A life-long car lover recreated the Griswold’s famous station wagon

Popular Science ^ | October 1, 2025 | Laura Biasas

[ETCM]

She’s up there.

[Tacrolimus1mg]

They have one on display at Volo’s auto museum.

[NewMexLurker]

Ah, my favorite car color - Metallic Pea

[21twelve]

My dad always had a station wagon. The one I remember the most and drove for hunting and fishing was a Kingswood Estate - probably 1974 or so. I know it had the 454 engine in it. Had the clam shell back end.

Fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood, or sleep me and a buddy and our gear.

The youtube Matt’s Offroad Recovery just did the “Cannon Ball Run” using a 1993 Buick Roadmaster that he bought for $4,000 when he got to the east coast. (”It’s always fun to do the test drive after you buy the car”.) They named it “Aunt Edna”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chm7gypflS0

[Don W]

Station wagons are the absolute BEST car design ever imagined! You get the smooth transitions of a sedan from the front, then the cargo capacity of a truck in the rear.

I absolutely LOVE station wagons, and am curious as to why anyone could dislike them. They’re a whole lot more pleasant to look at than what they call SUVs today.

I’m curious, what platform do you prefer? 4 X 4 crewcabs?

[21twelve]

In 2000 my 20 year old full size chevy pickup was on it’s way out. Now with a family I needed two rows of seats but I also wanted the space of an 8-foot bed. But, soon realized that I did not want to have to drive around and park for projects in the city with that.

I was seriously looking into getting a short bed and trying to figure out a way to cut through the back of the cab and into the bed. Complaining that why don’t they make something like my dad’s station wagon!? (Well, there was the Suburban which I started looking at).

But then I saw an ad for the all new Chevy Avalanche. It checked all of my boxes. I’m on my second one after totaling the first by hitting a deer.

I sometimes think it would be fun to buy an old station wagon and fix up a bit.

[exDemMom]

Station wagons are the absolute BEST car design ever imagined! You get the smooth transitions of a sedan from the front, then the cargo capacity of a truck in the rear.

I'm very well aware of why people bought them. Their utility doesn't change the fact that they were UGLY!

I absolutely LOVE station wagons, and am curious as to why anyone could dislike them. They’re a whole lot more pleasant to look at than what they call SUVs today.

I prefer the look of an SUV. My son drives one.

I’m curious, what platform do you prefer? 4 X 4 crewcabs?

My husband has one of those, and we use it when we need to haul stuff around. I have a Mustang, which is a fairly useless car as far as carrying stuff around. But it's pretty! Red, 2021 Mustang with black racing stripes. People think I have a Shelby because of the racing stripes, but it's just an economy model. With racing stripes. Because I like the stripes.

[fidelis]

I think some station wagons are just awesome.

1942 Ford Super Deluxe Woody Station Wagon

[Charles Martel]

“You think you hate it now, but just wait until you drive it!”

[cyclotic]

My mom’s had a 454 too. You could literally watch the gas gauge move.

I watched Matt’s cannonball. I’m starting to get the bug.

[Tom Tetroxide]

I’m surprised no one has called the tail gunner seat(s) yet! My favorite place to sit!

[TalBlack]

Wonder if they upgraded the alternator?

[T.B. Yoits]

For station wagon fans on the thread who may not know about it, VEMCO made a 4WD kit for vans that was also used in station wagons. It utilized a V drive system that had two front differentials instead of one.

https://www.blueovaltrucks.com/tech-articles/the_vemco_v-drive_system/

[Hatteras]

'59 Mercury Colony Park. A summer evening after supper to the ice cream parlor kinda car....

[niteowl77]

My family did not have a station wagon, but when I was little, a favorite uncle was still driving a mid-1950s Plymouth Suburban 2-door station wagon. It was referred to as his "fishing car." He was an Army reservist, and the wagon was a dark green that made it look vaguely "military." I loved riding in the back of that thing, as did most of my cousins.

I did dislike the giant, four-door land yacht station wagons that the WQFT mocked, but the earlier "ranch wagon/Nomad/etc" two-doors are fondly remembered.

[Don W]

WOWSERS! That thing is everything I could want in a car. All that traction, with a 429 4 bbl would make it perfect.

[lowbridge]

"Station wagons must be the ugliest cars ever designed."

Father owned a 1969 Ford LTD Country Squire. It was the family car. Father sold off Mother's cherry red mustang to get it. It had wood paneling and a rack on the roof, etc. Father kept the car well into the mid 1980s.

This is mot an original pic of the car, but this is exactly what it looked like, including the green color.

[Georgia Girl 2]

😅

[Diana in Wisconsin]

'59 Mercury Colony Park:

THAT is beautiful! The best one posted so far, for sure!

Dad never had a station wagon, but he's had 17 Volkswagons through the years. We had two of the Van-A-Gons (sp?), which were their big BUS of a vehicle. As a kid, I was the 'Official Wheel Washer' because that was the only part of it I could reach!

My first car was a stick VW Bug, 1971 Baby Blue & White. I later had a Jetta and I still own Dad's 2001 Golf. Still only has 65,000 miles. It's my Summer Car. In the Winter I drive my F-150 Ford Truck.

Mom's BFF's family had a Station Wagon, so I've had PLENTY of time in those as well - us 5 kids in the far-back, all the windows rolled down, speeding along on our way to somewhere FUN. We 'kids' STILL talk about that car and all of our adventures. :)

The owner was my Godfather, Howard. He just passed at 90 years old last month. Great guy.

[FamiliarFace]

Cute!