Before there was a Magnum there was this Hemi-powered Chrysler wagon

Post-war woody wagons have become auction favorites, with exquisite and expensive restorations showing off timber panels two steps above better-than-factory condition. But the popularity of woody wagons simply follows the principle that cars that were special back when they were new will generally continue to be special. The woody wagons now bringing north of $100,000 or more at auctions were rare and expensive cars back in the day, some of them were produced in miniscule numbers.
But does the market's appetite extend to well-restored post-war metal-sided wagons? We'll find out in a couple of weeks when RM auctions offers a 1954 Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country Wagon, a seldom-seen wagon at auctions.
One of two wagons offered by Chrysler for the 1954 model year, the upmarket New Yorker Town and Country was offered solely in six-passenger form like its cheaper Windsor DeLuxe sibling, but it was by no means a low-priced car. An MSRP of $4,024 helped keep production down to 1,100 for the model year. The New Yorker Town and Country Wagons were powered by a 331-cid Hemi OHV V8 engine, the same powerplant offered in the range-topping Chrysler sedans.

The inclusion of Chrysler's flagship engine made these some of the best performing cars of the time, with power channeled to the rear wheels via a Powerflite automatic transmission. The Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country Wagon featured an independent front suspension with torsion bars and semi-elliptic leaf-spring suspension in the rear, with power-assisted hydraulic drum brakes all around.
This particular example has had just three owners since being sold new, and it was reportedly a showroom car, likely to have been displayed at the Jefferson North showroom in Detroit before being transported to a Montana dealership where it is believed to have been originaly sold. The car's second owner claims that this very car was featured in the 1954 Paramount Pictures movie "White Christmas," starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen, and that the stars could be seen driving away from the train station in the wagon. We usually take these claims with a grain of salt unless there is an overabundance of proof, and unfortunately neither Chrysler nor Paramount kept track of chassis numbers of the cars loaned to movie studios. RM reports that there is an identically-colored Tahitian Tan over Cordovan Brown Poly Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country Wagon that can be seen in the film. Without documentation from the movie studio the claim of movie participation is merely anecdotal.
This Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country Wagon received a restoration in the recent past, though RM does not state exactly when it took place -- the wagon is said to retain all of its original body panels and interior wood. A couple of non-stock details are under the hood: a 1956 dual-quad carburetor setup and 1957 air cleaners from a Letter Series 300 Chrysler. Original items have been retained by the consignor and will be included with the car.

 RM estimates this wagon, which will be offered with no reserve, should fetch between $70,000 and $90,000 on auction day. Examples of this model do not come to market often, and the presence of the top-of-the-line engine should attract collectors' interest. We'll just have to see if the mania currently surrounding woody wagons can spread to other post-war longroof models from Detroit.

Source Autoweek