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Awoodie (or awoodie wagon) is a wood-bodied automobile, that became a popular type ofstation wagon the bodywork of which is constructed of wood or is styled to resemble wood elements. The appearance of polished wood gave a resemblance to fine woodenfurniture and on many occasions the wood theme continued to the dashboard and inner door panels including the reartailgate.
Originally, wood framework augmented the car's structure. Over time manufacturers supplanted wood construction with a variety of materials and methods evoking wood construction — including infill metal panels, metal framework, or simulated wood-grain sheet vinyl bordered with three-dimensional, simulated framework. Wood construction was evoked abstractly on theNissan Pao (1989–1991) andFord Flex (2009–2019) with a series of horizontal grooves and strakes.[1]
As a variant ofbody-on-frame construction, the woodie as a utility vehicle orstation wagon originated from the early practice of manufacturing the passenger compartment portion of a vehicle in hardwood. It was a modern interpretation of an earlier horse-drawn wagon called ashooting brake which was made entirely of wood used to transport hunting spoils, gun racks, and ammunition on shooting trips.[2][3]
Woodies were popular in theUnited States and were produced as variants of sedans and convertibles as well as station wagons, from basic to luxury. They were typically manufactured as third-party conversions of regular vehicles — some by large, reputablecoachbuilding firms and others by localcarpenters and craftsmen for individual customers. They could be austere vehicles, with side curtains in lieu of roll-up windows (e.g., the1932 Ford)[4] — and sold in limited numbers (e.g.,Ford sold 1654 woodie wagons).[5] Eventually, bodies constructed entirely in steel supplanted wood construction — for reasons of strength, cost, safety, and durability.[6]
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In 1950,Chrysler discontinued their woodie station wagons onDeSoto,Dodge andPlymouth station wagons. Buick's 1953Super Estate Wagon and 1953 Roadmaster Estate Wagon were the last production American station wagons to retain real wood construction. Other marques by then were touting the advantages of "all-steel" construction to the buying public. By 1955, onlyFord andMercury, joined in 1965 byChrysler, offered a "woodie" appearance — evoking real wood with other materials including steel,plastics andDI-NOC (avinyl product). As the appearance became popular, Ford, GM, and Chrysler offered multiple models with the woodgrain appearance until the early 1990s.
The British Motor Corporation(BMC) offered theMorris Minor Traveller (1953–1971) with wood structural components and painted aluminium infill panels — the last true mass-produced woodie. Morris' subsequentMini Traveller (1961–1969) employed steel infill panels and faux wood structural members.
After the demise of models using actual wood construction, manufacturers continued to evoke wood construction with sheet-vinyl appliques of simulated wood grain, sometimes augmented with three-dimensional, simulated framework, and later by a simple series of indented grooves in the bodywork.
The 1966Chevrolet Caprice in its second season, added to the four-door hardtopbody style a full line of models including avinyl-wood trimmed station wagon, theCaprice Estate.Dodge also reintroduced simulated wood the same year.
Ford marketed theFord Pinto Squire with vinyl simulated wood trim in the early 1970s. When Chevrolet proposed a simulated woodgrain option for theChevy Vega Kammback wagon for the 1973 model year, after a gap of four years of applying woodgrain film on theCaprice, the Vega's production schedule made smooth application of the applique difficult without wrinkles and heavy scrappage — requiring retraining by the film supplier,3M.[7] Subsequentrebadged variants of the Vega (marketed as "Woody"),[8] including thePontiac Astre Safari,Chevrolet Monza Estate andPontiac Sunbird Safari, also offered simulated wood trim. Chevrolet offered a simulated woodie version of theChevette in 1976, andAMC offered thePacer wagon with optional simulated wood trim in 1977.
Ford also marketed version of theirRanchero model, acoupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979 with an open bed like apickup truck but from astation wagon platform, with simulated woodgrain siding. In 1973, Ford produced a minivan prototype that offered a woodgrain appearance to preceded the Chrysler minivan, called theFord Carousel, but it was not put into production. The 1973–1976Chevrolet El Camino Estate, 1973–1977Chevrolet Suburban, 1977–1979Volkswagen Rabbit, and 1970–1991Jeep Wagoneer had simulated woodgrain siding.[9]
Introduced in 1981, theFord Escort andMercury Lynx four-door wagons offered optional simulated wood trim.GM offered its full-size wagons in wood trim versions until their final year in 1996. From 1982 to 1988, Chrysler used the Town & Country name on a station wagon version of the K-based, front wheel drive LeBaron, featuring plastic woodgrain exterior trim with three dimensional simulated framework. As the station wagon declined inNorth America, manufacturers offered faux wood trim onSUVs andminivans (e.g., theJeep Cherokee andChrysler minivans). Chrysler offered simulated wood as an option for theChrysler PT Cruiser, introduced in 2000—andaftermarket firms offered kits as well.
Japanese carmakers shied away from the appearance apart from port-of-entry or dealer-installed trim offered to North American consumers, although Mazda equipped the 1972-1977Mazda Luce/RX-4 optionally, Honda briefly offered the 1980Honda Civic station wagon, and Nissan offered the appearance on the 1983-1987Nissan Cedric V20E SGL andNissan Gloria V20E SGL top trim package station wagons to Japanese customers only.
In 2010,George Barris created a woodie version of theSmart Fortwo, an aftermarket firm offered a simulated wood kit for the same car,[10] and GM displayed a prototype woodie version of the forthcomingChevrolet Spark for the 2010Paris Motor Show.[11]
Introduced in 2008, theFord Flex featured a series of side and rear horizontal grooves intended to evoke a woodie look—without either wood or simulated wood.Car Design News said the styling references "a previous era without resorting to obvious retro styling cues."[1]
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Columbia Pictures' top-grossing film for the 1940s, directorJohn Stahl's 1945Leave Her to Heaven starringGene Tierney andCornel Wilde, features a "woodie" station wagon early in the film. Many other American movies from the 1940s also feature woodies.
The woodie was also closely associated with surfers andSurf-rock, e.g., “I bought a ’34 wagon and we call it a woodie" from the classic "Surf City" byJan and Dean or the 1963 instrumental "Boogie Woodie" byThe Beach Boys.
In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 15 cent stamp commemorating the woodie wagon.[12]
Reminiscent of the infamous "woodie wagons" of the '50s, the Flex's aesthetic is notable for referencing a previous era without resorting to obvious retro styling cues. Woodie wagons, such as the type-defining 1953 Buick Roadmaster estate, featured wooden exterior panels towards the rear of the car. The Flex reinterprets this through four distinctive horizontal grooves set into the lower half of both front and rear door panels, and a brushed-aluminum tailgate finish.
shooting-brake.
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