Ten Wagons That Deserved Better: A Photo-Loving Look at America's Forgotten Long-Roof Icons
Not every wagon got to be the hero of the neighborhood. For every Country Squire parked proudly in a driveway, there were a dozen long-roofs that sold in whispers and disappeared by the next model year. That's a shame, because some of them were flat-out gorgeous — and they photograph beautifully, which is exactly why we built this gallery.
So grab a coffee and scroll. Ten wagons, ten photo sets, ten cars that deserved a bigger fan club.
1955–1957 Chevrolet Nomad
Let's start with the obvious stunner. The Nomad took the Bel Air's chrome-heavy glamour and stretched it over a two-door wagon body with a raked B-pillar and that signature sail panel. It's arguably the most photographed American wagon of all time, and yet it still feels underrated — Chevy sold fewer than 10,000 of the first-year cars.
Specs: 265 ci V8, ~162 hp, three-speed manual. The 1957's 283 with fuel injection is the unicorn.
In our gallery shots, notice how the side trim sweeps rearward — it photographs like a concept car, not a grocery-getter.
1960–1962 Plymouth Suburban
Everyone forgets Plymouth did wagons with real style. The Suburban's forward-leaning fins and crisp two-tone paint schemes make it a photographer's dream from the rear three-quarter angle. Virgil Exner's styling team treated the long roof like a design exercise, not an afterthought.
Specs: Slant-six or 318 ci V8, seating for up to nine.
1966–1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 Wagon
Yes, this existed, and yes, it's as cool as it sounds. A handful of buyers checked the SS 396 box on a wagon order form, creating a muscle car with a cargo area. Our favorite gallery angle is the rear view with the tailgate down — pure menace, unexpected on a family hauler.
Specs: 396 ci big block, up to 375 hp, available with the Muncie four-speed.
1968–1973 Volvo 145
The Volvo 145 brought Scandinavian minimalism to American subdivisions, and its upright glasshouse still photographs beautifully today. It never got its due here because buyers saw it as sensible rather than stylish — but look at the clean lines in the gallery images and tell us it isn't elegant.
Specs: 2.0L inline-four, four-speed with optional overdrive, legendarily durable.
1970–1972 Ford Torino Squire
Buried between the Mustang and the LTD in Ford's catalog, the Torino Squire offered fastback-flavored wagon styling with the availability of a 429 Cobra Jet. That's right — a bone-stock family wagon that could run with the muscle cars at a stoplight. The woodgrain sides in our photos hide a serious sleeper.
Specs: Up to 370 hp with the 429 CJ, available C6 automatic or four-speed.
1971–1974 AMC Hornet Sportabout
AMC did something nobody else dared: they hired Gucci to design an interior package for a wagon. The Sportabout with the Gucci option — tan leather, the double-G logo stamped everywhere — is peak 1970s fashion-on-wheels and one of the most collectible American wagons of the era.
Specs: 258 ci inline-six or 304 ci V8. The Gucci package is the one to photograph.
1978–1994 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park
The last of the truly enormous American wagons. The Colony Park's rear-facing third-row seat and fake-wood flanks defined the genre's final act. Our gallery picks highlight the massive tailgate glass — a hatch that swallowed entire camping trips in one motion.
Specs: 460 ci V8 early on, later the 5.0L; body-on-frame truck-like durability.
1987–1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser
The Cutlass Cruiser was the wagon for people who didn't want to admit they wanted a wagon — clean styling, comfortable bench seats, and zero pretension. It's rarely photographed now, which is exactly why we included it. Look for the wire-wheel-style hubcaps in our shots; pure late-'80s Americana.
Specs: 3.3L or 3.8L V6, front-wheel drive in later years.
1988–1995 BMW 525i Touring (E34)
BMW wouldn't sell the Touring in the States until the E39, but a handful of E34s came in through gray-market channels in the late '80s, and they remain the coolest wagons almost nobody here has seen. The E34's quad headlights and near-perfect proportions make every photo look like a magazine spread.
Specs: 2.5L inline-six, ~189 hp, five-speed manual, genuinely great to drive.
1993–1995 Mazda MPV LX Wagon
Wait — a minivan on a wagon list? Hear us out. The first-generation MPV was rear-wheel drive, offered a turbocharged engine, and had a rear hatch that split and swung like a proper tailgate. Mazda marketed it as a "multi-purpose vehicle" precisely because it didn't fit the van mold. It's the forgotten bridge between wagons and everything that came after.
Specs: 2.6L turbo four or 3.0L V6, optional 4WD, seating for seven.
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That's the set — ten long roofs that never quite got their flowers, captured in high resolution so you can zoom in on the details that made them special. Whether it's a big-block Chevelle with a cargo hold or a Gucci-stitched AMC, these wagons prove that style and practicality were never mutually exclusive.
Full-resolution wallpapers from this gallery are available in the downloads section under each image. And if you've got one of these in the driveway, send us your shots — the archive is always hungry.
