Older Station Wagons

1904 Ford Deluxe Station Wagon
Extra Images
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Station Wagon 1957 Ford Woody Station Wagon 1970 Ford Impala Station Wagon

For me, the Golden Age of older station wagons was during the 1950's and into the early 1960's. Maybe it is because those were the years when I was growing up. Nevertheless, older station wagons from that period just seemed to have a style all their own, each and every one of them, unlike the ones that came after them. Eventually, all station wagons looked pretty much the same. And not too many years later jeeps and SUV's flooded the market and rendered the station wagon almost obsolete.

In 1955, at a time when car manufacturers tried to out do each other every year, Chevrolet came up with a winning design, the 1955 Chevy. This is probably the most popular car ever made. Knowing that they had hit on something special, Chevy didn't change to much for 1956. Their cars and station wagons in these two years look much the same. But in 1957 car manufactures discovered FINS! All of a sudden every car built in America had fins of some kind. The fins were straight, slanted or curved, but they were fins! In the pictures below you will see these fins on both the 1957 Chevy and the 1957 Ford. In the meantime, look at these 3 CLASSIC 1950's and 1960 Chevy Station Wagons. They just haven't made station wagons like these older station wagons since.

Older Station Wagon Models

And here is a 1957 Oldsmobile station wagon. You just don't find cars with this kind of style any more. Alright, granted the older station wagons did not have all the amenities that station wagons have today, but they sure looked a lot better! They were absolutely identifiable just by sight. In a split second you would say," hey, look at that '55 Chevy Station Wagon!" I mean, there was no doubt in your mind! And don't think a Ford, or any other car manufacturer, built in the same year looked like it, because it didn't. Every manufacturer had their own style.

In the '60's the Beach Boys made the "Woody" and surfing synonymous when they recorded “Surfer Girl”. For those growing up at that time, none will forget the line “in my Woody I would take you, every where I go”. Those Woody station wagons go back to the 1940's. Here's a 1948 Plymouth Woody Station Wagon and a 1949 Ford Woody Station Wagon. Keep in mind, these older station wagons used real wood! That's why they were called "Woodies".

In the 1950's Ford brought back the "Woody" look in 1957. Now you can see the difference in two manufacturer’s older station wagons in the same year, the '57 Oldsmobile above, and this one. Look at how different they are. Style I tell you, style! The ’57 Ford even has the surf boards on the top. Yes, in my opinion, the 1950's and early 1960's were the Golden Age of older station wagons.

Some of these old station wagons bring more money at sale today than new station wagons, that is how popular they are. And there just isn’t a lot of them around anymore. What a shame. Older station wagons, yep, they were the best.