America's Coolest Station Wagons: A Collection of Classic Cruisers

• 1914 Ford Depot Hack
• 1959 Pontiac Bonneville
• 1954 Studebaker Conestoga Ambulet
• 1957 Plymouth Savoy
• 1955 Chevy Nomad
• 1957 Pontiac Safari Wagon
• 1960 Rambler
• 1964 Mercury Comet
• 1978 Chevy Malibu
• ... and many more!

When you first saw the movie Cars, it probably didn't take you all day to realize it was made by real car guys. You were right. Pixar even put on its own car show, packed with company rods and customs, to celebrate the film's release. Jay Ward is one of those guys.

When he found this Safari, it wasn't exactly a show car. Jay says, "It was a borderline parts car. Dead engine, no brakes, bad rust, and parts missing. But there I was, with a trailer and money in hand, buying it anyway. Keep in mind we had a one-month-old daughter at home, so my wife wasn't too thrilled to see this rusty pile show up in the driveway."

After a solid year of thrashing, Jay still had a project on his hands. "I just wanted to get it running, fix the largest rust holes, and drive it, leaving the original patina intact," Jay explains. "But, by the time the body was all repaired, the car was more patch panels and primer than actual paint. It was decided at that point to go the rest of the way and do a complete job on it."

Jay went all the way, all right. He lost the fender scripts, the tailgate lettering, the side mirrors, and the door handles were replaced with Lincoln push buttons. The stars were kicked off the sides, and the antenna was shaved. The chassis came down 3 inches all around, with dropped spindles and disc brakes up front and lowering blocks supporting new juicers out back.

• Acknowledgments
  
  
• Foreword by Scott Parkhurst
  
  
• Chapter 1: When Wagons Were Wagons and Horses Were Tired
  A glimpse at the journey from plank board to styling statement.
  
  
• Chapter 2: Stock as a Rock (on the outside, anyway)
  Just like when Mom and Dad used to drive you to baseball practice. Kinda.
  
  
• Chapter 3: We’ll Be Right Back, After This Commercial
  Were commercial vehicles the first personalized wagons?
  
  
• Chapter 4: Beaters!
  If ever a car was built to be used, it’s the humble station wagon.
  
  
• Chapter 5: Utilitarian Customization
  And each one open to interpretation.
  
  
• Chapter 6: Draggin' Wagons
  With enough rear overhang to really put some weight on the slicks, wagons hook and book!
  
  
• Chapter 7: More Long-Roof Motorsports
  Sure, demo derbying is obvious, but road racing wagons? And more...
  
  
• Epilogue