This is the first American made "production" automobile to have anything other than a convertible,
fabric, or steel roof. That makes it the Great-Great-Great-Grandfather of all the moon roofs & sun roofs we have
today. There were only 13,144 Ford Skyliners
made in 1954 and you could own one for the whopping price of $2,164. Someone
has estimated that there may as few as 2,000 Ford Skyliners from 1954 left in drivable condition.
In 1954 Ford introduced the new and very impressive Y-Block engine (239hp). The Y-Block replaced
the older "flat top" engines. This year was also the first Ford with ball-joint suspension which provided a much better
and smoother ride. Many thought the glass top (actually plexiglass) would be too hot in the Summer. Ford
did a test and placed a Skyliner and a steel roof Crestliner (hard-top) in the Arizona desert. They found that the Skyliner
was only a mere 5-degrees hotter inside than the steel roof model.
I located this car using the internet. I was actually looking for a 1953 Ford Crestline model
(my first car) but decided on a 1954 model for several reasons. I purchased the car in February 2004 from a company
in Chicago with the help of my Brother-In-Law, Sean. He was my eyes in Chicago to look the car over (thanks Sean). With
some research I found that my car was build in Richmond, Virginia and sold to a owner in California. The car was then
moved to Florida. It has never been on snow or salt covered roads and therefore the frame and body are in excellent
shape. The car was sold in Zypherhills, Florida at an auto auction to a very small classic car business in Illinois.
It was never driven on Illinois roads at that time. That business sold the car to a larger classic car dealer in the
Chicago area. Again, it was not driven on the roads and was for sale in their facility. I purchased it from that
dealer. The car is totally rust and bondo free and in excellent condition for the most part. However, there
are some things that need to be replaced to make the restoration perfect. That is my objective.
Although the car is a 1954 the engine is from a 1954 Ford T-Bird. This gives it just a
bit more power to keep up with today's interstate traffic. The car is equiped with overdrive which makes it a bit less
expensive to run. The horn has a destinctive 1950's sound, the type you don't hear anymore.
If you have any questions about the car you can use the E-mail link on this web site to get in touch
with me.
