(EXPANDED FROM 1/25/2022)
Nineteen-fifty-six was a pivotal year for Ford station wagons. This was essentially the last time that the brand would offer an old-fashioned, utilitarian wagon for more than three decades. When the Ford passenger-car lineup was redesigned in 1957, the wagons were made appreciably lower, longer and wider. Stylishness became more of a priority than efficient design.
After a handful of additional redesigns, the 1971 “standard-sized” wagon was five inches lower, 21 inches longer and three inches wider than 1956 models.
As one might expect, weight also went up — by around 1,000 pounds. This made power steering, power brakes and a V8 engine more compelling than they used to be. This was no longer basic transportation.
One might reasonably argue that the big Ford wagon — particularly the top-of-line Country Squire, with its fake wood siding — was one of the most iconic American automobiles of the 1960s and 1970s. But then times changed, and automobile fashion invariably changed with it.
In a sense the Explorer was a modernized 1956 Ford
The introduction of the Ford Explorer in 1990 represented a return to the more utilitarian design of the 1956 Country Sedan wagon shown in this story.
I grant you that the first-generation Explorer was different in key respects. It was based upon a compact truck platform, so it was shorter, taller and narrower than its 1956 forebear. Even so, the Explorer represented a return to a time when efficient packaging mattered more than swoopy styling.
Also see ‘In 1974 Harry Bradley anticipated the American wagon’s future’
To be fair, one other Ford partially fit the size of the 1956 wagons — the original mid-sized Fairlane. Its wagon body style, which was introduced in 1963, had a strikingly similar footprint. The wheelbase and length were almost identical. Weight was a few hundred pounds lower, which may have partly reflected being four inches narrower. The main difference was in height — the Fairlane was almost seven inches lower.
The bright colors of 1956 have yet to see a revival
One quality of the 1956 Ford that hasn’t (yet) returned after all these years is the use of bright interior colors. The blazingly red seats and body trim display a cheery vibe that is almost impossible to find in today’s vehicles.
Ford’s shift away from practicality was a big deal
Ford was hardly the only American automotive brand that abandoned utilitarian wagons in the 1950s, but it was particularly noteworthy.
After all, the Ford name was still associated with the relentlessly practical Model T. And while big wagons never sold in huge quantities, this was a relatively rare market niche where Ford tended to do better than Chevrolet. That was the case in 1956, when Ford wagon production exceeded 214,000 units — around 11,000 more than Chevrolet.
Country Sedan was Ford’s most popular wagon in 1956
More than 85,000 Country Sedans left the factory in the 1956 model year. That was more than three times as many Country Squires and five times as many Parklane two-door models (Ford’s competitor to Chevrolet’s Nomad).
Note that the Country Sedan series had different exterior trim for the six- and eight-passenger models. The car shown here — which has only two rows of seats — was not given the flashy side sweep of the third-seat model.
The Ford brochure’s images made the wagons look lower and longer than they actually were. Ford executives were apparently embarrassed that the wagons looked so tall and stubby. That would soon change — at least until what was considered old hat became trendily new again.
In 1956 wagons were still developing a market
You could argue that Ford’s effort to make its wagons swoopier paid off — at least in the short run. In 1957 a lower and more stylish body resulted in a 50-percent jump in output to more than 321,000 units. And in 1959 more than 269,000 big wagons were built. However, those years would mark the all-time highs for standard-sized Ford wagons in the postwar era.
In the early-60s big-wagon output fell by more than half. That may have partly been because of the introduction of compact and mid-sized wagons. Sales would partially rebound, hitting almost 239,000 units in 1969. From there it was mostly downhill — particularly after the first oil embargo of 1973. But by that point wagons made up around 20 percent of the full-sized Ford’s drastically shrunken production.
The big wagon was now permanently overshadowed by Ford’s smaller models — and down the road, by sport-utility vehicles.
NOTES:
Production figures and specifications were drawn from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (2006), Automobile Catalog (2022), Gunnell (2002) and Flory (2004, 2008).
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, Ill.
- Automobile Catalog; 2022. “Home.” Accessed Jan. 25.
- Flory, J. “Kelly” Jr.; 2008. American Cars, 1946-1959. McFarland & Co., Inc.
- ——; 2004. American Cars, 1960-1972. McFarland & Co., Inc.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised Fourth Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
BROCHURES & ADVERTISING:
- autohistorypreservationsociety.org:Â Ford Explorer (1994)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Chevrolet Chevelle (1964); Ford (1956); Ford Fairlane (1963)
So, the 1990 Explorer is to the 1956 Country Sedan what the 1964 Chevelle was to the 1955 Chevrolet… lol, everything old becomes new again, at least until Detroit makes it bigger. What, btw, are the size and weight differences between the 1990 and 2022 Explorer?
Oh yes, those massive, tall wagons were almost SUV like in terms of practicality. I almost think that not making 4×4 versions of them was a missed opportunity – Ford could make its own Wagoneer a decade before Jeep did.
BTW, it is so refreshing to see it without the now almost-mandatory Fairlane trim. Not that it doesn’t look good – it does, but I suspect that today we see wa-a-ay more Fairlanes than in the 1950s. Which is quite ironic, as it was supposed to be a special thing. Today a stripper Mainline with solid color & black rubber window moldings would be more special.
I remember when the marketing manager of the National City Bank in Greencastle, IN, bought her new 1990 Explorer, the first one I had seen, in trendy Forest Green. Soon, the hottest vehicles in Indiana were Ford Explorers. Like the Bronco before it in the 1960s, the Explorer set a trend, but unlike the Bronco, the Explorer (and Escape) models today have been diluted to “What’s a Matador?”-status. Ironically, the Explorer eventually replaced the Bronco in the minds of consumers, but then the Explorer was in reality a four-door Bronco with a longer options list.
The comparison to the Explorer makes sense. But I think that the Ford Flex is more of a modern interpretation. It is car based, comes with three row seating, and is much lower than the Explorer. I had a ’97 Explorer and now have a ’17 Flex. The Flex is more spacious than the old SUV and can hold more cargo and passengers,as well as getting better fuel economy. I think that the Flex even looks something like a ’55 wagon.
Agreed. If I understand correctly, the Flex was based on a FWD/AWD platform with unibody construction and independent rear suspension. So while the Flex had a sort-of retro boxy look, it was a technological step beyond the early truck-based sport utilities. I wouldn’t mind a vehicle like that if it were a bit more aerodynamic.