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Because of size and safety concerns, seating is no longer permitted in the rear of new passenger car-based station wagons[citation needed], except in the now-discontinued Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable which had a small jump-seat that had room for two children.
Full-size GM wagons (Buick , Chevrolet , Oldsmobile , and Pontiac ) built between model years 1971 and 1976 brought a completely new design to market.
However, advancement in production techniques learned over the course of World War II made all-steel station wagons practical when automobile manufacturers switched over to new designs.
The ripple effect of the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo led to the demise of the station wagon where CAFE legislation dethroned the rear wheel drive layout for efficient front wheel drive vehicles.
On the same principle, and quite ironically, the last generation of GM's full-size wagons returned to the upward-lifting rear window as had been used in the 1940s.
A station wagon is distinguished from a minivan (multi-purpose vehicle ) or sport utility vehicle by still being a car, sharing its forward bodywork with other cars in a manufacturer's range.
As in North America, early station wagons were aftermarket conversions and had their new bodywork built with a wooden frame, sometimes with wooden panels, sometimes steel.
In 1950 Plymouth discontinued the woody station wagon in its line and converted to all steel bodies; and because it was too coincidental to the Chevrolet Suburban.
For example, the Ford Telstar was offered as a wagon in New Zealand, but not Australia, even though the mechanically identical Mazda 626 was sold in both countries.
Early station wagons, however, evolved from trucks and were viewed as Commercial Vehicles, not consumer automobiles.
Buick was the last automobile manufacturer to produce a station wagon with a true wooden structure in 1953.
In France almost all station wagon models are called the Break (note the different spelling from the English shooting brake).
1949 Plymouth Suburban station wagon, the first production all-steel bodied station wagon based upon a passenger car; coincidentally similar to the Chevrolet Suburban ; but not exactly.
The emergence and popularity of SUVs which closely approximate the traditional wagon bodystyle was a further blow.
GM was the first to eliminate the hardtop wagon from its lineup in 1959, and AMC and Ford exited the field beginning with their 1960 and 1961 vehicles, leaving Chrysler and Dodge with the body style through the 1964 model year.
After struggling sales, the last full-size wagons (the Chevrolet Caprice and the Buick Roadmaster ) in American production (until 2005 with the Dodge Magnum ) were discontinued in 1996.
A two-door wagon version of the Chevrolet Vega was available between 1971 and 1977; the near-identical Pontiac Astre offered the same body style between 1973 and 1977.
This versatile style quickly caught on and became a fixture on full-size and intermediate wagons from GM, Ford, and Chrysler.
On all full-size GM wagons, the window for the clamshell door was power operated, however the gate door itself could be had in either manual on Chevrolet models or power assist in Pontiac, Oldsmobile or Buick cars.
European manufacturers often built two-door station wagons in the post-war period for the compact class, and not four-door models, a practice that continued at Ford (amongst others) with its Escort Mk III, for example, well into the 1980s.
Consumers understand that station wagons are lower in profile than a minivan or SUV and thus have less air resistance when driving on the highway.
The framing of the early station wagons were left unsheathed because of the commercial nature of the vehicles.
Full-size SUVs such as the Chevrolet Suburban and Ford Expedition have similar features to the aforementioned full-size station wagons; such as 9-passenger seating with bench seating in the front.
Smaller wagons have declined in popularity, in comparison with Europe, although they have traditionally been more popular in New Zealand than in Australia.
Prior to mid 1930s, hardwoods were used by most automotive makes in framing the passenger compartments of their passenger vehicles.
This explains why station wagons were not updated for consecutive generations in a model's life in Japan: for instance, while a sedan might have a model life of four years, the wagon was expected to serve eight the 1979 Toyota Corolla (built until 1987), and the 1987 Mazda Capella (built until 1996) are examples of this.
Most station wagons are modified sedan-type car bodies, having the main interior area extended to the near-vertical rear window over what would otherwise be the enclosed area of the sedan version.
The vast majority of modern station wagons have an upward-swinging, full-width, full-height rear door supported on gas struts, and a few also have a rear window that can be swung upward independently to load small items without opening the whole liftgate.
The first all-steel station wagon type vehicle in North America was the 1946 Jeep Station Wagon, based upon the rugged Jeep produced by Willys-Overland during the war effort.
In Ford and Mercury wagons built after 1964, the configuration was changed to two seats facing each other, placed behind the rear axle.
Known as the Ford Country Squire , this heavily-trimmed full-size wagon was a staple of the Ford line from the 1940s to the 1990s.
The Studebaker Wagonaire station wagon had a unique retractable rear roof section as well as a conventional rear tailgate which folded down.
In many suburban communities, owning a current year woody station wagon was a sign of affluence and good taste.
A station wagon (American usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used), estate car (or just estate, British usage) or a break (French usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan , but with an extended rear cargo area.
This encyclopedia, history, geography and biography article about Station wagon contains research on Station wagon, History, All-steel wagons, Full-size wagons, Two-door wagons, Declining popularity in North America, Station wagons around the world, Tailgate evolution, See also, Sources, External links, Articles with unsourced statements, Car classifications, Car body styles and Station wagons.
