Curbside Classic Archives
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1954 Archive
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1953–1954 Plymouth Hy-Drive Transmission – What Plymouth Buyers Got Instead Of A Real Automatic
Posted on August 31, 2025 | 30 CommentsBy 1953, Chrysler was starting to pay the price for not having a real automatic transmission. The two-speed PowerFlite became available for senior models late in the ’53 model year, […] -
Lost & Found: Automotive Treasures Saved From a Nebulous Fate
Posted on December 2, 2024 | 35 CommentsRecently, I accompanied my wife and daughter on a roadtrip that covered nine states. Enjoying the temperate climate well south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I figured a bumper crop of […] -
Car Show Classic: 1954 Kaiser-Darrin – Willow Run’s Corvette
Posted on October 6, 2024 | 51 Comments(first posted 7/22/2013) Finding any Kaiser-Frazer automobile is not easy these days, but the rarest of all is likely the Kaiser-Darrin sports car, a fiberglass two-seater meant to draw folks […] -
CC Road Trip & Car Show Report: A Middle Aged Man & His Elderly Van Cross Paths With Churchill, Grant, and Twain
Posted on May 20, 2024 | 39 CommentsSpring is upon us and summer is knocking on the door. That means warm days, outside activities, and great weather for road trips. For this particular trip, it was a […] -
Curbside Classic: 1954 Ford Mainline – An Alternate Take On Life
Posted on July 7, 2023 | 71 Comments(first posted 7/7/2017) The cars from early in our lifetimes can be hugely influential things. The cars we learn to love at a tender age can chart our […] -
Automotive History: Shockingly Low Volume Production Cars – The Buick Edition
Posted on June 22, 2023 | 106 Comments(first posted 6/22/2017) Welcome to the Buick Edition of our journey into shockingly low volume production cars produced between 1946 and 1995. As always, car models whose production is […] -
Automotive History: Shockingly Low Volume Production Cars – The Dodge Edition
Posted on June 6, 2023 | 49 Comments(first posted 6/6/2017) For this latest installment of exploring low volume production cars, let’s take a look at Dodge, the sometimes mid-priced sometimes low-priced brand in the […] -
Automotive History: Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars (Part 2 1950-1954)
Posted on May 21, 2023 | 29 Comments(Originally published May 21, 2012) This May, we have been revisiting some of the cars to serve as Official Pace Car for the annual Indianapolis 500. We recently looked at […] -
At The Lights Outtake: 1954 Chrysler New Yorker DeLuxe – Green Means Go!
Posted on March 5, 2023 | 40 CommentsI pull up to the light in the left turn lane and ogle the cars facing me waiting for their light. One stands out, clearly a ’50’s something-or-other that has […] -
Car Show Classic – 1952-54 Sears Allstate: The American Dream, As Sold Through A Sears Store
Posted on March 30, 2022 | 131 Comments(first posted 3/30/2016) In the late 1940’s, Henry J. Kaiser had an idea. This idea was to create a car for the “less affluent”; those that usually could only afford […] -
Automotive History: The Long Road To The White Car (Part 2)
Posted on July 6, 2021 | 56 CommentsWhen we left off in Part 1, it was the early 1920’s, when DuPont had begun to develop a compound called titanium dioxide as a pigment suitable for modern […] -
Junkyard Heirloom Gallery: 1954 DeSoto Firedome Sedan
Posted on March 2, 2021 | 47 CommentsMy own connection to DeSoto goes no further than knowing it was Howard Cunningham’s vehicle of choice on “Happy Days”. However, as one of Chrysler’s marques it has an interesting […] -
Car Show Classic: 1954 Lincoln Capri – What A Road-Racing Luxury Car Should Be
Posted on November 10, 2020 | 39 Comments(first posted 11/10/2014) Today, we’re going to touch on some of the forgotten Lincolns. Sure, everyone remembers the Continentals, the $10,000 1956-57 Continental Mark II and the 1961 Continental, but […] -
Automotive History: The Studebaker Sedan’s Last Decade of Styling – Magic with Leftovers
Posted on September 22, 2020 | 131 Comments(first posted 9/22/2014) It is well documented that the last really new Studebaker was the 1953 model. The Starliner and Starlight Coupes got all of the glory, but the […]
![1953–1954 Plymouth Hy-Drive Transmission – What Plymouth Buyers Got Instead Of A Real Automatic By 1953, Chrysler was starting to pay the price for not having a real automatic transmission. The two-speed PowerFlite became available for senior models late in the ’53 model year, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/1953-Plymouth-Cranbrook-4SD-Sonora-Bronze-Basil-Classics-front-3q-with-banner.webp?resize=115%2C115&quality=70&ssl=1)
