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1958 Navigator


timmm55

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  • 4 weeks later...
Remember when people use to think cars from the 1950s were big? Then the SUVs came and nothing before them seem big by any measure.

 

 

It is funny that people think the SUV's are that big. My '66 T-bird is actually an inch longer than the standard Expidition/Navigator. The T-Bird wasn't even the biggest car Ford built in '66. The Full size wagons of the '60s and early'70s were larger than todays SUVs excepting the H-1

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check out these station wagon stats from stationwagon.com

 

Quote...

 

12. What was the biggest station wagon ever made?

 

The best answer to this question came from Mark Sadowski, so I've quoted it here:

 

"In the days of custom coach work wheelbase length was the accepted way of judging the size of a car. Now that automobiles are built with considerable front and rear end overhang this is no longer a sufficient category. The 1951 Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country, at 131.5", had the largest wheelbase ever used on a station wagon. Close runners up include the 1947-1948 Buick Roadmaster Estate (129"), the 1939-1941 Packard 120 (127"), and the 1971-1976 Buick Estate, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, and Pontiac Safari (also 127").

 

Weight is also a good indicator of station wagon size, but now that we live in the days of weight saving materials this too must be considered in light of other evidence. The following figures are for the three seat wagons. The heaviest wagons of all would seem to be the 1971-1976 Buick Estate, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, and Pontiac Safari, with the 1974 Buick and Oldsmobile taking the honors at 5182 lbs. shipping weight each. Other contenders include the 1974-1977 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Polara/Monaco ( the 1975 Chrysler Town and Country weighing 5050 lbs.), the big GM wagon's slightly smaller sister, the 1971-1976 full-size Chevrolet (125" wheelbase), with the 1975 Kingswood weighing 5036 lbs., and finally, the 1969-1978 Ford and Mercury full-size wagons (the 1975 Mercury Colony Park weighing 4878 lbs.).

 

Overall body length has become more of a factor in judging car size only since the 1950's when "longer, lower, wider" became the mantra of the day. The longest station wagons of all time would seem to be the 1971-1976 Buick Estate, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, and Pontiac Safari, with the 1975-1976 Buick nosing out her shorter triplets at 231.8". Other noteworthy vehicles include the 1967-1973 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Polara/Monaco ( the 1973 Town and Country measuring 229.6"), the 1974-1977 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Polara Monaco ( the 1976 Dodge Royal Monaco measuring 229.5") and the 1971-1976 full-size Chevrolet station wagons with the 1974-1976 models measuring 229".

 

Interior volume has become the prime determinant of automobile size only since the E.P.A. began publishing its nifty consumer guides in 1982. But therein lies a problem. Most of the truly huge station wagons seem to have been built before 1982 ( in fact up until 1978). However, the E.P.A.'s figures are largely derived from the product of headroom, legroom, and interior width (shoulder room, I think!?!). This knowledge, combined with the figures derived from a 1976 consumer guide which I examined at the local public library shortly before they threw it away has enabled me to come up with the following interior volume estimates. The station wagons with the greatest interior volume (passenger volume plus cargo volume) would seem to be the 1971-1976 full-size GM wagons with approximately 184 cubic feet of volume. Other leading wagons are the 1974-1977 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Polara/Monaco (177 cubic feet), the 1991-1996 full-size GM station wagons (170 cubic feet according to the E.P.A.) and the 1969-1978 full-size Ford and Mercury station wagons (169 cubic feet).

 

The preponderance of information suggests that the largest station wagons of all time were the 1971-1976 Buick Estate, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser , and Pontiac Safari, with the slight edge given to the 1974-1976 Buicks."

 

If you think you have some documented evidence that shows the "biggest" wagon you can find in any category, e-mail us and let us know; we'll post it here for everyone to see.

 

On a related note, what is the smallest station wagon? My best guess is the Austin Mini wagon (for sale in the USA starting in 1959-1960). Wheelbase was 80 inches; overall length was 130 inches. Height was 53 inches. In person, they are tiny....I saw the one that the Eastwood Company owns in a parking lot Maine.

 

 

.....unquote

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