Yesterday’s article covered wagons found during Arizona’s Auction Week up through the woody era, today’s cars will cover the post-woody 50s and beyond. If you, like me, are one of those oddballs in the world who think cars look better with wood on their bodies, Part I was the one for you! Today we will look at some sweet hauling machines from the late 50’s and beyond.
To recap the premise of these articles from yesterday, I realized the wagons I photographed in Arizona (mostly at Barrett-Jackson) represent a pretty good overview of station wagon history. So this will be partly an auction review and partly a history tour. Let me be your unofficial docent as we look at some beautiful former work horses in their restored, or in some cases surprisingly original, glory.
1957 Dodge Station Wagon. A 1957 2-door Dodge wagon that should be a Suburban, but this wagon is trimmed and labeled as the more upscale Sierra, which only came as a 4-door. This conflict is in keeping with the overall car, which is a restomod. A two door Mopar wagon is too cool not to pay attention to, even though this particular car isn’t my favorite.
The paint and interior colors don’t match well, it has capped side pipes, and the correct but probably not original 354 Hemi is highly customized. As with the 40 Olds yesterday, it’s a well done hotrod, but a 2-door Dodge wagon is so rare it seems a shame not to do it in original specifications. The write-up says it has a salvage title, which may allay my misgivings since an alternative for this car could very well have been non-existence.
By the mid-50’s, automakers had helped encourage buyers to drop their expectation that wagons were supposed to be (or at least look like) woodys. Mother Mopar dropped real wood after 1950 and never did any sort of fake wood look until the late 60s. $20,900
1958 Rambler Super Cross Country. Here we have a couple treats from AMC. This super fun Rambler is a six cylinder model with a manual shift, which shouldn’t take away any fun even if the 127hp from the 196ci L6 is substantially less than the 215hp the optional 250ci V8 had. The car is stated to have 26k miles, though no specific claims are made as to the originality of its condition.
The car is cute and cool-looking in its very 50s way, but I’ve always been a bit ambivalent about these Rambler wagons due to the roofline. I don’t like the way the wagon section is lower than the passenger section, it’s always looked a little awkward to me. I believe they did that so that the roof panel can share its stamping with the sedan, which was the kind of cost saving measure that AMC excelled at. $19,800
1956 Nash Rambler Custom Cross Country. Two years older and a similar model with the same engine, this one sold for over twice as much. It could be the factory air conditioning, which must be pretty rare and desirable even if it would sap the little power the six cylinder engine has. Maybe it’s the trick three-tone paint. Personally, I like the fins on the 58 better. $45,100
1959 Ford Country Sedan. Feast your eyes on this rare site, a two-door 59 Ford wagon with upscale Country Sedan trim. Other 2-door Ford wagons in the 50s were Ranch Wagons, trimmed as entry-level or Customline cars, and they are not especially rare with annual numbers in the 40-60k range. The Country Sedan (a curious name for a wagon!) had a higher trim level equivalent to the Fairlane and were only 4-doors. For 1959 only, the Country Sedan was also offered as a 2-door and sold to 8k customers. The model would be dropped the next year and full-size 2-door wagons dropped entirely after 1961.
I love the 2-door wagon style as an odd combination of stylishness and utilitarianism, at least to modern eyes. Through 1950s eyes it was probably seen more like pay less money, get less doors, if you want a cheap wagon, get a Ranch. There was the notable exception of the Nomad, a very stylish 2-door wagon and the most expensive Non-Corvette Chevrolet in 1955-57. Ford did actually respond with their 56 Parklane, which didn’t have any unique bodywork like the Nomad had, but had high level trim. It outsold the Nomad, but was still dropped after one year.
As a wagon lover, this was one of my favorite cars at Barrett-Jackson. In addition to the cool bodystyle, I liked the creamy yellow color with white roof.
Though Chrysler and GM had dropped any wood look on their wagons earlier in the 50’s, Ford soldiered on keeping the small number of buyers who wanted wagons to look like woodys happy with top-of-the-line Country Squires and Colony Parks available continuously through the 50’s and 60’s.
And if the car wasn’t cool enough already, it has the top engine available that year, a 300hp 352 with three-on-the-tree.
As a lover of original condition cars, I also loved the interior which was stated to be un-refurbed. The seller states the only major work done on the car was a repaint of the lower body. $47,300
1963 Chevrolet Impala. Without wood, wagons came into their full practical glory and sold big in Baby Boom postwar America. Station wagons went from 3% of car sales in 1951 to 16% in 1961. A 63 Chevy was, of course, a very typical period wagon. What makes this one special is that it’s a survivor loaded with options.
