Raised in the Wagon

I grew up in the back of a 1960 Ford Country Squire, yellow without wood grain sides. My parents quote me at 4 years old, sticking my head out the window and yelling "New Car! New Car!" just in case anyone didn't know.

As far as I can tell, 1960 was a unique model year, becuase I have looked up 1959 and 1961 and found them both to look quite different. Anybody know what is up with that? I guess my parents must have got the New Car slightly used, becuase I would have been 4 years old in 1962.

Larry in Washington

 

Hi Larry, neat story. Any wagonitis attacks? Plans to wrap one around you? Restore, love and cherish till it rusts in pieces?

 

I think 60 and 61's of all makes were transition years, from the vertical fins of the 50's to no tail fins by 62. Even the Chevy wagons of those yearss are one-offs with 1960 having the same horizontal style fins as the Fords. Cool years for sure.

 

1960 for Ford was a 1 year only. Ford was fined heavy because the Fords and Mercurys were to wide, by just over 1'' inch. New government regulations standerized road widths and with that max car widths....Ford took a gamble and lost, thats why the stylish 60 bodys (Ford and Merc) were gone. F.M.C aparently had to do some srambeling to re-tool/re-design for 61 and that was the end of the real big Fords.

 

I'm so sorry you had to grow up in a car but at least it was a fine car.

 

If you think about it, the taillights were quite a styling departure for Ford back then. With the exception of the '58 model year, they had had round taillights from 1952. The 61's went back to the round ones and kept them until '64, which was the last year they ever had them.
Am I right about that, guys? I can't remember Ford having any round taillights after '64.
Oh wait, the '65 Falcon's were round, but not the '66's.

Welcome to the forums, NoMO

 

The bace model 65 Ford Custom still hung on to the round tail lites.

 

Tedy, you're absolutely right. I remember the Custom as the base, base strippy model. Never could understand why they went to the expense of designing and manufacturing a taillight, (an ugly one at that), unique to a base model car.

 

I did the 87 day trip twice at the FOMOCO ASSEMBLY plant in PICO-RIVERA,CA. when the '59z an '60z Phordz 'n Mercz were comin' down the line. (They usta play that 87 day game tah keep yeah from joining the union and they BIT me twice 'for I learned) Funny what we'll do for $2.36 an hour when everybody else iz payin' $1.25 ain't it? The '60z still give me ah fat tongue Neighbor 2 doorz down has a '60 Merc 4 doe. If it waz ah long roof I'd havta add tah the fleet

 

Welcome, Larry!
We had that 1960 for you in our gallery...just waitin' for you to show up.....






BTW, back in the '60's, the 'non-wood' big wagon was called the 'Country Sedan' for the fancier models, and the 'Ranch Wagon' for the plainer ones...
-- This one's the Country Sedan.

 

ive always been a fan of the 60/61 ford n mercs too
careful...we might find ya one

to the treefort

 

Hey thanks for all the welcoming comments.

Yeah, I might not be that hard to get a classic wagon wrapped around me. I wonder if Mikes Classic Cars in NE still has the green ranch wagon for sale?

I like the way the tail lights in the 1960 Ford wagon were mirrored in the chrome bumper, and same shape used around the speedometer in the instrument cluster.

Interesting to learn that the car was 1 inch too wide for the standards introduced in 1961.