May
5
These cars were pretty much disposable so it really nice to see one in such fresh and useable condition. And wow, are they big! This is the last and we believe final method for getting woodgrain on the side of a station wagon. Real wood was first and it was structural. Then came real wood trim in the early 50s. After that the tin woodies were in fashion. Read More
Apr
26
We’ve had Woodies before because people really like them. This is one of those transitional Woodies. The wood is real but it isn’t structural. Sort of the best of both worlds. You get the structural rigidity of a steel car with the warmth and beauty of a bit of timber. These are pretty rare with under 1,900 built in ’53. This was also the year Buick celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The Buick gets some one-year-only badging to record the milestone. Read More
Apr
23
Tin Woodies replaced real woodies when manufacturers figured out it was easier to build cars out of steel. Woodies are beautiful works of art but they were difficult to maintain when new and very expensive to restore. We surmise that after tin woodies came the vinyl woodies that many more of us are familiar with. Read More
Apr
9
1956 was a good year for Ford. Stylists liked the”Jet-Tube” taillights so they made them a little larger in diameter and moved a little further down the body. The Astra-Dial speedometer was retained, but it was perched on a fully redesigned instrument panel. Ford enlarged its Y-block engine to 272 cid, good for 162 horsepower in its base form or 182 horsepower with a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust. Also available in station wagons was the 292-cid, 198-horsepower Thunderbird V-8. Only the new little Thunderbird had a higher starting price tag than Ford’s 1955 station wagons, which topped out at $2,492 for a Country Squire with the basic V-8. Customers were flocking to Ford dealerships in record numbers to buy wagons, securing the marque’s title as the wagon master. Read More
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