Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country Wagon, 1954

Chassis No.: 76603716

Engine No.: C541814469

Body No.: 1548

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

$66,000 USD | Sold

• Believed to have been featured in Paramount Pictures’ White Christmas
• One of just 1,100 examples produced for 1954; painstakingly restored
• Documentation from the Chrysler Historical Services included on file

195 hp (stock), 331 cu. in. OHV Hemi V-8 engine with 1956 dual four-barrel carburetors and 1957 air cleaners, Powerflite automatic transmission, independent front suspension with torsion bars, rear semi-elliptic leaf-spring suspension, and four-wheel power-assisted hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 125.5 in.

Chrysler offered two wagons for 1954, the base model Windsor DeLuxe and the up-market New Yorker. New Yorker Town and Country Wagons were available in four-door, six-passenger form only and at a base price of $4,024. Features on the car included a disappearing tailgate window and rear-door vent windows. Just 1,100 were built for the model year. These top-of-the-line Chryslers continued to use the Chrysler 331-cubic inch Hemi, which once again put them at the head of the horsepower race with the most powerful cars sold in America.

This lovely restored Town and Country Wagon has had just three owners since new. With the limited numbers produced, those existing today are quite rare. According to the consigner, the car was originally sold from a Montana dealership. Both the first and second owners of the car lived in Spokane, Washington. The prior owner stated that the car was featured in the 1954 Paramount Pictures movie White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby; however, the movie studio did not track the chassis numbers of the vehicles that were on loan from the Chrysler Corporation.

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That being said, one will note that the 1954 Chrysler New Yorker Wagon used in the movie and seen driving away from the train station carrying Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, and Vera Ellen has the same color combination as this car, Tahitian Tan over Cordovan Brown Poly.

Chrysler Historical Services has confirmed that the car was a special order and was likely displayed at the Jefferson North Showroom in Detroit prior to being shipped. It has a special “show room” tag attached to the firewall that juts out from under the trim tag, along with markings on the firewall (as they were prior to restoration), giving further credence to this connection. In addition, the car comes with copies of the original build card and production record certificate from Chrysler Historical Services.

This Station Wagon has been painstakingly restored, and the consigner notes that the car retains 100 percent of its original body panels. The interior wood, although restored, is also original to the car. For increased performance, it has been fitted with a factory 1956 dual-quad carburetor setup and 1957 air cleaners, both from a Letter Series 300. The original intake, carburetor, and air cleaner also remain with the car. It retains its original motor, but it has been fitted with authentic wire wheels (including a spare), which are on Diamond Back wide whitewall radial tires, to improve drivability. This works nicely in concert with the power steering, which was another Chrysler innovation.

Reproduction cloth wiring, a proper battery, and NOS materials and parts were sourced whenever replacement parts were needed.

According to the owner, this car runs and drives beautifully and has been shown locally only twice. With the strong interest in vintage station wagons growing, the new owner will be blessed with the opportunity to drive and show this spectacular New Yorker around town and country.

https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/az15/lots/r114-1954-chrysler-new-yorker-town-and-country-wagon/