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FOR SALE: 1955 Ford Country Squire station wagon


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I don't think of this 1955 Ford as a station wagon, I think of it as the family-size Thunderbird. It's a California car with a recent and very high-quality frame-on restoration that included the engine, suspension, brakes, bodywork, and interior. As someone who lives in the heart of the rust belt, I am consistently astounded by how good you guys out on the west coast have it, because this car is amazingly clean with no signs of patches or rust repairs anywhere.

It's finished in correct Colonial White, which was its original color, and I think it provides the best background for the faux wood paneling. The paint is fresh and the sheetmetal is everything you expect from a California car, with great fit to all four doors and a surface that's probably better than anything Ford was turning out in 1955. I've talked to several experts about the wood itself, which is very nicely done using materials as close to the original as possible. A few guys have told me that these cars all had the horizontal stripes that made it look like the lapped planks on the hull of a boat, but others have told me that the stripes were optional and this would also be correct. Either way, it looks fantastic with a wonderful contrast between the framed areas and the panels themselves. All the chrome has been expertly refinished to show standards, the emblems are bright and crisply rendered, and the lenses all appear to be brand new. Given how expensive all this must have been, I'm assuming that if this car needed a frame-off, it would have received it, but sometimes there's just no need to disassemble a good original car.

The two-tone red and white interior is also correct for this car and certainly looks flashy enough to be the Thunderbird's stablemate. Everything inside is new, from the carpets to the headliner, and it's exceptionally well done with no sags, wrinkles, or other issues in the soft parts. It shows 791 miles since the restoration was completed, and all the chrome knobs and handles inside were restored or replaced. This car carries its original third-row seat, which is a rare find as early owners often pulled the third seat for more cargo space and never replaced it. Everything works, including the radio and clock, and all the gauges were professionally restored. The cargo bay wears correct carpets and polished stainless rub strips, and there's a handy storage compartment under the deck that's also fully carpeted.

The engine is the 272 cubic inch Y-block V8 that was optional in 1955. Fully rebuilt, it starts almost instantly and settles into an easy idle once it's off the choke. It's got correct corporate red paint on the block, Thunderbird-logo valve covers, a rebuilt carburetor and oil bath air cleaner, and still makes electricity with the original generator. Power steering makes it easy to maneuver and the automatic transmission shifts almost imperceptibly. Detailing is correct throughout the engine bay, and while I wish they would have painted the exhaust manifolds, I think they were aiming for correct rather than preservation and they would have been raw cast iron from the factory. Underneath it's every bit as clean as you expect from a California car, with no signs of rust or frame damage. Dual exhaust was added and gives it a nice V8 burble but isn't annoying at speed. Ride and handling are surprisingly comfortable and stable, and it tracks like a cruise missile at highway speeds. With fresh 7.10-15 Firestone wide whites and full wheel covers, it looks dashing.

Is there a better road trip car than this? Imagine taking your family for an old-school vacation the way you and your folks did years ago. This is still first-class transportation. Asking $59,900 and we're always open to reasonable offers for what may very well be the nicest one you'll ever see.

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Edited by Matt Harwood (see edit history)
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