1954 Dodge Power Wagon

According to a 1951 Dodge Truck press release, 'The basic design of this four wheel drive vehicle was created to fulfill military needs for a small, fast, powerful and rugged vehicle, capable of traveling equally well on the road or off the road. The civilian version of this newly and well-named 'Power-Wagon' has been styled with a pleasing appearance, but the rugged driving units such as: engine, clutch, transmission, transfer case, front and rear driving axles remain the same as on the military units.'

Mounting a standard civilian cab, military type fenders, a radiator cowl and a hood to the existing military platform gave the Power Wagon its unique and aggressive look. This look would be unchanged from its introduction in 1946 until domestic production ended in 1968. Units were produced for the international market through 1972.

This Power Wagon was purchased by Dodge Truck Marketing for the introduction of the newly redesigned Ram trucks in 1994.

In 1945 Dodge introduced the Power Wagon which stayed in production until 1968. During its production life span, it received very few changes. The design and idea was inspired from World War II, where large and capable four-wheel drive trucks had proven their worth on the battle field. This was the first civilian, mass produced 4X4 truck ever created. Shortly after its introduction, the Willys 4T was introduced.

The Power Wagon sat atop a 126 inch wheelbase. The pickup portion of the truck was eight-feet long and 4.5 feet long. Under the hood was a 230 cubic-inch six-cylinder flathead engine matted to a synchromesh transmission. The 230 engine was later replaced with a 251 unit. The tires were 9.00 x 16 in size and mounted on Budd wheels.

Production of the Power Wagon was low, with less than 100 being produced during its 1945 through 1968 lifespan. Many were used as school buses or fire trucks.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2013