1962 Ford Country Squire

Before the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and before the minivan, there was the station wagon. Prior to the station wagon, there was the depot hack which was used primarily by hotels to haul passengers from train stations (railroad depots) to the hotel. By the close of the 1920's, the name 'depot hack' had been replaced by 'station wagon.' These types of vehicles were used throughout the 1930s and 1940s, serving various purposes and never really entering into mass production. They were produced in limited numbers, often built by custom coachbuilders who would take an existing chassis and create a body suitable for their customer's needs. By the 1950s the station wagon began evolving into an American icon. As families moved out to the suburbs, the growing families needed a multi-purpose vehicle that could haul their kids and luggage.

In 1955 Ford introduced the Country Squire, one of a series of station wagons. The Ranch Wagon was the entry-level station wagon, followed by the Country Sedan, and then the Country Squire, the most expensive of the group. It was originally given the same trim level as the Ford Fairlane but by 1958 it began mimicking the Ford Galaxies.

The 1962 Ford Country Squire wore styling first introduced in 1960 and would continue through 1964, with all-new styling introduced for 1965. 1960 was the fifth major redesign of the Country Squire since its introduction in 1950, and it rode on a perimeter frame with a 119-inch wheelbase, a length of 209.8-inches, a width of 80-inches, and a height of 57.9-inches.

The suspension system of the Country Squire was comprised of double wishbones in the front with ball-jointed A-arms, and with a rear leaf setup with longer springs. Eleven-inch drum brakes at all four wheels provided the stopping power. Power was from a 223 cubic-inch inline-6 delivering 145 horsepower. Additionally, three optional V8 engines were offered including a 292 CID V8 with 185 horsepower. The 352 CID V8 with a two-barrel setup produced 235 horsepower and the four-barrel version had 300 horsepower.

The six-cylinder engine was detuned for 1961 and now delivered 135 horsepower. The 292 CID V8 had 175 horsepower, the two-barrel 353 CID V8 had 220 horsepower, and the four-barrel version remained unchanged. Engine output decreased again in 1962, with the six delivering138 hp and the 292 CID V8 had 170 hp. The two-barrel 352 V8 output remained unchanged, but the four-barrel version was dropped and replaced by a 390 cubic-inch V8 with 300 hp. The 292 V8 was discontinued in 1963 and replaced by a 260 CID V8 with 164 horsepower. The 260 V8 grew to 289 cubic inches for 1964 and now delivered nearly 200 horsepower, and the 352 was returned to 250 hp.

Transmissions were similar to the previous generation, with a three and four-speed (overdrive) manual, and a three-speed Fordomatic or Cruise-O-Matic automatics. The three-speed manual became synchronized in all three gears for 1974.

Like designs throughout the industry, this generation of Country Squire styling was more conservative than previous years, with less brightwork and smaller fins. The front dual round headlights were integrated into the grille and fairing the wraparound chrome bumper more closely into the fenders. Although this generation of styling would largely abandon the yearly body updates that were not uncommon to previous generations of the Country Squire, incremental updates and styling evolutions were applied during its production lifespan. In 1961, the previous two-piece tailgate was replaced by a one-piece unit with a roll-down window. A safety lockout was added which required the rear window to be fully lowered before the tailgate could be lowered. The tailgate window could be operated either manually or electrically.

The front and rear fascia of the 1961 model wore updated styling, and the 1964 Country Squire underwent another update to its rear fascia with the noticeable absence of the tailfins.

The list of full-size Ford station wagons for 1962 included the 'base' Ranch Wagon priced at $2,730, the intermediate level Country Sedans priced at $2,830 with six-passenger seating and $2,930 with seating for nine, and the top-of-the-line Country Squires. The country squire was offered solely with nine-passenger seating and priced at $3,090 with the six-cylinder engine and $3,195 with the standard V8. The addition of the standard V8 engine on the other body styles increased the price by approximately $110.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2006