![Lost & Found: Automotive Treasures Saved From a Nebulous Fate Recently, I accompanied my wife and daughter on a roadtrip that covered nine states. Enjoying the temperate climate well south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I figured a bumper crop of […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/south-of-rolla.jpeg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Car Show Classic: 1954 Kaiser-Darrin – Willow Run’s Corvette (first posted 7/22/2013) Finding any Kaiser-Frazer automobile is not easy these days, but the rarest of all is likely the Kaiser-Darrin sports car, a fiberglass two-seater meant to draw folks […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/6-28-13-308-Copy.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![CC Road Trip & Car Show Report: A Middle Aged Man & His Elderly Van Cross Paths With Churchill, Grant, and Twain Spring is upon us and summer is knocking on the door. That means warm days, outside activities, and great weather for road trips. For this particular trip, it was a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_1389.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Curbside Classic: 1954 Ford Mainline – An Alternate Take On Life (first posted 7/7/2017) The cars from early in our lifetimes can be hugely influential things. The cars we learn to love at a tender age can chart our […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1954-Ford-Mainline-15.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Automotive History: Shockingly Low Volume Production Cars – The Buick Edition (first posted 6/22/2017) Welcome to the Buick Edition of our journey into shockingly low volume production cars produced between 1946 and 1995. As always, car models whose production is […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/1985-Buick-Electra-T-Type-01.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Automotive History: Shockingly Low Volume Production Cars – The Dodge Edition (first posted 6/6/2017) For this latest installment of exploring low volume production cars, let’s take a look at Dodge, the sometimes mid-priced sometimes low-priced brand in the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1976-Dodge-Monaco-01.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Automotive History: Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars (Part 2 1950-1954) (Originally published May 21, 2012) This May, we have been revisiting some of the cars to serve as Official Pace Car for the annual Indianapolis 500. We recently looked at […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1950MercuryPaceCar.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Automotive History: Shockingly Low Volume Production Cars – The Plymouth Edition (first posted 5/19/2017) For this third installment of our exploration into shockingly low volume production cars, let’s look at that third leg of the old “Low Priced Three”, Plymouth. Like […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1953-Plymouth-Foldout-00.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![At The Lights Outtake: 1954 Chrysler New Yorker DeLuxe – Green Means Go! I pull up to the light in the left turn lane and ogle the cars facing me waiting for their light. One stands out, clearly a ’50’s something-or-other that has […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_1669-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Car Show Classic – 1952-54 Sears Allstate: The American Dream, As Sold Through A Sears Store (first posted 3/30/2016) In the late 1940’s, Henry J. Kaiser had an idea. This idea was to create a car for the “less affluent”; those that usually could only afford […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/aallj.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Automotive History: The Long Road To The White Car (Part 2) When we left off in Part 1, it was the early 1920’s, when DuPont had begun to develop a compound called titanium dioxide as a pigment suitable for modern […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/White-Carriage-tile.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Junkyard Heirloom Gallery: 1954 DeSoto Firedome Sedan My own connection to DeSoto goes no further than knowing it was Howard Cunningham’s vehicle of choice on “Happy Days”. However, as one of Chrysler’s marques it has an interesting […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_0021.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Car Show Classic: 1954 Lincoln Capri – What A Road-Racing Luxury Car Should Be (first posted 11/10/2014) Today, we’re going to touch on some of the forgotten Lincolns. Sure, everyone remembers the Continentals, the $10,000 1956-57 Continental Mark II and the 1961 Continental, but […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/aa-09-20-2014-181.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Automotive History: The Studebaker Sedan’s Last Decade of Styling – Magic with Leftovers (first posted 9/22/2014) It is well documented that the last really new Studebaker was the 1953 model. The Starliner and Starlight Coupes got all of the glory, but the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/a-stud.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)


