The stripped-down Special trim flopped so badly in the booming 1953 market that Dodge killed it within months of launch.
Median 88 hp across 108 similar cars
Lead trim: Meadowbrook 230.2 cu in L-head six (110 hp, 1954) · up to 140 hp
Dodge Meadowbrook1953–1954
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Dodge Meadowbrook yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe stripped-down Special trim flopped so badly in the booming 1953 market that Dodge killed it within months of launch.
The 1953 Dodges arrived on 23 October 1952 with revised bodywork based on the 1952s (doors with pull-handles opening wider, a one-piece rear window and oval taillights). The "Meadowbrook Special" series was added to replace the Wayfarer at the lower end of Dodge's lineup with a two-door model and a station wagon; the Special, intended for travelling salesmen and the like with no chrome side trim, plain rubber window trim and a bare interior, had been discontinued by April 1953 as sales of the new V8-engined Coronet were very strong. The two-door Suburban wagon, offered for 1953 only, sat on a shorter 114 in wheelbase than the sedans (119 in). 1954 was the last year of the Meadowbrook, with the new Powerflite automatic, four-door or two-door sedan (Club Coupé) bodies and the optional new 241.3 cu in (4.0 L) "Red Ram" Hemi V8 producing 140 hp (ten horsepower less than in the more senior Dodges because of a lower compression ratio); a modest compression increase raised the "230" six to 110 hp. Buyers still flocked to the more prestigious Coronet and Royal lines and only 15,444 were built. Dimensions: 205.5 in long and 73.5 in wide (1954).
Collectors Spotted in the Dodge Meadowbrook Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Dodge Meadowbrook yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowbrook 230.2 cu in L-head six (110 hp, 1954) | 1954–1954 | 3.8 L Inline-6 | 110 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Meadowbrook 241.3 cu in Red Ram Hemi V8 (140 hp, 1954) | 1954–1954 | 4.0 L V8 | 140 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The stripped-down Special trim flopped so badly in the booming 1953 market that Dodge killed it within months of launch.
Dodge aimed the Meadowbrook at the middle of its lineup in 1949 — and buyers made it nearly a third of every Dodge sold that year, about 90,000 cars.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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