The car has air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, power windows, and posi-trac among other options.
The interior is original, says the seller. The body is original and rust free but has been repainted.
Oh, and I kind of buried the lede. The engine is a 340hp Turbo Fire 409 with dual exhausts, the most powerful engine offered with the Powerglide transmission. The 409 was available in 400hp and 425hp versions, even on the wagon, but only with manual transmissions.
She’s real fine. $60,500
1972 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. This is a late addition here added for historical interest, as it’s rather rough by Arizona auction standards. What a cool model it is, though! A Vista Cruiser is on my list of cars I’d love to own and I don’t think I’m alone in that. The elongated A-body ran from 64-72, sharing its special roof with the Buick Sport Wagon and providing your 5 or 6 kids with a great view. The length and raised roof enabled a forward facing third row, with some luggage space behind it still.
It well represents popular wagons in that period, being a cross between a full-sizer and a mid-sizer and sporting vinyl “wood” that is purely decorative and in no way is trying to fool anybody that it has tree-derived content. Drivetrain on this car is pretty kick-butt, too, with an optional 455/TH-400.
Interior had been worked on, but needed a lot of body work to be a true dream wagon and priced accordingly. $12,750
1978 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon. And now for something completely different. It’s a 2-door wagon, but it doesn’t bear much resemblance to a Ranch Wagon or even a Falcon 2-door wagon (last built in 65). This cherry little Pinto is a great artifact of the 70’s and its doing its best to combat malaise by putting a smile on your face.
The full on party space in the back is the main appeal of this car, though it would have to be a very small party. I’m pretty sure the shag was not a factory option, but it suits the car perfectly. It does have a back set, which is folded down here to make more room for grooving. The Cruising Wagon was offered from 77-80. This rolling disco dance was worth $11,000 to somebody.
1984 AMC Eagle wagon. It’s been a while since I’ve seen an Eagle, one of those cars that used to be a fairly common oddball but disappeared from the roadways while we weren’t looking.
The 1980-87 Eagle was a relative hit for AMC, which kept itself alive throughout its ~30 year history by filling niches the Big Three either didn’t think of yet or weren’t interested in. AMC discovered even in the 80’s there was an appetite for raised 4 Wheel Drive station wagons, creating the seminal Crossover SUV before anybody thought to call it that.
No mileage was given, but its stated to be recently out of Colorado and a survivor, which at least implies it’s mostly original, which is how it appears. Interior is in great condition and looks super inviting. $11,000
1976 Jeep Wagoneer. Jeep wasn’t a part of AMC until 1970, but their niche-filling ethos was a perfect fit for that company. Jeep invented the more carlike truck/wagon in 1963. It was slightly smaller and lower-profile than a regular 4×4 truck (such as the Suburban) and designed primarily with family and recreational use in mind. In other words, it’s the original SUV (some might reasonably argue that the more Jeepish 1946+ Jeep Station Wagon was actually the first SUV).
This one was a stunner. Seller states it has 58k miles but doesn’t specify whether it is mostly original or partly restored. Either way, you just don’t see 70’s Wagoneers in this condition very often. Engine is a stock-looking AMC 360 as these usually had (a 401 was available), but it’s been upgraded with aftermarket fuel injection.
Interior is said to be all-original and it’s immaculate. I said yesterday the 53 Mercury was the most expensive wagon automobile, carefully leaving space for the Wagoneer to claim top honors as the most expensive wagon overall. $69,300
1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Today, late Grand Wagoneers are much more common than 60s/70s Wagoneers, though there were only two at Barrett-Jackson, this by far the nicer one. Being the Wagoneer lover I am, I had to include it. It’s in fine fettle, though not original. The seller states paint, upholstery, and carpet have all been replaced, presumably along with lots of other items to get it to its present fine condition.
After the steel wagon conversion of the early 50s, wagons took off in popularity. The woody ember that Ford kept alive with their Country Squires and Colony Parks grew to a full campfire, with every manufacturer offering vinyl woodgrained wagons from the late 60s on.
Wagoneers started in the early 70s offering a slim strip of woodgrain as seen on the 76 above. In 1978, Jeep went full fake woody with the Wagoneer Limited, which became the iconic and beloved Grand Wagoneer everyone remembers from the 80s.
