This post is pretty much a follow-up to a previous entry highlighting station wagons from the 1950s. As I explained on that occasion, I’ve done quite a few vintage image posts featuring station wagons and family groups, but this time we’re mostly highlighting the wagons themselves. Not that folk are completely missing, as a few do appear. But that’s all part of the fun, ain’t it?
The lede photo features a ’67 Ford Country Sedan. Somewhere in the back, you’ll also notice an earlier white Falcon wagon parked in a driveway. For the few who don’t know, Ford was the powerhouse in the station wagon business back then, something this photo seems to support.
1960 Dodge Dart, Pioneer Series Station Wagon. For 1960 Dodge had two lines of wagons on the Dart line, the Seneca and the Pioneer. In the case of the Pioneer, 6-passenger and 9-passenger configurations were available.
1960 Ford 4-door Ranch Wagon. In 1960 Ford built 43,872 of these 4-door Ranch Wagons, the lowest trim of Dearborn’s wagons. There was also a 2-door Ranch Wagon, that moved 27K units in the same year.
1961 Chevrolet Nomad Wagon. The fanciest of the bowtie’s wagons for ’61, basically carrying the Impala trim, Chevrolet’s top model at the time. It was available in 6 and 9-passenger versions.
1960 Mercury Colony Park Station Wagon, Mercury’s fanciest wagon offering.
1962 Rambler Classic Wagon. AMC had a pretty decent production of wagons for ’62, and in the classic range, these Customs moved about 59K units between the 6 and 8-passenger versions. This was a year where Classics came solely equipped with 6 cyl. engines.
1962 Chevrolet Biscayne Station Wagon. The lowest trim of Chevrolet’s full-sizers for that year.
1963 Ford Country Squire. For ’63, the lowly Ranch models were no more, and it was Country Sedans and the Di-noc’d Country Squires. The Country Squires came in either 6 or 9 passenger versions, and between the two options about 39K units were sold in ’63.
1964 Pontiac Tempest Wagon. This one has some minor damage and is missing the marque’s distinctive beak (Gasp!). A bit hard to tell from the image, but this one seems to be carrying Pontiac’s 326CID V-8 badge on the fender.
1965 Plymouth Fury III Station Wagon. Once again, it’s hard to tell from this distance, but the trim seems to be that of a Fury III. If so, it’s one of about 18K built for ’65.
1965 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. The second year for the model after having arrived in ’64, and it was gaining in numbers, with about 31K units built.
1965 Rambler Classic Cross Country and the trim seems to belong to a 660 model. If so, it’s one of 32K built for that year.
1966 Ford Country Sedan. The Ranch had returned for ’65, but all of Ford’s wagons were 4-doors regardless. When it came to the Country Sedan, there were about 91K units sold in ’66.
1967 Ford Country Sedan. About 85K Country Sedan units found buyers in ’67.
1968 Plymouth Sport Satellite, in either 6 or 9 passenger versions.
1969 Ford LTD Country Squire. The LTD had been an astounding success for Ford, and it was time the formula reached their wagon range. For ’68, the LTD Country Squire appeared as Ford’s top wagon trim. It found an eager audience, and in ’69 128K units sold.
Rich – The black Mercury Colony Park is a 1960 – not a ’61.
Fixed now; thanks!
It’s also the unique 2-door hardtop style.
polistra: It is actually not a 2 door hardtop wagon. That was available only during 1957 through 1959 model years. All 1960 Mercury wagons were four door hardtops.
and “lord” its not an “attractive machine”.
For the few who don’t know, Ford was the powerhouse in the station wagon business back then,
This is a commonly repeated assumption, but one I’m eager to either disprove or accept as fact. I was reading a 1963 Motor Trend article on wagons and they pointed out that Chevy had been the clear leader in wagon sales in the previous (and past some?) years and were expected to maintain that lead in ’63.
I do think it’s quite likely (or possible) that Ford took that lead away, perhaps in 1965 or so? it does seem that their restyle for ’65 with the twin facing rearmost seats was very popular. And as Americans’ incomes rose during the mid-late ’60s, the more expensive Country Squire became something of the standard in the class, and the analogue to the popular Ford LTD. That would rather explain why Chevy finally and belatedly came out with a wood grain Caprice wagon in ’66.
If I had to guess, your statement is quite correct by the time of this ’67 Country Sedan, but I have long wanted to do a dive on the sales stats on wagons to determine just who was leading at what time, and when the likely transition of leadership from Chevy to Ford happened. Clearly Ford put a lot of effort in their drive to win the wagon wars, and it was successful.
