The ’50s had brought the modern station wagon to the market, and Ford wasn’t going to miss out on the action. And here, a ’53 Ford F-600 is bringing a bunch of ’55s, with one fake woody for variety. 1955 would be a good year for Ford wagons, with a total 209,459 units sold; beating Chevrolet by almost 50K on that market.
Talking about Dearborn, my Cohort browsing suggests old Ford wagons exist in larger numbers than Chevys. Especially in Di-Noc guise. Higher survival rates? Or good photo material for curbsiders?
Further reading:
Cohort Classic: 1950 Plymouth All-Steel Wagon – The First Modern Station Wagon
I think there were quite a few years in the postwar era when Ford wagons outsold their Chevrolet counterparts, even if Ford came in No. 2 overall.
These are delightful to behold. The 55-56 Ford made for a really good looking wagon.
While I cant stand Di-Noc fake wood siding, the market spoke. GM stylists resisted until the ’64 Olds Vista Cruiser.
My mistake. Vista Cruiser didnt get it till ’68. Must have been the ’66 Caprice.
Sweet ;
I wonder how many survive ? .
-Nate
I’d be surprised if a very high percentage of those Ford wagons originally built have survived. They certainly weren’t rust-proofed.. I have vivid memories of being a little kid in the early sixties in Ohio being driven home by the mother of friends on a rural gravel road. We were playing around in the back seat and I picked a rug up off the floor and was fascinated to see the road going by so quickly underneath. I was quickly admonished and told to put the rug back down. And to not stand over that area. That Ford wagon would have only been 8 years old at the most back then (far, far younger than current daily driver and weekend pickup). I’m sure the wagon having been driven around farm roads to check on the cattle didn’t help the integrity of its underside either.
25% of the shipment were “woodies”.
The two door ranch wagons were quite popular over here but as usual have all but vanished now
I think James Dean had one of those.
It’s great to see this photo, and I’ve always thought Ford’s 1955-1956 look a real winner, even if the mid-1950s Chevrolets have proven to be more popular in the long term.
Here’s Mickey Mantle with what’s said to be his ’55, similar to one of today’s in-transit cars: