Most automotive styling affectations were born of functional vehicle features. Real wire wheels, for example, lead to the faux-wire hubcaps that were so common in the Eighties, especially on Buicks and Oldsmobiles. Likewise, the vinyl and landau roof craze of the Seventies and Eighties was born of the landaulet and carriage-roof vehicles from decades earlier.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtWwo2AtyL4]
And so goes the story of “woodie” wagons. While the last real-wood-trimmed station wagon, a Buick Roadmaster Estate, was built in 1953, automakers have been evoking the look of real woodie wagons ever since.
Starting in the mid-Fifties, manufacturers switched to using durable fiberglass or plastic trim pieces and simulated woodgrain vinyl appliques instead of actual wood, thus sidestepping the upkeep challenges and durability issues of the real thing.
Eventually, the wood-sided look found its way to more than a few compact and subcompact wagons. For domestic makers, the woodie treatment was likely marketing shorthand for utility, as the general look was evocative of the larger wagons in most product lineups. For import brands, sporting some woodie trim likely went some distance in suggesting that the foreign automaker understood the American wagon buyer.
Collected here are ten classic car ads, each featuring a small wagon embellished with wood-look trim. If you have any thoughts on these wood-sided wagons, please share them with us. The place to leave comments is down below.
Wood Sided Wagons
1973
Woodie Madness! 5 Classic Car Ads Featuring Wood-Sided Rides
The 10 Cheapest Wagons of 1973
1974
Kenosha Madness! 10 Classic AMC Ads
1976
1978
Review Flashback! 1977 AMC Pacer Wagon
1982
Photo Feature: 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country
10 Most-Expensive Wagons of 1983
1983
Review Flashback! 1980 Toyota Cressida Wagon
1984
Wood Sided Wagons
