Ardent 400 Series
1950 - 1957
1951 Ardent 420 Estate Deluxe in Spanish Olive
With their foothold re-established following the war, Ardent looked to broadening of their market and customer base. While the Starlight fit well into the role of every-man car, it didn’t cater well to the tastes of the increasingly affluent suburban middle class. In September of 1947, Jack Chancellor directed lead designer John Case to create a newer, larger class of cars to join the Ardent lineup. These were to be fitted with finer appointments than the Starlight model, and even comparable to or in excess of those on the Midnight 320 and 330.
Case was given free reign of the project, including access to all projects headed up by Desmond Wainwright, Ardent’s chief of powertrain design.
Initially intended to be available with the choice of a 173 cubic inch, 102 horsepower “Orion” straight-6, a larger 203 cubic inch Orion with 110 horses, or a 294 cubic inch “Taurus” V8, the latter was never destined to happen. Wainwright was overloaded with demands from the top, and understaffed below. At the time, Ardent had difficulty attracting enough talent to design engines and components, due to stiff competition in the industry.
1950 Ardent 410 Sedan Custom in Copper Cream
Still, the 400-series models launched in 1950, with the Orion Six as its sole mill. A 3-speed manual transmission was standard on most models, but the 420 Deluxe trims received a brand new ShiftGuard 2-speed automatic transmission. In 1952, a limited number of 400-series units were fitted with a V8 engine. This was in the form of a 287 cid Toledo Iron Eight, putting out 146 horsepower. This rare option was limited to 750 cars in 1952 and 1500 in 1953. Shortly after acquisition of Townsend Coachworks (and subsidiary Toledo Ironworks) in late '53, Ardent massively ramped up production of this engine, and it became widely available starting in May of 1954, though still limited to the Deluxe trim.
Throughout its life, the 400-series was available in wagon, sedan, and coupe bodies. The wagon and sedan varieties were available in three trims. Base 400 Special was equipped with such standard features as vinyl seating, AM radio, dual-shoe hydraulic brakes, full steel construction, and the aforementioned manual transmission. The 410 Custom added pillowed seating and additional chromed interior accents, and the 203 cubic inch became standard at this level. The 420 Deluxe stepped up to an automatic transmission and a “Clear Wave” AM radio system that improved reception range and clarity. The coupe body style was only available in the 400 Special trim.
1951 Ardent 400 Coupe Special in Cherry Red
Starting in 1952, the 400-series was available with two-tone paint and a second chrome belt on the higher trims.
Ardent devoted vast resources to production of the 400-series. This was not only due to expected high demand at home in North America, but also because Jack Chancellor had negotiated the opening of a dealer network in Europe, and wanted to make sure the flagship Ardent was available there as well. Though it sold in Europe, predictably it was less popular than the smaller, less expensive Starlight in that market. Also of note, the 400 Coupe Special was never exported to Europe.
Trim pricing in 1950:
400 Coupe Special, MSRP $1289
400 Sedan Special, MSRP $1299
400 Estate Special, MSRP $1299
410 Sedan Custom, MSRP $1399
410 Estate Custom, MSRP $1399
420 Sedan Deluxe, MSRP $1479
420 Estate Deluxe, MSRP $1479
203 cubic inch Orion 6-cylinder (Special only): $35
Cost of Toledo Iron Eight option in 1954: $75
Two-tone paint option (Custom or Deluxe only): $30
Available colors:
Pure White (Custom or Deluxe only)
Ink Black
Cherry Red
Light Mint
Lemon Creme
Sunshine Yellow (except Estate)
Copper Cream (except Coupe)
Spanish Olive (except Coupe)
Caribbean Blue (1952+)
Two-tone combos (Custom and Deluxe 1952+)
Pure White/Ink Black
Sunshine Yellow/Ink Black
Caribbean Blue/Ink Black
Pure White/Cherry Red
Cherry Red/Ink Black
Lemon Creme/Sunshine Yellow
Caribbean Blue/Copper Cream
Light Mint/Ink Black
1954 Ardent 420 Sedan Deluxe V8. Color pick courtesy of @Private_Miros