Cachet aside, woodie wagons required constant maintenance; bodies were finished in varnishes that required recoating, bolts and screws required tightening as wood expanded and contracted throughout the seasons.
Companies that were major producers of wood bodied station wagons included Mitchell Bentley, Hercules, USB&F and Cantrell and other custom builders.
With the exception of Ford Motor Company which owned its own hardwood forest and mills specifically for the purpose of building woodie wagons, manufacture of the passenger compartments was outsourced to custom body builders because of the slower nature of the production of the all wood bodies.
As the 1970s progressed, the need for lighter weight to meet fuel economy standards led to a simplified, one-piece liftgate on several models, particularly smaller wagons, such as is commonly seen on SUVs today.
Station wagons around the worldIn Europe , Australia and New Zealand , these vehicles remain popular and in volume production, although minivans (known in Europe as MPVs multi-purpose vehicles) and the like have had some impact.
Full-size wagonsTraditionally, full-sized American station wagons were configured for 6 or 9 passengers.
Station Wagons too, began to be enclosed, especially in higher price categories from up market automobile companies.
While commercial in its origins, by the mid-1930s, wood bodied station wagons, also known as “Woodies”, began to take on a prestige aura.
This configuration generally prevailed from the earliest origins of the wagon bodystyle in the 1920s through the 1940s.
Station wagons enjoyed their greatest popularity and highest production levels in the United States during from the 1950s through the 1970s.
Mercury , a division of the Ford Motor Company , produced a two-door hardtop wagon from 1957 to 1960.
Station wagons were the victims of Detroit's downsizing trend after 1976, and vehicle choice was limited to which SUVs like the Chevrolet Suburban and van conversions (GMC Vandura ) filled the void of station wagon sales.
Since then, small wagons (such as the Subaru Outback ) have enjoyed an increase in popularity in the U.
The roofs of woodie wagons were usual made of stretched canvas that was treated with a water proofing dressing.
The name 'station wagon' is a derivative of 'depot hack'; it was a wagon that carried people and luggage from the train station to various local destinations.
Historically, however, many different designs have been used for access to the rear of car; the following summary concentrates on American models.
A hatchback car, although meeting a similar description, would not enjoy the full height of the passenger cabin all the way to the back; the rear glass of a hatchback being sloped further from vertical, and the hatch tending not to reach fully to the rear bumper, as it commonly would in a station wagon.
In 1955, 1956 and 1957, Chevrolet produced the Nomad , and Pontiac the sibling Safari , both of which were sporty two-door wagons.
In 1949 , Plymouth introduced the first all-steel station wagon, the two-door Suburban, that was based on an automotive platform.
Sales of station wagons in the United States and Canada remained strong until 1984, when the Chrysler Corporation introduced the first minivans , derived from the K platform , which, ironically, also was the platform for the Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries station wagon models which the minivan would soon eclipse.
Station wagon - Encyclopedia, History, Geography and Biography
These bodystyles incorporated more comfortable seating and trim when compared with the standard editions (which were typically aimed at agricultural and military buyers) and together with options such as heaters these changes made the Station Wagon vehicles more attractive to private buyers.
In Australia and New Zealand , the most popular station wagons are the large Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore models.
In recent years, the Citroën_C5 wagon features an upward-lifting full-height full-width rear door, where the window on the rear door can be opened independently from the rear door itself.
Early station wagons were fixed roof vehicles, but lacked the glass that would enclose the passenger compartment.
Domestic wagons also remained in the Ford, Mercury, and Saturn lines until 2004 when the bodies began a phase-out, replaced by car-based crossover SUVs and minivans designed to look like station wagons.
A station wagon (American usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used), estate car (or just estate, British usage) or a break (French usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan, but with an extended rear cargo area. This encyclopedia article about Station wagon contains a definition of Station wagon and provides research information on Station wagon's history, Station wagon's biography, Station wagon's location and geography, Station wagon references and the reasons behind Station wagon. The encyclopedia article - Station wagon - has information on Station wagon, History, All-steel wagons, Full-size wagons, Two-door wagons, Declining popularity in North America, Station wagons around the world, Tailgate evolution, See also, Sources, External links, Articles with unsourced statements, Car classifications, Car body styles and Station wagons
Reintroduction of woody decorated station wagons by other makers in America began in 1966 when Dodge offered the look for the first time in fifteen years.
Ford 's full-size wagons for 1965 took the conventional tailgate and disappearing window a step further.
Between 1972 and 1980, a two-door wagon version of the Ford Pinto and Mercury Bobcat was available.
Mitsubishi 's Australian subsidiary designed wagon versions of its Magna and Verada for the local market, although it no longer offers a large wagon.
The popularity of the minivan in the 1980s and early 1990s is credited with the decline of the traditional station wagon.
When Mercury lost its unique body designs in 1961, the marque lost its hardtop wagons and instead fielded pillared models.
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