Jalopnik: family truckster

The Old Wagon Queen Family Truckster With A New Twist

Mark Arnold — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:40:00 EDT

With summer here, we've been thinking a lot about great road trip vehicles. So, while we adapt to soaring fuel prices, we wave goodbye to the days of care-free cross-country gas-guzzling. You know, the kind of thing embodied by the Wagon Queen Family Truckster from National Lampoon's Vacation. Yes, before monster SUVs became popular, big wagons with faux wood trim were the kings of the road. But what we have here isn't just any ol' Truckster.

Not only is this a great-looking replica of the movie star car, but open up that hood and you'll find something else not found on a standard Ford wagon: A 5.3-liter GM small-block V8 plucked from a 2002 Chevy Silverado. The guy who built it up said he just had the motor lying around anyways, so why not drop it in? That's our kind of thinking. Now, he plans on driving the Truckster in the Hot Rod Power Tour, where he's sure to turn some heads with this sweet metallic pea green machine.
[LS1tech.com] Hat Tip to John and Richard!

Country Squire Autocross Madness!

Murilee Martin — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST

I ran across this hoontastic autocrossing '89 Ford LTD Country Squire wagon over on CrownVic.net the other day and, after LTDScott mentioned it yesterday, it seemed like a good time to share it with the wagon-loving readers of Jalopnik. Most of us don't think "Ford station wagon" when we think of handlin' machines, but that might change after viewing the video of the Family Truckster. It's just a shame all station wagons don't sound like this one! [CarDomain.com]

1977 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Station Wagon

Murilee Martin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:00:04 EDT

Who would have believed, back in '77, that the glory days of the Detroit station wagon were soon to be over? The minivan would appear a few years later, followed by the ascendancy of the SUV, and the good ol' iconic American wagon would end up on the scrap heap of history. Oh, sure, you can still get a wagon now, but it's just not the same. This '77 Olds Custom Cruiser, with its Family Truckster grille and woodgrain body decals, reminds us of the final days of the Wagon Era as it sits proudly on its Alameda East End street.

It's safe to assume that every Generation X-er has ridden in a 70s Olds wagon at least once; they were everywhere.

Seeing the Rocket emblem makes me miss Oldsmobile; I even forgive them for the Achieva. Almost.

I shot the Highway Buddha photograph from the passenger seat of a '78 Custom Cruiser. They were slow and wallowing and sucked gas, but they were still firmly in the Family Truckster tradition.

The Custom Cruiser for 1977 wasn't particularly big, as station wagons went, weighing just a bit more than 4,000 pounds. Engine choices were Malaise Era miserable, however, with a 170-horse 350 as standard equipment. If you wanted the 403, you had to get the Vista Cruiser.

Next stop, Wally World!

Most Beloved Family Vehicle Of Your Childhood?

Murilee Martin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:00:52 EDT

Car geeks of a certain age- say, old enough to have had a childhood free of child seats and three-point harnesses on family road trips- often reminisce fondly of sibling wrestling matches in the cargo areas of lead-spewing station wagons hauling ass to some sweaty bug-ridden vacation destination, the tantalizing danger of power windows that would cut your snitching little brother's head clean off if you but touched the "UP" button, and so on. Then, of course, the talk turns to the cars themselves. Naturally, you win coolness points if your parents had the wisdom to buy, say, a Country Squire with 428 and Toploader (hell, if your parents did that you should call them up right now and tell them you are not worthy of being their child), but everyone's got a childhood car they remember fondly. In my case, it was my mom's green '49 Cadillac, named "Dillinger" because it seemed so bank-robber-esque. Dillinger was a beautiful but aging and unreliable car by the time it rumbled into my family's life in the late 60s (among other idiosyncrasies, it had a bizarre 6V/12V electrical system that featured a tap into the middle battery cell of a 12 volt battery, so as to produce 6 volts for the accessories and 12 volts for the later-model engine), and let's just say a '49 Cadillac was a sub-optimal vehicle choice for Minneapolis in the wintertime and leave it at that (RRRR... RRrrrr... rrrr... rr.. click-click-click). But still, I loved that car, with its vast kid-friendly back seat and bad-guy looks, and was heartbroken when my mom traded it for (brace yourself) an Opel Kadett. So what's your favorite childhood family vehicle? It's Friday, so feel free to neglect your job while you write a lengthy essay for our enjoyment! – Murilee Martin

Related:
What's In Your Painful Reality Garage? [internal]

What's In Your Painful Reality Garage?

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 23 May 2007 11:45:00 EDT

Today's question comes to us by way of John C. He has a no doubt lovely wife and a triple-hopped up 2003 WRX. Only issue is, the wife is making him get rid of the boy racer Scoobie in favor of something more sensible, something more grown up. John wants to know what is available to him for less than $30,000. He's thinking a G35. But I want to expand the question. I personally would love a retractable hard top Miata as my daily driver, only, you know – it's teeny. And while the trunk is decent for a teeny convertible, it still pales in comparison to the junk-swallowing capabilities of ye old WRX Sport Wagon. So, even though this is my second WRX snatchback in a row, I 'd be much happier with a Miata, a diesel F250 and a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. The poor Swiss Army knife-ish WRX has to fill in for all three. My car's fantastic, but it's still a compromise. What's your painful reality garage like? – Jonny Lieberman

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