Although Fords of the early 1950s were well built, they were also relatively conservative. A dose of style was in order, and the arrival of former Duesenberg designer Franklin Q. Hershey signaled the dawn of a new era, as Fords suddenly became exciting. That started with the 1955 models, which were completely redesigned, both inside and out, with longer, lower, and wider bodies and styling that aped the new Thunderbird in its small peaked tailfins and hooded headlamps.

At the top of the line was the flashy new Fairlane Crown Victoria, a pillarless hardtop coupe with distinctive chrome “tiara” roof trim. With new factories opening and thousands of cars hitting the showroom floors, the 1955 production run was the second-best in Ford history, and it was cars like the Crown Victoria to which that success could be attributed. This is one of the most famous Ford designs of all time.

The Crown Victoria offered here is believed to have been originally ordered and built as the showroom model of a Los Angeles Ford dealer. Accordingly, it is equipped with an almost unheard-of roster of nearly every available option, including a radio (converted to an FM receiver) with a rear seat speaker and fader control, a rear deck antenna, a rear window defrost, an under-dash map light, a stainless steel dual exhaust, a correct clock, rocker moldings, door handle nail guards, fender skirts, tinted glass, back-up lights, windshield washers, wire basket wheel covers, wide whitewall tires, and a Ford Special oil bath air cleaner. Also included on the car are power windows, power seats, Ford Swift Sure power brakes, Ford Master Guide power steering, a correct Ford Continental kit, and even Ford Select Aire air conditioning, which is a very rare factory option for a 1955 model! Reportedly, this is one of only three 1955 Crown Victorias known with such extensive options.

The car received a complete nut-and-bolt, frame-off restoration in the factory-correct colors of Coral Mist and Raven Black in 1999. It has accumulated fewer than 5,800 miles since the completion of the restoration, and it even achieved an AACA Grand National First Prize. This Fairlane rides on correct bias ply tires and operates on a 12-volt electrical system. It has fine finishes throughout, with the undercarriage and engine compartment clean but not highly detailed, and its chrome is excellent, with only some very minor scratching visible upon close inspection. It could easily be detailed to return to show condition, or it could be used as an excellent, high-quality driver.

Few Crown Victorias have received such a high-quality restoration as this flamboyant cruiser, and fewer still are loaded with virtually every available option. It is truly an automobile that “ticks all the boxes,” much as the original dealer seems to have done back in 1955!