Today's subject is Ford Motor Company station wagons. They were found on the company's Ford and Mercury brands, but not on line-topper Lincolns. Commentary is in the image captions below.
This is representative of Ford's wood-based wagons in the period before post- World War 2 redesigns appeared.
Abaft of the cowling and windshield, wood framing and panelling predominated.
Note the thickness of the framing. Such cars required a good deal of upkeep for the wood in the form of cleaning and perhaps re-varnishing. This almost surely inhibited sales. Price was another consideration. A wagon such as shown here cost more than 30 percent more than a four-door sedan.
Redesigned Ford and Mercury station wagons featured less wood than before: note the metal top. There was steel framing combined with wood paneling and somewhat decorative wood frames. (This is guesswork on my part, based on photos. Please comment on this matter if you are knowledgeable regarding construction of these cars.)
Redesigned Ford and Mercury wagons were two-door models only.
Steel framing is evident in this rear-quarter view.
I am curious regarding the front door of the Mercury wagon. Note how it contains a continuation of the front fender line -- not exactly like that on all-steel Mercurys. Was this shaping atop a metal foundation? Or was it strictly wood-based. Please comment if you know for sure.
The Ford Motor Company line was redesigned for the 1952 model year. Station wagons were all-metal. Here is a two-door wagon with no wood trim.
This four-door wagon has applied-wood side décor. The window frame "wood" is actually a set of decals.
Here is the Mercury version.
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