We can see here how the interiors evolved from the middle Wagoneer period of the 70s to their final form in the late 80s. Grand Wagoneers all had leather seats and lots of fake wood. As nice as this one was, it was pretty reasonably priced as Grand Wagoneers go these days. $36,300
The end of the Jeep Original SUV in 1991 more or less coincided with the demise of regular car-based wagons and the rise of SUVs. A few wagon models soldiered on in the 90s and minivans predominated for a while, but the 1990 Ford Explorer started the slow but steady growth of the SUV trend. Today, of course, practically everything is an SUV, so in a way, wagons have taken over the world.
Love the ’57 Dodge and ’59 Ford. Our family hd wagons from ’57 to ’68, all Fords. When the kids left Dad switched to big Buick sedans.
When our own kids were little we had a ’73 Plymouth Custom Suburban wagon, great for a family of 5. Later my wife, to combat Vermont winters, drove an ’87 Grand Wagoner that we’d bought on the Md Eastern Shore, a relatively mild climate where cars tend to be pretty solid. While mostly rust free, with it’s full-time QuadraTrack and 360 AMC V8 it proved to be a real gas hog that struggled to make 12 mpg on th highway, and had horrible cheesy AMC assembly quality and materials. It’s funny how everyone wants the now. We traded ours for a much more satisfactory Isuzu Trooper with 40k miles, still alive in Vermont today at 230k miles.
Almost cried seeing the ultra rare `58 Dodge 2dr. wagon. A beautiful resto-mod, but as scarce as these are should’ve been restored to factory specs IMHO. The “Sierra” script is incorrect, as the 2dr. wagons were Suburbans. And the 354 Chrysler Hemi is from `56, and was never offered on Dodges, since they had their own Hemi-head “D500” engines. But enough nit-picking, It’s obvious time, money, sweat & tears were spent on this jewel, and I hope it found a buyer.
” … but I’ve always been a bit ambivalent about these Rambler wagons due to the roofline. I don’t like the way the wagon section is lower than the passenger section …”
Infinity had a similar roof line on one of their big QX SUVs that always reminded me of the old Rambler Cross Countries.
Nice collection of photos; love the fine 409 wagon.
Good connection. I thought those Nissan suvs were pretty ugly. They don’t have the Rambler’s charm!
If ever there was a spartan dash, it’s that ’58 Rambler. Very minimalist.
$20K for that Dodge wagon seems pretty reasonable. I would think it should hold that value.
I came home from the hospital in the back of a 1959 Ford Country Sedan 2-door wagon. Ours was very similar to the one pictured above, only in blue and white. While I have no memory of this car (it was traded for a 1964 Dodge Dart wagon when I was two years old), family legend has it that it was a real lemon. My mother also despised it for lacking power steering, which made parallel parking difficult.
Of the pictured cars, I would have liked the 1957 Dodge the best, although I just might be a De Soto man at heart.
The Eagle really was a disappointment for AMC, for reasons mostly beyond its control. It sold decently in 1980, but it was a victim of the recession after that, like almost all expensive and specialty vehicles. By the time the market rebounded, there were small genuine SUVs, including AMC’s Jeep Cherokee.
Another great selection! I suspect the 56 Rambler wagon is quite a bit more rare than the 58. Rambler really sold relatively poorly in 1956-57 before really taking off in 1958.
I love the 59 Ford. An OD unit with that 3-speed would make this one just about perfect. And the 63 Impala wagon looks far, far nicer than the Bel Air version my father drove in 1964-65. If his had air and the high-trim interior, he might have liked it better than he did.
I saw an Eagle wagon at a show a few weeks ago, and am reminded of how much I liked them. I wish I had looked into one when they were more common. Wagoneers are the same way – There was a time when they could be had relatively inexpensively, although they were usually kind of rusty by then.
I’d go with the 63 Chevy 409!
Dad had a ’64 Impala wagon. Seven kids plus Mom & Dad in that metal box. Three-on-the-tree and baseline 6 cylinder, yet he never killed the engine.
Finally gave it up because the rear end gave up the ghost hauling wood and other items to the summer house.
Laugh every time a see a ’64 Impala…..
I’m going to have fantasies about that Pinto Cruising Wagon, transplanted with the drivetrain from a current generation 2.3 Turbo Mustang.
That would be a very cool sleeper (in more ways than one with the seats down!).
Were they carpeted all up/down/ over, like that? Had no idea, never saw one “inside”.
This one is a “neat ride” though.
Two wonderful memories out of this article: Mom’s 63 Impala wagon, can’t remember the color anymore, but other than it only having a 327 it was pretty identical to the model shown.
