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Woodie Madness! Classic Ads Featuring Small Wood Sided Wagons

Wood Sided Wagons
1973 Ford Pinto

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.

1975 Pontiac Astre SJ Safari

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.

More classic car ads

Wood Sided Wagons

1973

1973 Chevrolet Vega Estate Ad

Woodie Madness! 5 Classic Car Ads Featuring Wood-Sided Rides

 

1973 Ford Pinto Squire Ad

The 10 Cheapest Wagons of 1973

 

1974

1974 AMC Hornet Sportabout Ad

Kenosha Madness! 10 Classic AMC Ads

 

1976

1976 Dodge Colt Estate Wagon Ad

Forgotten Functionality: Recalling the 1994 Eagle Summit Wagon, Mitsubishi Expo, and Plymouth Colt Vista

 

1978

1978 AMC Pacer Wagon Ad (Canada)

Review Flashback! 1977 AMC Pacer Wagon

 

1978 Datsun 510 Wagon Ad

The Datsuns of 1983

 

1982

1982 Chrysler Town & Country Wagon Ad

Photo Feature: 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country

 

1982 Mercury Wagon Ad (Mercury Lynx Villager in foreground)

10 Most-Expensive Wagons of 1983

 

1983

1983 Ford Escort Wagon Ad (Squire package shown)

Review Flashback! 1980 Toyota Cressida Wagon

 

1984

1984 Oldsmobile Wagon Ad (Firenza Cruiser at right)

The Small Wagons of 1984

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Wood Sided Wagons

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