In the most exhaustive take a look at that he had ever achieved, Floyd Clymer drove a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria Skyliner 3098 miles for Popular Mechanics. The 1956 Ford retained basically the same good handling and trip characteristics of the 1955 models, but with significantly more snap. The 292 - known as the "Thunderbird Y-8" and again borrowed from the 1955 T-Bird and Mercury - was for Fairlanes. It was equipped with the 292 and Fordomatic. In 1955, for $35 above the $100 usd gold price of the bottom V-8, this package had higher 8.5:1 compression and a 4-barrel carb, elevating the horsepower to 182 - but was out there solely with Fordomatic. One was the larger-bore 292 V-eight from the brand new T-Bird and 1955 Mercury, with 8.5:1 compression, 4-barrel carb, and 198 bhp. Beginning with the 1954 V-8, Ford had supplied a "Power Pack" option with excessive-compression heads, 4-barrel carburetor with automated choke, and twin exhausts. It had a Holley 4-barrel carb, 8.0:1 compression, and 200 bhp (normal transmission); with an 8.4:1 squeeze it cranked out 202 horses (Fordomatic). Strength came from the usual frame of the Ford Victoria hardtop.
But all in all, this made Ford no match for a Chevy, which with Power Pack and Powerglide may easily zip from 0-60 in about 11 seconds. With overdrive, Motor Trend shaved the 0-60 time to 14.1 seconds. With a 292 engine and Fordomatic, Motor Trend was ready to cut the 0-60 time to 12.2 seconds, a good 2.3 seconds faster than in 1955. But this nonetheless wasn't enough to keep up with Chevy, which outran Ford at Daytona and in early 1956 NASCAR racing, however not almost by its 1955 margins. While testing a 1955 Customline four-door with the 162-bhp V-8 and Fordomatic, Motor Trend obtained a non-exhilarating 0-60 time of 14.5 seconds and a median high pace of 95.2 mph. The venerable two-barrel carb 272 was rated at 173 bhp with stick, 176 with Fordomatic, however was just for decrease-line Mainlines and Custom-strains. The bottom engine for all 1955 Fords was the "High-Torque I-Block Six," the 223-cid overhead-valve six launched in 1952, now rated at a hundred and twenty horsepower. Optional at mid-12 months was the "Thunderbird Special" 312 (not fairly the identical engine because the 272/292), rated at 215 bhp with stick, 225 with Fordomatic.
The V-8s, overdrive ($109), and Fordomatic ($178) have been optional. This was part of a particular-order bundle for Fairlanes and wagons that additionally included Fordomatic. Sedans and wagons had a K-shaped heart cross-member, however the convertible, Victoria, and Crown Victoria chassis acquired extra stiffness via an X-shaped assist. The Crown Victoria Skyliner V-8 gold price now $2,372, making it $forty eight more expensive than the Sunliner V-eight convertible, but still effectively beneath the $2,633 Country Squire V-8. And of course there were a myriad of minor options, corresponding to "I-Rest" tinted glass and "rear fender shields." Although the base value of a 1955 Crown Victoria V-8 was $2,302, a totally loaded instance - as a good many of them had been - showed a bottom line closer to $3,500. Rarely (if ever) were Crown Victorias ordered with the six-cylinder engine. A four-door Victoria was even added, but not in Crown type. For 1955, you can equip your Crown Vic with "Power-Lift Windows" for $102, "4-Way Power Seat" for $64, and, in fact, "Master-Guide Power Steering" for $91 and "Swift Sure Power Brakes" for $33. For a number of dollars extra, buyers could order a safety package deal consisting of padded dash and sun visors, in addition to seat belts.
Sales of most makes were down after a banner 1955, however Ford's drop in gross sales that yr has continuously been linked to its security marketing campaign - which may or may not be true. Spurred by Cornell University's analysis efforts and the primary 12 months of its personal security crash program in 1955, Ford decided to go all out for safety in 1956 with its "Lifeguard design" promoting campaign. While the 239-cid 1954 Ford V-8 had the identical displacement because the time-honored flathead, it had a a lot larger bore than stroke. The problem with the 1954 V-8 was that it didn't pack all that a lot energy. Ford had spent so much cash correcting its 1949-1951 body mistakes with the all-new 1952 that the agency wasn't about to do it once more for 1955-1956 - nor was there actually any need to. Ford now featured 12-volt ignition (Chevy had it in 1955) and a selection of three V-8s.