As to wagons percentage of a brand’s sales, AMC was way ahead with Rambler, which had exceptionally high wagon sales (as a percentage) going back to the mid ’50s.
I think the “magic door gate” had something to do w/ it too.
Yes; I omitted that feature, which was a big step forward. And in typical GM fashion, they thought they could outdo Ford with their complicated clamshell tailgate. That didn’t work out so well…
Me too. Was quite the “innovation”.
For years Ford called themselves the “Wagonmaster”, whether based on sales or perception I do not know. But in our Towson ‘hood it seemed to be a fairly even split, with quite a few of either make. Our family had ’57, ’59, ’63, and ’68 Ford wagons. 2 Squires and 2 Country Sedan. Our ’63 Country Sedan ended up as my first car while in college, what a great car it was for doing all kinds of things in one’s late teens and early ’20s… ’nuff said.
My Mopar Man Father reluctantly gave into family pressure and purchased this 1966 Ford Country Sedan station wagon for his family because of the 2 way tailgate. Mom called it her “Suburban Status Symbol”.
Yep…for my Dad at least, after he bought his first ’69 Country Squire, he also bought a ’73 Ford Country Sedan, mostly because he didn’t like the clamshell tailgate that GM full sizes used. Didn’t ask him about Mopar, for some reason he never bought one of their wagons. Anyhow, in ’78 after the downsized fullsized GM wagons had the 3 way gate, he bought a new ’78 Chevy Caprice Classic wagon, late in that year, not sure what turned him off the newly downsized Ford ’79 wagon, but he now had that choice.
He spent most of the 60’s with a series of wagons, all bought new, and all green (our family is of Irish descent, yeah I also have to wear green on St. Patrick’s day (today)). He traded his ’56 Plymouth Plaza (sedan) for a new ’61 Rambler Classic wagon, probably due to my sister and I taking lots of “space” as toddlers, but also my Mom never was comfortable driving anything but an automatic which was their first. He followed it with a new ’63 Rambler Classic, not sure why he bought it only 2 years after the first, but maybe because it was in a dust storm driving back from California (we’d briefly moved to California in 1959 and drove back probably late ’61, we’re originally from East coast). The ’63 was totalled outside our motel which we were staying in after vacating our house to move once again (my Dad had several different employers in the 60’s though he always worked in the same field) when he bought a new ’65 Olds F85 wagon which he kept till he got the ’69 Country Squire.
I was pretty young but I think the Ramblers had 1 way (lowering only) tailgates, with crank down rear windows. I recall some of the 1 way tailgates maybe having some interlock to keep you from lowering the tailgate while the window was still up, but with the manual winder, you could lower the tailgate then crank up the window I think, there’s a picture of my sister and I eating breakfast facing the lowered tailgate with our bowls perched on the glass of the raised window (not sure why Dad did it that way?). Starting with the ’65 the glass became power operated, we never had other power windows, but the rear glass was, also on the ’69 which I think was our first with the 3 way tailgate. The ’65 was also his first V8, the 330, while the ’69 had a 351 2bbl.
There’s lot here. Amazing.
Average US family size peaked during this time. The oldest Boomers were high schoolers, getting married and moving out. They were new drivers wanting wheels and spurring new auto trends. Their younger siblings were still at home. So families needed room for bigger adult sized kids as well as more kids per family than today. The economy was strong as well, and we were still seeing a lot of union blue collar hourly wage earners buying cars. Two car families become the norm. Women were also going to work and two income families really take hold by the end of this decade. In DC, the domestic policy was both, “guns and butter” which causes inflation by 1969. Auto smog replaced coal smoke in US cities.
90% or more auto purchases were domestic. VW was slaying the small car market, but Detroit was king. This meant that Detroit was feeding the domestic economy, and asking to host the 1968 Olympic Games. Gasoline is 25-40 cents a gallon. Pollution control on cars? What’s that? The gasoline had lots of lead in it, and the EPA doesn’t start until Nixon was elected in 1968. Average gas mileage, between 7-15 MPG. A Chrysler Slant-six got only 14 in town and even the Beetle wasn’t doing much better than that. Rambler production was big until 1964, and a lot of those Ramblers were wagons.
