As the blokes at allpar.compoint out, the rear lamp clusters on the 1972 Hillman Hunter Estatewere plucked out of the parts bin of the Sunbeam Rapier (it’s all in the family, eh?) — see bottom photo. The Estate version of the Hunter was launched in 1970, and the manufacturer was Hillman, at that time part of Chrysler UK, who told us in the brochure that under the bonnet was the “
Introduced a couple of years earlier, the Studebaker Wagonaire(this one’s a’65) seemed like the best of both worlds: the comfort of an enclosed automobile with a pickup truck’s ability to carry large, tall objects. The debut 1963 brochure shows what appears to be a refrigerator in the cargo hold (bottom photo)— would love to see the loading-and-unloading video of thatoperat
This Bright Red 1974 Mercury Montego MX Villagerwas spotted last summer in Amherst at the International Station Wagon Club’s international convention held in Amherst. Oddly, in doing some research it seems as though the 1974 Montego wagon line wasn’t offered in Canada. Could this be? We say this becausethe Canadian Montego-specific brochure makes no mention of a station wagon. But here
When we came across this 1995 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagona couple of summers ago in Kennebunk, Maine, it was being used as both advertising for local businesses, and as a car for hire. It was also for sale at the time, as was the 1983 Bonneville wagon which was parked next to it. The owner told us she was selling everything and moving south; I wonder how that turned out. This version of the Road
The Bermuda Transport Museumin Somerset, Bermudais located just a few blocks from the Royal Naval Dockyard. That puts it squarely in the crosshairs of the many tourists who disembark from the many cruise ships which pull into port every year to this island paradise. And that is how we came about this Hillman Super Minx, c1966, a couple of weeks ago while wandering around the island. This generatio
Saw this Buick Century Custom wagon, c1988, on one of last year’s trips to Seattle. Brought back some great memories, as we had a similar 1995 Estate Wagon, complete with fake exterior wood trim, whitewall tires and full wheelcovers, a blue metallic paint job with a matching cloth interior, and seating for eight! The rear-facing third seat was a big hit with the kids, who were by now teenage
If you were still a fan of big station wagons 29 years ago, the folks from Dearborn were more than happy to accommodate you. Example: this 1990 Ford LTD Country Squirewas one of two B-I-G wagons still in their catalog — the other being the non-woodclad (and seldom seen these days) LTD Crown Victoria Wagon. Both, as Ford told us in their almost-identical 1990 and 1991 brochures, were also &ld
Spotted this Chrysler Town & Country, c1977, pulling out of a Williamsvilleparking lot a few weeks ago. This was a b-i-gstation wagon! Actually, Chrysler told us in their advertising that it was “…really more than a wagon. It (was) an ultimate expression of luxury motoring.”With 102.4 cubic feet of cargo space, the T&C was capable of doing something that most of today&rs
If nothing else, you’ve gotta admit that American Motors was ahead of its time with this car. Today’s RealRide, a 1985 AMC Eagle, was one of the Kenosha manufacturer’s last hurrahs in the automobile business. Call it the first modern crossover if you will. Based on the Concord series (which itself evolved from the popular Hornet compact), the Eagle combined a rather rugged 4-whee
This 1979 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, seen a few days ago on Buffalo’s West Side, is wearing a dealer plaque from Courtesy Olds, which was located on Bronx Boulevard at East 236thStreet in, where else? — The Bronx. The building is now occupied by a health care facility called Medical Pavillion. Olds touted their big wagon as “A working wagon with the elegance, comfort and ride you