Ford Country Sedan

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Ford Country Sedan
1956 Ford Country Sedan (32425358504).jpg
1956 Ford Eight-Passenger Country Sedan
Overview
Manufacturer Ford
Also calledFord Customline Country Sedan
Ford Galaxie 500 Country Sedan
Meteor Country Sedan [1]
Model years 1952–1974
AssemblyUnited States:
Body and chassis
Class Full-size station wagon
Body style 2-door station wagon
4-door station wagon
Related Ford Ranch Wagon
Ford Country Squire
Ford Ranchero
Ford Del Rio
Mercury Commuter

The Ford Country Sedan is a full-size station wagon that was built by Ford in the United States from 1952 until 1974. It was part of the U.S. Ford full-size car line available in each year. [2] [3]

Contents

The Country Sedan was the mid-trim station wagon in the U.S. Ford range. Unlike the Country Squire, the Country Sedan featured plain body sides. As a full-size wagon, it could carry up to 9 passengers, if so equipped. For every year it was sold, regardless of the model line it was aligned with, the Country Sedan outsold the more exclusive Country Squire due to the more modest standard and optional equipment included while using the same powertrain of the more expensive version. [2]

The Country Sedan was part of the Ford Customline range from 1952 to 1954. Beginning in 1955, Ford moved their station wagons into their own series and the Country Sedan continued to represent the mid-trim level station wagon. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Country Sedan was approximate to the Galaxie and later the Galaxie 500 in trim elements. [4] For 1972, 1973 [5] and 1974 the model was marketed as the Galaxie 500 Country Sedan and from 1975 it was rebranded LTD wagon. By this time the trim level was identical to the Country Squire apart from the absence of simulated wood exterior paneling.

Sales

First-generation Country Sedan production [2]
YearSales
195211,927
195337,743
195448,384
Second-generation Country Sedan production [2]
YearSales
1955106,284
195685,374
Third-generation Country Sedan production [2]
YearSales
195749,638
195889,474
1959123,412
Fourth-generation Country Sedan production (6- and 9 passenger combined) [4]
YearSales
196078,579
196162,667
196264,197
196387,204
196494,239
Fifth-generation Country Sedan production (6- and 10 passenger combined) [4]
YearSales
196592,037
196692,249
196785,195
196868,709
Sixth-generation Country Sedan production (6- and 10 passenger combined)
YearSales
196947,850
197054,854
197160,487
197255,238

Rear gate advances

(Originally from Ford Country Squire )

Prior to 1961, all Ford wagons utilized a two-piece tailgate assembly that required the operator to lift the rear window and lock it into place via a mechanical support, and then drop the tail gate down to fully access the rear compartment.

For the 1961 model year, Ford incorporated a tailgate assembly that featured a self-storing window that could either be rolled down into the gate via crank on the outside of the gate, or by an electrical motor actuated by the key or an interior switch. A safety lockout measure required that the rear window had to be fully retracted into the gate before it could be lowered.

With the introduction of the 1966 models, all Ford wagons introduced the Magic Door Gate which allowed the tailgate on the vehicle to function as a traditional tailgate that could be lowered, or a door that swung outward for easier access to the seating area. The Magic Door Gate was made possible through a use of a traditional stationary hinge on the right, and a combination of hinges along the doors left side, which carried the weight of the gate as it swung outward when used as a door.

General Motors, Chrysler, AMC, and Toyota would adopt a similar configuration by the end of the 1960s.

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References

  1. 1959 Meteor Brochure, www.oldcarbrochures.com Retrieved 5 October 2021
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Flory, Jr., J. "Kelly" (2008). American Cars, 1946-1959 Every Model Every Year. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 893. ISBN   978-0-7864-3229-5.
  3. Odin, L.C. A concise guide to the Ford and Mercury full-size automobile production 1969-1978. Belvedere Publishing, 2016. ASIN: B01HE91Y4K.
  4. 1 2 3 Gunnell, John, ed. (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946–1975. Krause Publications. ISBN   978-0-87341-096-0.
  5. '73 Ford brochure, oldcarbrochures.org Retrieved 19 August 2024