Consequently, we have these cars. They are big enough for US families, luxurious enough for the new Interstate Highway system cruising, and affordable enough to replace every 3-4 years. I consider this decade to be peak Detroit years. 60 years ago, few could have ever imagined Detroit turning into a slum as imports filled US driveways. Cars were assembled around the Great Lakes, not shipped by diesel engines from the other side of the Earth, yet claiming to be good for the environment.
Bench seats, engine bays wide enough to see the pavement around the engines, vent windows, ashtrays, vinyl seats, and no head restraints until 1968. Rust, leaks, mufflers held up with tape and coathangers, and oily engine exhaust trailing behind four year old cars. Three year auto loans – tops.
Looking back is like looking at a completely different planet. As a kid, cars were adult problems. My car problem back then was trying to keep my kid sister from puking on every car trip and dog farts. Crank open those windows! “Dad, he’s touching me again!”
Something to add to the above is the development of the suburbs as reflected in many of the photos. The GI bill (5%) down and a 4 to 5% interest rate mortgage were offered to many WWII and Korean Conflict and early Vietnam vets. A shrewd developer banked on this for a large percentage of his sales. Many a three bedroom one and one and half bath house was built. Eventually, 2 full baths became the norm.
Yep, a very long time ago!!
Am neither a fan of Chrysler products nor of stacked headlights. But that deep burgundy 1965 Plymouth Fury III Station Wagon looks quite nice.
Btw: In general, stacked headlights work somehow better on wagons than on sedans.
Nice pictures all .
I remember scads of wagons all through the 60’s & 70’s, I owned a few my self .
Here in La La land the studios used them for crews .
-Nate
I had a 1963 Tempest SW and found a rear ended 1964 GTO and removed all the badges and placed them on my SW… I had people astonished they made a wagon Goat. I owned as my first car a 1965 Plymouth Fury III wagon like pictured. I miss that car, it had the Y block 318 in it. As a young man, I placed Hooker headers(dual exhaust) on it and found a 340, 4 barrel manifold and carburetor and spiced up it a bit. I had to borrow my dads car to pick up dates as parents looked out at my hot rodded Plymouth with the blanked out rear side windows and would say “NO” Later I owned a 1973 Ford LTD Country Squire Wagon with a 460 cid engine. A powerful engine, I wound it once too many times and spun some bearings. I found a low mileage 351 Cleveland engine and swapped it in and it still ran well, but better gas mileage… I miss true station wagons and would like them to come back.
Get a Subaru Outback. It’s just a slightly lifted wagon. Which is why I love mine so much. The new Toyota Crown model is effectively a wagon as well.
We had one of the 1960 Ford 43,872 4 Door Ranch Wagons which was very similar to the one pictured – green , white roof, no options at all unless a heater was optional, rubber floor mats, etc. It did have a 292 V8 2 bbl so I guess that was an option it had. It was nice to have a new car to join out 1953 2 door Ford Mainline in the family but 15 year old me longed for something nicer.
1969 Plymouth Sport Satellite is actually a 1968. Note the shape of the side light on the front fender, round, first year of that addition to US autos. 1969 image attached.
Yes, it’s a ’68. Thanks for the tip. The post is updated now.
Wow, nice spread. Between us ( our family ) and the various neighbors we had, I’ll bet 3/4s of the cars on the photo essay were dead ringers for the I remember.
Regarding the 2nd to last photo of the OP, as my peers and I became late teen car nuts and Wagons became uncool, I remember we’d always describe those late 60’s Plymouth and Dodge station wagons as “Brady Bunch-mobiles”.
I’ll add our 1969 LTD Country Squire, which played an outsized role in my ‘coming of age’ years (no, not that). Loved that old beast. 390/4bbl got the job done, even pulling our camper trailer. Could fold the rear seats down and haul a stack of plywood out of the rain, or fold ’em up and haul six adults and four (small) children, all belted (rare).
Oops, make that 1968, was thinking of our ’69 F-100 when I typed that.
My mother had a 68 Plymouth Satellite wagon with the 318 for some years. I wasn’t involved so I don’t know the thinking. While in Maryland she had a white Comet wagon. All I recall is hanging out the back window while she was driving. The NTSB might have had issues with me.
And it is overcast in the Tehachapis right now. Time to get back on the road.
Remember the Kingswood estate? Any pictures anyboomers?
Neigbors , around the corner, had a brown “70 Kingswood Estate”.
More fantastic photo finding Rich. Have to admire the modest houses, people were content to call home.
