Car: Mercury Woody Wagon
Year: 1949
What makes it special: Produced by Mercury for the 1949 model year, the woody wagon showcased designer Eugene “Bob” Gregorie’s approach to wood-body design, which was rooted in his career as a Naval architect. The highlight was the original woodwork, which originates in the forests of northern Michigan. About 8,104 Mercury Woody wagons were built for that year.
What made it famous: Both the Mercury and Ford woody wagons were constructed using a sophisticated electro-bonding process, which used 75-ton laminating presses and radiation energy to turn layered packages of resin-coated wood plies into frame pillars. They were then shaped and assembled on the steel bodies that were shipped from Dearborn, Michigan, an the completed structures were then returned for final assembly in Dearborn. Another feature was its 110hp, 255 Flathead V8 withy an electric cooling fan, and a column-shifted Borg Warner 3-speed manual transmission with a cable-operated Touch-O-Matic overdrive for maximum top speed and fuel mileage.
Why I would want one: They are just incredibly cool with the wood sides. They hark back to the cool surf-music era.
Fun fact: The 1949 Mercury Woody wagon could accommodate up to 9 passengers.
