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!