454 V8. Seller says it is very rare and has priced it very high. http://www.cars-on-line.com/40255.html
Aside from the price, what I really don't like are the manual steering and manual drum brakes. That is a big, heavy wagon that must be a chore to actually try to drive.
This particular unit has been for sale for a number of years. Probably at least 4. I guess the seller isn't at the point where he needs to price it to move it. Not in the least desirable to me. Why would you not order a wagon like this without power steering or power disc brakes when they were available from the factory? OK, just read the listing again. "Built for drag racing..." Duh. Maybe I can understand the manual steering to save weight, but are drum brakes that much lighter than discs? So you get to maybe 105-110 in the quarter with this monster, you still hav to stop it.
Marshall, my guess is that the manual drum brakes were a very conscious choice. Yes, disc brakes were available, but set up for the track, I bet there is little vacuum available for the boost, and unassisted disc brakes require more effort than unassisted drums. After all, you are looking at one stop at a time, with plenty of cool down time in between, so the drums were likely quite adequate. My bet is that this could well be the only one of these racing wagons left, and that alone increases the value. On top of that, there are very few Townsman wagons left, period, as this trim level was the one contractors used, abused and scrapped. For the right collector, this one is something very special indeed. You could never duplicate the history of this car. he may be high, but he will likely get close to that price eventually.
Brakes and drag racing back then were not in the same sentence drum brakes would have less friction than disc, very important to gain that 1/10th of a second, but then again I would have chose a car that was a bit liter to begin with
Even with the manual steering and manual drums, this would be a tow car, not a drag car, in the day. Gotta remember, boys, that the cars ordered in the day were NOT all optioned out to the hilt, with everything insulated from the driver, like today's big-assed pickups and SUVs are. Sometimes, a guy wanted a big engine in a big car to pull his camper, boat, or race car, and really didn't want or care about disc brakes or power steering. Back then, people actually KNEW how to adjust their drum brakes so the car would stop. Sometimes, things really ARE that simple.