Here’s what most people picture as a woody wagon, a beautifully stylish Ford two-door with evocative wood-paneling. But forget about surfboards, this woody would be more attuned to livery on the estate of a country squire, as its name boldly declares.
The Pick of the Day is a 1951 Ford Country Squire wagon, the last year that Ford made a true woody wagon with real wood; the following year brought the advent of wood-tone appliqué, though with some birch or maple edging. The modern world was moving away from genuine wood trim and the extra care needed to maintain it.
The ’52 Country Squire has a lovely cohesive design, which continues the trend of Ford’s first completely new post-war styling that debuted for 1949. The two-door wagon motif – which the British would call a “shooting brake” – looks balanced and enticing. The interior boasts an SUV-like three rows of seats.
This low-mileage woody has had just two owners and was extensively restored to excellent condition, according to the Fort Wayne, Indiana, dealer advertising the car on Classic Cars.com. Just over 43,000 miles show on the odometer.
“This vehicle is very close to the ‘too nice to drive’ category,” the dealer says in the ad, touting “this vehicle is presented in excellent condition both cosmetically and mechanically.”
The Ford has a ream of documentation since new showing its careful maintenance and service over the year, the dealer adds, and receipts for the restoration that was well-done and is holding up nicely.
“This appears to be a two-owner car that was restored by the second owner,” according to the ad. “Many original parts are still in excellent condition. The paint appears to be new and is in excellent condition. There are no visible blemishes anywhere in the paint.
“The exterior wood surfaces are in exceptional restored or new condition. There are no visible signs of extensive body filler or rust repair. The underside is clean and shows signs of an older restoration. The interior is in excellent condition and finished in the original styling.”
The restoration brought the woody back to factory-fresh condition, the seller notes, powered by its original 239cid flathead V8 and three-speed manual transmission, both of which also have been restored.
The photos with the ad show a gleaming collector car in period trim, including the then-popular visor over the one-piece windshield.
The asking price of $57,900 sounds fair considering the car’s apparently superior condition. But instead of taking it to the beach, this woody would be more suitable for driving to the country club.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
We’re the original Ford two-door Coupe “non country squire” doors drilled to install the wood panels(or were they more more modified and unique to the “woody wagon” only) and how many holes were required to install the wood trim ?
Interested in acquiring this woody