1959 Ford Station Wagon Series

The 1959 Ford Motor Company's list of vehicles included the affordable Ford, the mid-priced Mercurys which continued to share a family resemblance with the Fords, the newly introduced and floundering Edsel which was awkwardly priced in the Mercury territory, and the range-topping Lincoln.

The Lincoln vehicles rested on a 131-inch wheelbase platform, were powered by a 430 cubic-inch V8 with 350 horsepower, and were offered as sedans, hardtop coupes, and hardtop sedans. The Continental Mark IV added a formal sedan, executive limousine, and a convertible. A station wagon body style was not available on the Lincoln.

The Edsel Station wagon
Most of the Edsel vehicles rested on a 120-inch wheelbase platform and were powered by either a 223 CID inline 6 cylinder engine, or a 292 or 332 CID V8 engine. For buyers seeking a station wagon, Edsel offered the Village utilizing a 118-inch wheelbase platform with a length of 214.8-inches and powered by the 292 CID V8 with 200 horsepower. The six-passenger version was priced at $2,970 and the nine-passenger at $3,050. A combined 7,820 examples were built in 1959.

The Mercury Station Wagon
Mercury's station wagons were called the Country Cruiser and were offered in a greater variety of trim and engine options. The Commuter trim had either two- or four doors ($3,035 for the former and $3,100 for the latter), seating for six, shared its trim styling with the Montereys, and was powered by a 383 CID V8 with 280 horsepower. The Colony Park, priced at $3,930, shared its styling with the Monclairs and had simulated wood panels. The Voyager was priced at $3,800 and all shared its trim with the Montclair. Both the Colony Park and the Voyager had four doors, seating for six, and were powered by a 383 CID V8 with 322 horsepower. The most popular body style was the four-door Commuter wagon with 15,122 units sold. The total Mercury Station Wagon production for 1959 was 24,628 units which accounted for approximately 16 percent of Mercury's automobile production. Mercury's station wagons were slightly longer than the Edsels with an overall length of 218.2 inches. Both were similarly priced but Mercury's delivered 80 more horsepower (122 more with the Voyager and Colony Park).

The Ford Station Wagon
Most of the 1959 Ford vehicles used a 118-inch wheelbase platform and measured 208 inches in length. The Ford station wagons were offered with six- and eight-cylinder power, two- and four-door configuration, seating for 6- or 9-passengers, along with a more extensive array of trim levels. With prices that began at $2,570 for the two-door Ranch Wagon with six-cylinder power and rose to $3,075, the Ford wagons dabbled in several different price points, appealed to the budget-friendly consumer, and ultimately outsold its Mercury and Edsel siblings by a vast margin. A total of 269,378 examples of the Ford station wagon were built in 1959, much higher than the combined 32,448 examples of Edsel and Mercury station wagons.

The attractive yet restrained styling of the 1959 Ford vehicles was awarded the Gold Medal for Exceptional Styling at the Brussels World Fair. Design cues included a long flat hood, dual headlights, little use of chrome trim, swept rear fenders that contained the back-up lights, and large round taillights. The station wagons included the low-priced Ranch wagons, the intermediate Country Sedans, and the top-of-the-line Country Squires.

The Ranch Wagon received accouterments and the level of exterior styling found on the Custom 300 which included an armrest on the driver's door, one sun visor, a horn button, chrome window moldings, and a single chrome strip on the bodyside. The six-cylinder, two-door Ranch wagon was priced at $2,565 and the four-door version at $2,635. The base eight-cylinder engine boosted the price by approximately $120. The four-door was more popular with 67,339 units built compared to 45,558 of the two-door. The total Ranch Wagon production for 1959 was 112,897 units.

The Country Sedans were equipped with items found on the Ranch Wagon, plus those of the Fairlane, including a horn ring (instead of a horn button), two sun visors, armrests on all doors, and more elaborate, two-piece trim on the body. The two-door Country Sedan with six-cylinder power was priced at $2,675 and the four-door versions at $2,745. Again, the addition of the base eight-cylinder engine boosted the price by roughly $120. A total of 94,601 examples were four-door Country Sedans and 8,663 were the two-door. These figures represented the most and least popular (respectively) of the 1959 Ford station wagons. The combined Country Sedan production for 1959 was 103,264 units, a total of 9,633 fewer examples than the Ranch Wagon.

The range-topping Country Squires had all the amenities and accouterments of the other two trim levels, plus those found on the Galaxie including an aluminum panel surrounding the rear wheel opening that traversed to the rear bumper. Only a four-door body style was offered, however, it could be ordered as a six-passenger version priced at $2,830 or a nine-passenger version at $2,960. ($120 more for the base V8). The six-passenger version was the more popular of the two with 28,881 units built compared to 24,336 of the nine-passenger. The combined production was 53,217 examples.

The standard six-cylinder engine displaced 223 cubic inches, had 8.6:1 compression, overhead valves, a Holley one-barrel carburetor, four main bearings, and developed 145 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. Ford's range of eight-cylinder options included a 292, a 332, a 352, and a 430 CID. All had overhead valves, five main bearings, and a cast-iron block. The 292 CID V8 received a Holley two-barrel carburetor, 8.8:1 compression, and produced 200 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The 332 CID V8, known as the 'Thunderbird 332 Special,' had a Holley two-barrel carburetor, 8.9:1 compression, and 225 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The 352 'Thunderbird Special' had a Holley four-barrel carburetor and 9.6:1 compression, developing 300 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. The 430 CID V8 had a Holley four-barrel carburetor and 10.0:1 compression, offering 350 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. A three-speed manual transmission was standard and had a semi-centrifugal-type clutch, helical gears, and synchronizers on the top two gears. A Ford-O-Matic torque converter transmission was optional.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2022