(Found In) Bayview (San Francisco): 1967 Ford Country Sedan Station Wagon

Ford Motor Company was not the leader in complete volume sales that General Motors was during the 1960s. They were the “Wagon Masters” however. When people wanted to haul more than just their kids; perhaps gear, perhaps a boat or trailer, they sought Dearborn designed delights more often than not.

In the afterglow of the heyday of Ford Station Wagon dominance some 50 years later, folks forget that not all that came down the line were Di-Noc wood paneled Country Squires for upper middle class WASP families in tree lined suburbs.

Indeed, there were slightly more thrifty modes of moving the family around in the Ford Showroom throughout the Sixties, and this beautiful Country Sedan is a Radio Flyer Red perfect example that you didn’t have to blow the budget to get the family to Yellowstone.

The Country Sedan was now the equivalent of a Galaxie/Galaxie 500. The Country Squire was elevated to the budget luxury status comparable to the LTD line of cars. The blur between what were the distinctions between the “Low-Priced Three” and mid-market brands was in full swing in the late 60’s, and The Country Squire found itself, somewhat like the Ford Thunderbird, able to cast of spell of upper middle class elegance and purpose despite the humble origins and offerings of its home brand.

That left the middle stepchild wagon devoid of the automotive bric – a  – brac preferred by Suburbia paired with the former near luxury option in the Ford Showroom. This however didn’t mean that most, if not all the goodies of the more expensive Country Squire weren’t available on the Country Sedan. As we see here, there’s still the “Magic Door Gate” rear tail gate as introduced in 1966 to make these wagons true “5 Door” vehicles. That extra ease made these wagons equally at home as a tailgate vehicle or a carpool conveyance.

This also meant that most of the driveline bits available for Country Squires to make them excellent haulers with varying degrees of grunt, go, and gracious fuel savings (well, for a Full sized automobile) were on tap for customers.

For those that preferred to not worry about replacing their versatile Ford wagon as soon as that 3-M Forest trim started to peel, the Country Sedan was an appealing option over the more expensive Squire. In fact, a majority of Full Sized Ford Wagon customers chose the Country Sedan over the bare bones Ranch Wagon or Country Squire, as over 85,000 of these brawny beasts were assembled in 1967.

As we head back from our final roadtrips and back to school and stalk up on supplies; we take one last  look at what were the most popular ways to make it back to the earthly realities of Virgo season from the History Books. Bright Red and Ready to haul, The Ford Country Squire was truly a class favorite.