But like so many (all?) other GM over-kill engineering solutions, it was not without its faults too. Seeing it in action is the best way to describe it. Take that, Ford!īut that’s not all to take on Ford’s Magic Doorgate, GM engineering prowess came up with the ultimate wagon tailgate solution: the Glide-Away tailgate, more commonly known as the clam shell tailgate. These mega-wagons were the Suburbans or the (not-so mini)vans of their time the best way to haul up to eight passengers and still have some room for secure and easy-to-load storage behind the third seat. This shot of a ’73 Chevy wagon still hauling kids shows off its capabilities. And of course, they were big the biggest wagons ever built. These new wagons would be unlike any other ever built, with an extended wheelbase (125″ Chevy 127″ Olds (shown above), Buick and Pontiac), and the frame was exclusive to the wagons as it had a totally different rear suspension, with semi-elliptic leaf springs in order to maximize interior space. The Vista Cruiser was the warm-up act to the ultimate wagon, or in other words, the penultimate wagon. It’s not hard to see where the inspiration came from. Unlike anything to date, the new GM wagons were designed from the frame up specifically to have three forward facing seats, and the roomiest ones ever, as well as have a considerable cargo area behind them. This configuration also allowed for a reasonable cargo space behind the third seat, unlike in the Ford twin seats or the Chevy (and Chrysler’s) rear-facing third seats.įor its all-new 1971 full-sized wagons, GM was determined to take Ford on, and in the usual GM way when it set its mind to something: out-gun them, in every way possible, especially in engineering. They were unique in that they used their lengthened wheelbase specifically to make a forward-facing third seat possible, and raised the roof for the extra headroom, as that third seat had to seat directly above the rear axle differential housing. So they created the extended-wheelbase A-Body Vista Cruiser and Sport Wagon, which we covered here. It didn’t make much of a dent in Ford’s lead.Īn unusual and more innovative approach was taken by Oldsmobile and Buick, which dropped their poorly-selling B-Body wagons after the 1964 model year, in part because the outside supplier that built the bodies (Ionia), was sold off, and Olds and Buick couldn’t justify the expense of tooling up a wagon version for the new 1965 bodies to build on their own lines. But it was still saddled with rather old-school rear-facing third seats. Dozens of committee meetings on the 14th floor over a period of years resulted in leaning towers of memos and ultimately in some bold and brilliant decisions: Chevrolet would finally start applying Di-Noc fake wood to its upscale Caprice wagon in 1966. In fact, these boxy wagons were calling out for some improvement.įord’s continued dominance with its wagons was obviously an embarrassment to GM, which meant that something had to be done about it. Why pay quite a bit more for a decidedly un-Dynamic Olds or dull LeSabre? Ford had nurtured a better idea, and it was paying off handsomely. Ford was The Wagon Master.įord’s Country Squire, which proudly retained its fake wood planking when everyone else had moved on to sleek steel sides in the early-mid 50s, cultivated and enjoyed an upscale image, which probably helps explain why Buick’s and Oldsmobile’s big wagons just never sold well: the Country Squire was able to transcend the typical class structure, and was just as much at home at the country club as at the public pool. And the new 1965 version featured innovative twin facing rear seats, and the ’66 upped the ante further with the clever Magic Doorgate that could open either as a door or fold down as a tailgate. As proudly proclaimed in the ad, Ford outsold every other brand of station wagons. By that criterion alone, as well as a few others for good measure, it truly is the ultimate American station wagon.Īlthough Ford lagged behind GM, especially in full-sized cars, it was consistently strong in the full-sized wagon segment. This 1975 Buick Estate Wagon, the last year it was built, is 231.8 inches (5887mm) long, longer than even that standard bearer of bigness, the 1976 Cadillac DeVille. And America likes growth, so the wagons kept getting bigger and bigger, until certain externalities imposed themselves, in particular starting very shortly after GM started building the biggest ones ever, in 1971. And big station wagons were the vehicle of choice for many of them. The country’s big, the meals are big, people are big, the roads are big, and the distances are far. ( first posted ) Americans like things big.
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