1953 Dominion Highliner
Replacing the original Dominion Van introduced in 1947, the Highliner was a move into a broader market with the introduction of a passenger model. Both cargo and passenger models were powered by the trusty Dominion Six with a then-revolutionary longitudinal FWD layout, which Dominion justified as helping give the van a low and flat loading area. The odd layout proved effective for ride comfort as well, with more predictable handling with various loading weight.
1956 Dominion Highliner Terra Nova
When facelifting the Highliner for 1956, Dominion management paid attention to the usage of the van. What they noticed was that both cargo and passenger models gained popularity for aftermarket camper conversions, especially since the FWD layout allowed the body to easily be stretched. Dominion struck a deal with one of the larger conversion companies to produce pop-top camper kits to be installed by Dominion. This was the beginning of the Terra Nova line of campers.
