The green-and-white interior of this Skyliner looks very good and appears to be correct, based on illustrations from the ’54 Ford sales brochure. Customers could choose from new vinyl or nylon-vinyl upholstery “available in brilliant blues, greens, or the unique new coral combination.” The see-through gimmick was also carried onto the new “Astra-Dial Control Panel” speedometer, which has a clear, plastic covering on the top that lets sunlight illuminate it.
The big news for ’54 was what was under the hood. The long-lived flathead V8 was replaced by a 239-cubic-inch overhead valve “Y-Block” V8. With a two-barrel carburetor, the Y-Block produced 130 horsepower. The mileage is listed at 85,561, but there’s nothing mentioned about documentation proving this is original or if it has a “1” in front of it. It’s mated to a 3-speed manual transmission, and the seller says upgrades have been made to the brake system and fuel system. It’s also had its original radiator replaced. Although the transparent roof panel is commonplace today, this was a futuristic experiment 72 years ago on the Ford Skyliner and its corporate cousin, the Mercury Sun Valley. Have you ever seen a ’54 Ford Skyliner?
Leave A Comment