Dodge Meadowbrook: the middle Dodge of 1949-1954

The Dodge Meadowbrook is a full-size car that Dodge produced in the United States from 1949 to 1954. It was the middle trim level, above the Wayfarer and below the Coronet, and by 1952 it had become the lowest-priced Dodge sold at home.

Dodge Meadowbrook at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Meadowbrook.

History of the Dodge Meadowbrook

The Meadowbrook was offered as the midline trim level from February 1949 until 1954, largely identical to the Coronet apart from trim and equipment. In its first year the four-door-only Meadowbrook made up 30 per cent of Dodge’s sales, about 90,000 cars, and came with Safe-Guard hydraulic brakes that used two cylinders per front brake. Dodge also advertised a new cradled ride, said to be softer than any rival’s, and the single-barrel inline six produced 103 hp.

For 1950 the six was named the Get-Away engine. After the late introduction of the 1949 cars, the 1950 Dodges appeared a little earlier, on 4 January 1950, and the Meadowbrook had a wide 42.7 ft turning circle. Four-door sedan bodywork remained the only option, and the main transmission was a three-speed Chrysler Fluid Drive rather than the Gyromatic of the 1950 Coronet. The 1951 Meadowbrook received a thorough change with an all-new front, new bumpers, a new dashboard and an enlarged windscreen, while the engine and the three-speed Fluid Drive stayed as they were until 1954.

In 1952 the Meadowbrook made up 32.5 per cent of Dodge sales, about 84,000 cars, and with Chrysler focused entirely on the Korean War the cars received almost no changes beyond a red reflector dot under the tail lights and lightly redesigned hubcaps; the 1952 models were introduced on 10 November 1951. The Wayfarer was cancelled that year and the Meadowbrook became the lowest-priced Dodge in the United States, while export markets including Canada continued to receive the Plymouth-based Dodge Kingsway.

The 1953 Dodges arrived on 23 October 1952 with revised bodywork based on the 1952 cars: doors with pull handles opened wider, the rear window became one piece and the tail lights were oval. The Meadowbrook Special was added to replace the Wayfarer at the bottom of the range, and a two-door model and a station wagon joined the line. The two- and four-door sedans were offered in both Meadowbrook and Special trim, but the austere Special did not suit the booming American market and was dropped by April 1953, while the new V8-engined Coronet sold strongly. The two-door Suburban wagon, offered for 1953 only, sat on a shorter 114-inch wheelbase than the sedans.

1954 was the last year of the Meadowbrook. It gained a new Powerflite automatic and came as a four-door or a two-door sedan called the Club Coupe, now with the optional new Red Ram Hemi V8 of 241.3 cu in producing 140 hp, ten less than in the senior Dodges because of a lower compression ratio. A modest compression increase raised the 230 six to 110 hp. Buyers still preferred the more prestigious Coronet and Royal lines, and only 15,444 Meadowbrooks were built.

Design and features

• Mid-line position: the middle Dodge between the Wayfarer and the Coronet.
• Flathead six: the 103 hp 230 cu in engine, later the Get-Away and then a 110 hp unit.
• Fluid Drive: a three-speed semi-automatic transmission rather than the Coronet’s Gyromatic.
• 1954 Hemi option: the 140 hp Red Ram V8 in the Meadowbrook’s final year.

Dodge Meadowbrook versions

• Meadowbrook sedan (1949-1954): the four-door that made up most production.
• Meadowbrook Special (1953): a short-lived replacement for the Wayfarer.
• Suburban wagon (1953): a two-door estate on a shorter wheelbase.
• Club Coupe (1954): the two-door sedan of the final year.

The Meadowbrook sat below the Dodge Coronet and above the Wayfarer, and it was replaced in the range by the Dodge Royal generation. More Dodge models are in the Dodge collection.

Sources

• Dodge Meadowbrook, English Wikipedia: model years, engines, trims, production