Lot 1030: 1953 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon

It would take a very sharp eye indeed to tell the difference between a 1952 and a 1953 Ford. The body was the same, and the drive train was pretty much unchanged, but the grille and trim were a bit different.

The traditional chassis used independent front suspension and there was a live rear axle out back. Brakes were hydraulic drums and a three-speed manual transmission was standard. Automatic overdrive was optional, as was the Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission.

Buyers had a choice of a 215cid overhead valve straight-six or a 239cid version of the venerable Flathead V-8. The three main bearing V-8 was good for 110 horsepower and the burble from the exhaust telegraphed the fact that this car had a flathead.

Those same buyers also had a lot of other decisions to make. Working the way up the line, there were three series, Mainline, Customline and Crestline. The two junior models came with the six or the eight, but the top of the line Crestline was V-8 or nothing at all. Each model line had a choice of multiple body stiles, but it was lonely at the top and the Crestline came as a two-door Victoria six-passenger sedan, two-door Sunliner that also seated six and the four-door wagon. That Crestline wagon was Ford’s most costly car for 1953; it was also its heaviest, with a shipping weight of 3,609 pounds.

That four-door wagon was also available in wooden-paneled Country Squire trim for even more money. That meant that the $2,403 price of a Four-door Crestline wagon was just the starting point. This particular Crestline Country Squire belonged to Jay North, the child actor who played Dennis the Menace on television from 1959 through 1963. Clearly, North, who was born in 1952, was not the original owner of this Glacier Blue Country Squire, although in later years, he surely sat on the gray upholstery and shifted the three-on-the-tree gearshift.

This excellent Country Squire wagon was extensively restored and comes with full receipts, most of which date from between 2003 and 2004. This is an unusual chance to own an unusual post-war collectible with a strong tie to Hollywood of the 1950s and 1960s.