1975-1979 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Giardinetta

Thanks Nessa, for reminding of the Alfasud estate! The model is so well known to most REVolutionaries, that it would be insulting to discuss the specs. But it should be noted that it did live on in some countries past 1979, just in very limited numbers. How long and how many exactly, I've never been able to precisely ascertain. Regardless, it's worth recalling the two-door wagon, dubbed the Giardinetta.

1986-1992 Nissan Pintara

The Australian-built Nissan Pintara enjoyed two generations, but only the first featured a true station wagon. Basically a long roof Skyline, it always had a 2.0 four-cylinder and wasn't particularly powerful or sporty, but many of them have been made into relatively low cost drift demons due to the RWD layout. My fearless prediction is that many REVolutionaries will bemoan the stick in the example shown below.

1990-2005 Nissan Avenir

We've already discussed the Nissan Primera Estate, but in the home market it was sold as the Nissan Avenir. Across two generations, there were estate and cargo variants available, as well as Salut! GT Turbo and Blastar trim levels.

"Jesus Built My Hotrod" by Ministry

Hang on to your helmet!

1969-1988 Chrysler Town & Country Station Wagon

Time has a habit of getting away from us. And it's especially clear in this case, because I promised you the second part of the quick exam of the lifespan of the Chrysler T&C station wagon yesterday. Ah, well; here it is now! I got there...eventually.

1969-1973..."and uhhhhh..." Enjoy the video; holy moley.

1974-1977

1978-1981...sadly, another vomit video.

1982-1989...proof of an actual K-car enthusiast!

And that was it. Nearly 50 years of the T&C long roof and an impressive production total. Not a bad ride, if you ask me. Long live the wagon!

1941-1968 Chrysler Town & Country Station Wagon

Young gearheads can be excused for associating the Town & Country plate with minivans. But long before the name was applied to those, it lived a long and storied life as a series of station wagons, among other variants. Note that it didn't run consecutively from year to year; there was a war going on. Once again, the history behind this vehicle is fascinating and I implore you to do your own research. You'll be glad you did!

1941-1942

1946-1950

1951-1959

1960-1964

1965-1968

Stay tuned...for part two, tomorrow!

1961-1969 Fiat 2300 Estate

The 2300 is historically notable because it (specifically the sedan) was the first to offer an automatic from the company. Here's one that you could put in your virtual driveway for just $75. Make sure you don't accidentally run it over on the electronic autobahn.

1946-1962 DeSoto Diplomant Wagon

Always intended for overseas sales and never sold on US soil (or Canada, for that matter), I could write an entire book just on the Diplomat. Needless to say, the model enjoyed a convoluted and fascinating history. The wagon/estate version came with 2 or 4-doors and in a wide variety of trim levels, including Commercial Utility, Suburban, De Luxe, Special and Custom, to name just a few. There has been some discussion among certain REVolutionaries that there was a gap in production somewhere along the line, but that's still open to confirmation either way.

1953 DeSoto Commercial

1950-1952 DeSoto Custom Station Wagon

The Custom was the DeSoto premium model. But it wasn't graced with a station wagon variant until the very end of its' run, when it was replaced with the Firedome.

1957-1959 DeSoto Fireflite Station Wagon

Originally the top of the line, the Fireflite was slightly downgraded in 1957, which is also when the wagon variant was introduced. A #2 condition 1959 DeSoto Fireflite 9-Passenger Explorer Station Wagon is valued at $39.5K by Hagerty. Add 15% for a/c. Only 433 were produced. The Fireflite lived another year until 1960 ('61 if you're Ms. Jackson), minus the wagon variant, when the brand was dissolved by Chrysler.

1957-1959 DeSoto Firesweep Wagon

When the Firedome moved midway up the line in 1957, the Firesweep took over as the entry-level DeSoto. That's not to imply these were cheap cars to buy; they weren't. The wagon variant could be had in four trim levels, including this Shopper. Haggerty values this '57 in #2 condition at $31.7K and lists production at just under 1200.

1952-1959 DeSoto Firedome Station Wagon

Some people have all the luck. As his first car, Bolo inherited a DeSoto Firedome station wagon. I remember thinking, "Now that's a heck of a first car." I loved riding in that car; it was simply marvelous.

The Firedome was initially the entry-level DeSoto, but it graduated upwards to mid-grade in later years. Known primarily for the sedan (6- and 8-passenger!), coupe and convertible variants, the wagon was nonetheless a fairly steady seller. I don't have the actual sales numbers, but I recall that it was somewhere around 2K sold a year, on average. BTW, "entry-level" was still pretty expensive for the time, at around $3K-$4K. For comparison, you could buy a '52 Ford Mainline Ranch Wagon for about $2K.

Here's another unfortunately painfully shot video that contains some really great info on the Firedome long roof.

1981-1988 Plymouth Reliant/Dodge Aries Wagon

All this recent talk of K-cars brought memories of the Plymouth Reliant station wagon bubbling to the surface of my tiny reptilian brain. Here it is; suck eggs if you've forgotten how successful these were.

Lynk & Co

Volvo owners Geely have created another brand; the ludicrously named Lynk & Co. Painfully hipster marketing aside -"Think Air bnb. For cars."...really?!?- the real news is that while there are no current plans for the Lynk & Co brand to attempt to sell a conventional (arguable!) station wagon, all of the cars will ride on the shared-and-developed-by-the-Swedes platform labeled the CMA.

The CMA platform will produce a new straight-up long roof; the 2018 Volvo V40. That might seem a little odd because the current model was just released a couple of years ago, but in fact, it's been on the market since 2012 and is overdue for an update.

So now we have another brand to cross-shop, folks. Which is good, even if it really is just a Volvo. Both companies seems to be shooting for the same demographic, though. Well, maybe L&C are gunning for the rich dotcom younger hipsters that live in the city...?

Just don't say the brand name quickly, or you'll have Ford lawyers all over you.

My apologies, I got too lazy to find a proper picture of the upcoming 2018 V40. It's probably out there, but every one I looked at was either the current model (sold overseas) or a conceptual image of the XC or Coupe offspring.

Somebody got paid to come up with the model name "01". Mother of pearl.