And the 88 Grand Wagoneer. Up the year to 90 and the one our in-laws gave us early in our marriage was identical. Unfortunately, not in as good a condition. Eleven years of daily driving in Bangor, ME ensured that the rust would start to show within a couple of years. The only V-8 I ever owned, the biggest gas hog I ever owned, but I still have very fond memories of that car.
It’s getting harder to envisage (or remember) a time when cars like these actually populated the landscape – the Dodge is truly outrageous.
I have a soft spot for ‘59 Fords, but the ‘56 Rambler would get my vote from this grouping. It seems to come from a slightly alternate universe, with that same seductive ‘50’s excitement over colour and general newness but kept within more rational bounds. It has a more sophisticated look to my eye, not a quality commonly associated with Rambler.
I’ll take the Vista Cruiser. Happy memories of road trips with my cousins in the back of a Buick Sportwagon.
Some great wagons there. Can’t believe the ’63 Chevy went for $60,000! Love the colorful AMC wagons and the older Wagoneer.
Another terrific selection of wagons.
I am drawn for some reason to the Ramblers just for the looks. The frankly odd looks. The design seems to be the automotive analog to a mullet. Business in the front, party in the back (if “party” is defined as totally loony incorporation of fins and a stepped down roof).
Of course, the Pinto is set up for the literal party in the back. Let’s just hope that for Barrett Jackson the seller completely replaced that shag carpet. I don’t want to think of what that carpet has seen in the past 45 years.
The Eagle continues to prove the point from Eric’s post yesterday that all surviving Eagles are indeed brown.
I like the mullet analogy!
That shag carpet looks clean, just don’t put a black light on it.
Wonderful work here Jon. Thank you very much, for sharing all your research, and photos. A genuine treat to appreciate. The variety adds, much to enjoy!
Ford did such a great job in creating very commercial graphics on the original Pinto Cruisin’ Wagon, that the alternate versions, don’t come off as well. Such a definitive ’70s-look in the original.
The Eagle with an AMC 304, or 401 V8, would have been quite the super wagon.
If the technology existed in 1977, Ford could have used perforated window film, as a privacy aid on the porthole windows. You’d see this image (below), if you attempted to look inside the windows. As people inside, would still be able to see outside.
Farrah Fawcett I assume. Even without the familiar face, it would be incredibly easy to guess the date on that photo within a few years. Amazing how specific the styles and fads were then.
Every guy on campus had the swimsuit photo of Farrah in their dorm room.
The 70’s…I so miss them!!
There were not many wagons in my family but one uncle had a 57 Ford. I remember the sliding windows in the back seat. It was the first car I remember with seat belts. My uncle was an aeronautical engineer, so I expect that his experience with de Havilland during the war caused him to install the belts. It was eventually replaced with a 62 Chevy II wagon.
Was 57 the year Ford promoted safety features really heavily? Has to be one of the first cars with factory seat belts available.
I don’t know, but I always assumed they were not factory installed and that my uncle Joe put the belts in. They were like the belts I remember from planes of the era. They did not have metal buckles, but rather you threaded the fabric belt through the buckle which clamped down on it. It obviously made a big impression on me as a 7 year old. I don’t remember when seat belts became common. When I bought my first car (1965 Austin) in 1968, it did not have belts so I went to Canadian Tire and bought some and installed them. In hindsight I am not sure if the floor was strong enough for an effective mounting.
’56 was the year of safety at Ford.
The ’57 Dodge has a bumper crop of rubber tailgate bumpers.
Yes, and the inner ones don’t have a bumper extension to sit on. They were used on that wagon body instead of typical supports at the sides for easier (but far from easy) entry into the (first) rear facing third row seat, the two way tailgate not having been invented (by Ford) yet. It also has the step pads at each side which should only be on a 9 passenger version (which would only be a four door model).
Dad was an Olds lifer and the new Fiesta wagon in ’57 was the first car he let me drive. At one point the family drove from Minnesota to Washington DC, then down the east coast to Florida. It was identical to this beauty,
Love this ad. Looks like dad just flew the family home from a Mexican fiesta holiday. The Olds is a Fiesta (wagon) Holiday (pillar less hardtop).
If it were a Pontiac, they would have been on Safari.
That is a great ad and a fabulous hardtop wagon! I linked in part I yesterday the article I wrote on my 2018 BJ trip, where they had a 57 Fiesta.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/auction-classic-wagons-independents-and-freaks/
Good looking green 1976 Wagoneer! Notice how trucks weren’t subject to the 5 mph bumper standards of the day as the bumpers were pulled in much closer (and better looking as a result) to the body both front and rear ends.