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?
Believe it or not, according to Walt McCall in “American Fire Engines Since 1900”, about this time Pirsch and Seagrave tried this see through roof idea, thinking it’d give firefighhters a better “size up” as they got to a fire. One of those ideas that looks good on paper……practical? No.
A fake anything does nothing for a good looking car.
This is a very good looking example of these rare Fords. BY the trunk lid the “3 on the tree” has an overdrive so it should cruise pretty well in traffic. I still has regular plates on it, instead of Antique, no problem but more expensive in SC. I like that fake continental kit much better than an actual one. Hope this goes to a good new owner.
Since it’s an estate sale, the executor will have to decide when to say uncle.
As time goes on, the executor’s patience will wear thin dealing with this, and the classic car dealers who make standing lowball offers start to look pretty good.
The demographics have changed dramatically. 20 years ago, there were still 50 to 60 somethings that would relate to this and they finally had the money to support the rising prices. Those guys are no longer buying cars in 2026.
With a few exceptions, younger guys are not generally not buying 1950s factory stock stuff. There’s just no juice in that lemon compared to muscle cars.
A near-pristine example in the right sexy color might make $17,500 in today’s market, but when you have a green one with minor but visible issues everywhere you look, plus a tacked on body feature that the factory stock buyers don’t want at all, the price is going to sink fast.
Or maybe finally even given away to a family or friend instead of taking the few thousand dollars that are offered.
This is a decent driver for the right person, who is hard to find.
It looks like you can add Vintage Air conditioning to this 1954 Ford. Problem solved?
Nice looking Ford, but the “Skyliner” roof panel made the interior like a sauna. Lived in WV in those days & even there, it was a sizzling interior in the summer. Cannot imagine the heat in one of these in AZ, TX, NM etc….
Sorry for sticking this same pic in that I did a couple of weeks ago but I thought it was quite a coincidence. I wonder if the Ford and the Meteor were at the same show. Same color anyways.
I mentioned it before on another ad. The Meteor was made in Canada and sold through Mercury dealers north of the 49th. Ford also had its own Crestline which looked just like this featured one. Only difference was that the Canadian cars still ran the flatheads, and the frontends still used kingpins…
Plus the “V” in the grille. That Canadian grille carried over into the late 50’s Fords in Australia. This is a 1958
Here it is:
Boy, does that ever look like a ’55 Meteor!
Australia had to import Canadian parts due to the tariffs from the prior British countries was a lot less then from the States. Also this included a time lag in when they could use these parts. South Africa also entered into this deal, but I do not know much about South African cars and trucks.
This is a beautiful car, they just don’t make them like they use to. It’s a dieing breed.
These are highly collectible, pros and cons; first 6 volt electrical system , too hot inside on a hot day, cons plus with the v-8 and overdrive and being a 2 door hardtop. Will never be worth what a sun valley is worth- pretty simple Mercury is just a better classier car but price seems affordable for the moderate collector