History of the Station Wagon

The station wagon can trace its roots to the "horseless carriage" era as commercial vehicles, or depot hacks, transported passengers and luggage from train stations to their destinations. Station wagons were built on a passenger car frame but were able to carry up to nine people. The wagon's popularity peaked in the 1950s through the '60s. Its popularity declined rapidly in the 1980s with the introduction of the minivan.

Definition

The station wagon was built either on a passenger car frame, such as a Buick or Ford sedan, or a truck chassis, like the Chevrolet Suburban and Jeep Station Wagon. The passenger-car-based station wagons are truer in nature to the suburban station wagon, while the Suburban and Jeep were considered multipurpose vehicles.

Early Years

The station wagon began as a pickup truck. Wooden benches were placed in the bed with a canopy top for protection. The 1922 Essex debuted as the first fully enclosed car. The rest of the automotive industry quickly followed, and wagons soon became fully enclosed with glass and framing. Station wagons were usually confined to woodside, or "woodie," models with wood panel covering the steel side panels. They were considered upscale.

Prewar Luxury

Before World War II, luxury automakers like Packard and Pierce-Arrow produced a high-end line of station wagon, while the upscale, but by no means luxury, Chrysler manufactured its Town and Country station wagons, which were its most expensive car.

New Direction

Automakers after World War II began rethinking their marketing of the station wagon as servicepeople returned home to start families and find housing outside of urban areas. This prompted a market for affordable family station wagons. By 1949, Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth were producing huge numbers of wagons to meet demand.

Woodie Disappears

Plymouth was first out of the gate with its two-door all-steel Suburban wagon in 1949, and discontinued its woodie the following year. The era of the woodie wagon was dying as each marque abandoned wood-paneled wagons in favor of all-steel. Buick marked the end of the woodie era in 1953 with its final woodside version.

Increasing Popularity

The station wagon blossomed in the mid-1950s as the perfect family car. Most were two-door models, such as the Chevrolet Nomad. None exhibited original body designs, adopting instead the identical styling of automakers' sedan and coupe lines. The Nomad was simply the station wagon version of the Chevy Bel Air, while the Ford wagon mimicked the Fairlane.

Small Wagons

The 1951 Nash Rambler, with its 100-inch wheelbase, was the first small economical station wagon to hit the market. Studebaker followed with its Lark Wagonaire, which had a roll-top roof for extra cargo space. The Chevrolet Corvair also offered a station wagon. In the early 1970s Ford produced its compact Pinto and Mercury Bobcat two-door wagons, while AMC offered its unusually designed Pacer from 1977 to 1980. The poorly received Chevy Vega was a sporty two-door version that has since become a collector's item.

Resources

• More Station Wagon History