#PowerWagon. It conjures images of the military-derived, unstoppable Dodge heavy-duty pickup built from roughly 1945 to 1971. But in 1957, a second Power Wagon debuted, one which had room for passengers and (primitive by today’s standards) creature comforts. This was the wordy “Town Wagon Power Wagon.” The TWPW hardly gets any ink, but it was on the market a long time and was genuinely capable. By 50s standards it was a step in the “consumer friendly” direction, though it drives like what it is - a big, tall, ponderous truck. That’s because it started life, essentially, as a commercial van and then received hefty 4WD equipment and a big lift. This is a ‘57 TWPW, the very first one, but the basic body dated back to 1954. The “Town Panel,” the other half of the “Town Wagon,” came first. It was a panel van based on Dodge’s revised “pilothouse” trucks, the 1954 C-series. An evolution of the earlier B-series, introduced in 1948. Truck-based panel vans were a small sideline for Dodge since before the war - the ‘54 “Town Panel” was just a nicer, updated version. Like the earlier ones, it was aimed at commercial buyers. But it presented the opportunity to make a “Carryall” - an early term for passenger SUVs - as GM, International, and Jeep were doing. It had windows and a furnished interior for families or work crews; effectively a giant station wagon. It debuted as a rear-drive truck in 1956, with the differences from the Panel being mostly fittings. For 1957, Chrysler’s engineers turned it into the TWPW, adding a 4WD system with a Dana 44 “close knuckle” up front and a Dana 60 in back. The trucks were lifted and featured huge fender flares, and they incorporated 1957’s new C-series styling (a one year only look). The base engine was a 230-cid six, but they could also be had with a variety of V8s to match the W100/W200 pickups. The TWPW was not a popular truck with civilians, but businesses and government agencies, particularly the US Forest Service, loved it. It was produced in relatively low numbers - sometimes only a few hundred a year - into 1966. When Dodge introduced the “swept line” trucks in 1961, the TWPW body and systems were adapted for its chassis. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlSQyDFt_7/?igshid=lva8fzlfr9u6