A documentary about stationwagons

[Jesda]

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012 ... f-america/

A clip:
http://vimeo.com/35220096

[MinisterofDOOM]

AWESOME!

I love that it opens with an A-body stationwagon. I'd do naughty things for a Vista Cruiser or a Chevelle wagon.

[Bubba1]

AWESOME!

I love that it opens with an A-body stationwagon. I'd do naughty things IN a Vista Cruiser

FTFY. (They were cavernous inside)

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Really don't get the fascination you guys hold with old American wagons. Yes, they're different, and sure, they have enough room to hold the Harlem Globetrotters, but they just aren't attractive cars...

[MinisterofDOOM]

but they just aren't attractive cars...

That'd be your opinion.

For me, beauty in cars is all about proportions, body lines, and doing more with less (styling-wise). Station wagons tend to get all 3. I love station wagons BECAUSE they're attractive cars. The practicality is merely an added benefit.
And they're only "different" to people under 30 who have never opened a history book. There was a time when the station wagon was so common in America that it had the stigma minivans and crossovers now carry. They became uncool, and no one wanted them. So the thing that America more or less invented became a German thing for a while...Audi, BMW, and VW rocked them proudly, while Americans my dad's age and maybe a decade younger wouldn't touch them and the American brands became afraid to build them, because people had come to think of them as mom-mobiles. Even when some brands did start to get daring and try to bring back the wagon in the US, they started out naming them other things, like "touring" or "maxx" or "crosstour" and completely avoided the word "wagon" in any marketing.

Not all wagons are hot. Some poorly done ones (like Saturns and Camrys and oval Tauruses that cheap out by using sedan doors and add goofily-shaped glass behind them) look downright bad.
But there are plenty of hot ones. There are many cars I like best as wagons (versus sedans) purely because of the styling.

[nissangirl74]

they just aren't attractive cars...

I beg to differ.

[Jesda]

Wagons have a roofline that matches the beltline. It's the magic of symmetry.

[Bubba1]

Really don't get the fascination you guys hold with old American wagons. Yes, they're different, and sure, they have enough room to hold the Harlem Globetrotters, but they just aren't attractive cars...

You've clearly never been to a drive-in movie in one....
Some of them were attractive in their day. But then again, you gotta realize the styling trends of American family cars of that era. Boxy and roominess was in. The Nomad had gorgeous lines. The Olds Vista cruiser was loaded with every conceivable luxury feature (ideal for long road trips with the family), plus it had a few unique styling features for the time, like an elevated roof over the second row of passengers with a tinted skylight. Roomy and fun to see thru for rear passengers. The VCruiser, along with the Buick Roadmaster wagon, were considered THE family vacation vehicles of the era. Not only full of amenities but with their powerful motors, they could tow a pretty big camper behind it.

[OriginalWheelman]

<3 Wagons

With that said, is the Nomad wagon a true wagon, or just the world's largest shooting brake?

[Jesda]

HEAVENLY

[nissangirl74]

[OriginalWheelman]

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Yeh like I said, it's only older American wagons I find unattractive. The CTS-V and BMW estate wagons are sex.

[Bubba1]

Yeh like I said, it's only older American wagons I find unattractive. The CTS-V and BMW estate wagons are sex.

If you're under age 40, I can totally understand.
I never quite understood the appeal of the genuine imitation wood patterned vinyl that infested wagons from the 60's on or a vinyl roof.

[Looneybomber]

I'll compromise and give you hatchbacks, but station wagons?

[MellowZ32]

Really don't get the fascination you guys hold with old American wagons....

i think you should leave.

[Rex]

Wagons have a roofline that matches the beltline. It's the magic of symmetry.

Yep, from my first car, a 1976 Chevy Vega wagon, the symmetry created by the roof & belt line has just "looked right" to me. Some do it better (slight rake) and some miss it all together (curvy roof), but I've been a fan of wagons since early on in my driving days.

I know at least 1 member here that will disagree (MoD), but I think the IS300 wagon was on of the better looking "return of the wagons" attempts.

My Mom had a 64 Impala Wagon, then several 80's era GM wagons (both big & small & some diesels), I guess it's been a family thing all along.

[Mr1der]

I didn't mind the IS sport hatchwagon contraption.

the Mazda6 wagons were nice too. More of a 5 door though. Proper wagons hinge on the side and swing out.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I know at least 1 member here that will disagree (MoD), but I think the IS300 wagon was on of the better looking "return of the wagons" attempts.

Heh. I'm just not fan of the IS's styling in general. Sports cars should be shaped like wedges. Sedans should not. The rear deck is forty feet high but the front bumper could bisect ankles.
Actually, if anything, the SportCross improved the styling because it removed some of the wedgey look.

Proper wagons hinge on the side and swing out.

Ford Magic Door Gate did both. And then others copied it.

[Mr1der]

BECAUSE IT'S GODDAMN MAGIC!