Many attractive wagons. Without the over-the-top camp of 1950s styling.
I believe that the Corvair wagon should have been mentioned. My mother had one that was given to her by her father on her birthday it was a Monza. I remember it well and fondly.
Corvair wagons were rare even then, and the ’62 Monza wagon is the rarest Corvair car ever built.
We were a wagon family when I was growing up. My favorite was this 1967 Ford Country Squire.
This picture was taken near Crater Lake, Oregon around 1970 or 71.
As a 10 year old, I saw the movie Bullitt for the 1st time from the back seat of a ’67 Country Squire at a drive in movie theater in 1969.
“For ’69, the LTD Country Squire appeared, slotted above the Country Squires and Country Sedans.”
Not too sure about this. My Mom’s 1968 Squire had “LTD” on the leading edge of the hood.
Yes, that’s a typo. ’68 was the first year for the LTD Country Squire.
I don’t think that ’64 Pontiac is missing it’s beak. The protrusion was quite modest that year, it didn’t stick out even as far as the curve in the bumper. The bug deflector kind of hides it. You can see that the right side, inner grille trim is masked by the little nose. I thought that this might be a Tempest Custom as it has a rack as well as some little chrome darts behind the front wheel opening. The Tempest Custom sedan had bright trim that ran along the topsides of the fenders from front to rear. My Google search indicates that the wagons also had that trim, maybe it was deleted option? Our Tempest was just the base model, but I thought that it was cool.
Years ago when I was in college, I had a `64 Tempest Custom convertible with the 326, automatic, factory air and power windows. Hardly a ‘base’ model, but the ‘beak’ was only a hint of one. They really started to grow on the full sizers in `65 and the mid sizers in `68.
The ’64 Pontiac Tempest wagon is not missing its beak…nor do I see any damage. It’s partially hidden by the bug deflector mounted on the edge of the hood, and the black or deep blue color, also serves to hide the nose.
It’s a nice looking ride!
My Dad bought a 65 Ford Country Sedan because my parents took up camping. Black over red. Previous car was a 62 Comet, which he wasn’t wild about because of the six cylinder engine. The 65 had the base V-8, a 289. It was replaced in 69 by another Country Sedan, this one Gulfstream Aqua. It had the base V-8, a 302. Both were very good cars and we camped all up and down the East Coast. I learned to drive in the 69.
Back in the days when you could tell whose mom it was by the station wagon pulling up………
A friend’s dad who was also an assistant scoutmaster had a red 67 Country Sedan that he drove for years and years. The two robin’s egg blue 67 Country Sedans in these shots look to me like they might be the same car – note how both shots show driveways that are mostly blacktop, with a short section of concrete nearest the street. That is an unusual setup, in my experience.
The 60 Mercury shows an owner who would not pop for four new tires at once, but settled for mismatched whitewall widths. A common tell for a thrifty owner back in the days when whitewall widths changed periodically.
I am really digging that 68 Plymouth Sport Satellite, but would not turn down the 65 Fury wagon either.
I love the 67 Ford design Wagon the LTD and Galaxie
My ‘station wagon purchases’ have all been Volvos, including a ’68 and a ’69 with B20B engines, 4-speed manual gearboxes and the inclination to go many, many miles! I wish I had kept them….
Is it possible that photo #1 and #14 (3 Chevys in the background) are of the same wagon?
– Black driveway with concrete pad near the road
– White front license plate
-Brick houses have the same theme
Both cars have a piece of paper in the same place on the dash. Dandelions are in bloom in both. I think you’re right. Well spotted.
Aaaaah, the good `ol American station wagon! Nothing screams ‘road trip’ any louder. An almost vanished piece of Americana that will probably never return thanks to the minivan and the proliferation of the SUV. Makes me miss my `82 Di Noc Mercury Colony Park even more.
I should run out to our garage for this one! And shoot a front-end (the only angle l could easily get)pic of our ’66 Merc colony park wagon, mom& dad’s pride &joy in the late 60s which accumulated close to 200k miles by its last trip out in 1979 and now has everything from an old air conditioner to a 2003 mustang front clip piled on top of it. Still in one piece but lots of rust, blew blue smoke the last time the engine turned over.
Pic #4
1961 Chevy wagon. I thought the Nomad was strictly 2 door.
Am I wrong?
The Nomad name was revived a couple of times later than the original. There also a Nomad Chevelle wagon in around 1969 or so.
The 1961 Impala Nomad was a 4 door wagon.