Random thoughts on 50's 2 door wagons

Nope I was usually the guy in front .... bwahahaha

... but its usually the "people of Walmart" that sport the noble buttcrack!
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/photos

 

In a perfect world that would be true ... b ut then how do you explain the 55-57 Nomad .... probably the most expensive production wagon made in the 50s .... and a two door!

 

An anomaly and only produced in limited numbers. Ford had their version too for '56 (Parklane), but sold so few that it remains one of the rarest Fords outside of the GT40's.
(Ford Parklane outsold the Nomad two to one in '56 by the way)

But by and large the most produced and most popular were the top of the line 4-door wagons!

 

QUOTE "All 2-door wagons from 1952 on were based on a Courier or panel commercial vehicle be it Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler or whatever."

So how do you explain the 55-57 Nomad ... top of the line two-door?

QUOTE The top of the line wagon was always a 4-door vehicle.

So how do you explain the 55-57 Nomad ... top of the line two-door?

Jairuss dont read something into my comments that isnt there ... your "wordsmithing" like a presidential politician caught in a past sexual harrasment lawsuit ... the fact of the matter is the presense of the Nomad shoots down your claim that "all 2-door wagons" were based on the commercial vehicle ..... it is what it is, "get used to it" <wink>

 

Good morning Wingnut!
I read nothing into your question other than trying to catch me at something.
I don't explain the Nomad. It is a sporty wagon sold in small numbers for 3 years only with less than 7000 copies in 1956 alone. The Nomad in my opinion was a production show car designed to get people into showrooms. (like Ford's '46 Sportsman) So maybe I should define my statement better.

Top of the line to me means two things, production numbers/popularity and cost.
Impala/Country Squire/New Yorker are the most expensive of the big three stationwagon lines and all were 4-door cars. With the exception of the Nomad, which you pointed out, all cost more than their lower line 2-door counterparts.
Yes, the Nomad was top of the line for a short time... but where is it now?

The basis for all stationwagons was a commercial vehicle! A way to transport passengers from the local train station to the hotel. The vehicle that fit that need was a covered conveyance with room for passengers and luggage. The first wagons were hand made, but starting in 1929 Ford began producing their own wagons in Iron Mountain Michigan.
Those first wagons were called Depoe Hacks (Taxi to and from the Train Station) back then and Ford or someone about then changed the name to the compound word "Stationwagon". But they were always considered "Commercial vehicles" till 1939 even tho they were among some of the most expensive cars Ford made.

 

I drive a 1955 2-door Shooting Brake, and I'm happy! I don't care what anyone calls it. It really is HAND MAN! It has a modern V-8 under the bonnet.

 

.... there you go, asked and answered!

 

... yeah but does it handle well when driven while loaded?? lol

 

The '55 to '57 Nomad (as well as the Pontiac Safari) was to give a "boost" to wagon recognition and wagon sales. It was a great project, but it seems like the cost to continue it into 1958 proved to be too much and the Nomad became the top of the line wagon still, but not in a classic or special design.

By the way, the actual number of '56 Nomads was 8,103.

It was also built to be a limited production car.

Bill

 

Changes nothing I stated. Thank you for playing.
Happy Thanksgiving, hug your kids!

You must have found a different web site for your stats than I, thanks for the info.

 

Actually it is by memory. I've been a Nomad fan since about 1967 when I first discovered them when I was 14 years old.

I've owned 2. One was my hotrod (Pure stock body, mostly stock interior, but a 327, 4-Speed and 4-11 Posi). The other was a restorable, but I ran out of money and storage at the time and I sold it. They were both '56's. I also had a '58 Nomad, which was actually my first one. A lot of my friend's also owned Nomads and between all of us we had about 15 '55 to '57's at one time or another. I was also a member of the now dis-banded National Nomad Association (#998). There is another Nomad club out there now that kind of picked up where the other club left off.

They were (are) great cars and to this date one of the best all around cars I've ever owned. I would sure like another but the prices are way out of my reach now. I was lucky enough to own some back in the day when they were very reasonable.

Bill

 

I am not so sure even 8,000 could be considered low production but considering the General made 100s of thousands of vehicles that year, in the scheme of things, I guess eight grand could be considered low.

Chevy made 5200 of my sedan delivery but they also made 20,000 two door wagons that year ..... I guess numbers can be tweaked any direction to shed a positive light on any discussion .... sorta like the polls of the presidental approval rating! LOL

My '93 Corvette 40th Anniversary Package, Convertible, 6-speed Aux factory hardtop ...... they only produced 200 of those .... arent I special?? LOL

 

----------I never drive when I'm loaded! As for the wagon, we've had a lot of camping gear and three kids in it many times. It seemed to ride and handle that pretty well. ------------And yes wingnut, you are special. But we're all glad you are a limited production!