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Ford Country Sedan

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Ford Country Sedan
1956 Ford Eight-Passenger Country Sedan
Overview
ManufacturerFord
Also calledFord Customline Country Sedan
Ford Galaxie 500 Country Sedan
Meteor Country Sedan[1]
Model years1952–1974
AssemblyUnited States:
Body and chassis
ClassFull-size station wagon
Body style2-door station wagon
4-door station wagon
RelatedFord Ranch Wagon
Ford Country Squire
Ford Ranchero
Ford Del Rio
Mercury Commuter

The Ford Country Sedan is a full-size station wagon that was built by Ford in the United States from 1952 until 1974. It was part of the U.S. Ford full-size car line available in each year.[2][3]

The Country Sedan was the mid-trim station wagon in the U.S. Ford range. Unlike the Country Squire, the Country Sedan featured plain body sides. As a full-size wagon, it could carry up to 9 passengers, if so equipped. For every year it was sold, regardless of the model line it was aligned with, the Country Sedan outsold the more exclusive Country Squire due to the more modest standard and optional equipment included while using the same powertrain of the more expensive version.[2]

The Country Sedan was part of the Ford Customline range from 1952 to 1954. Beginning in 1955, Ford moved their station wagons into their own series and the Country Sedan continued to represent the mid-trim level station wagon. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Country Sedan was approximate to the Galaxie and later the Galaxie 500 in trim elements.[4] For 1972, 1973 [5] and 1974 the model was marketed as the Galaxie 500 Country Sedan and from 1975 it was rebranded LTD wagon. By this time the trim level was identical to the Country Squire apart from the absence of simulated wood exterior paneling.

Sales

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First-generation Country Sedan production[2]
Year Sales
1952 11,927
1953 37,743
1954 48,384
Second-generation Country Sedan production[2]
Year Sales
1955 106,284
1956 85,374
Third-generation Country Sedan production[2]
Year Sales
1957 49,638
1958 89,474
1959 123,412
Fourth-generation Country Sedan production (6- and 9 passenger combined)[4]
Year Sales
1960 78,579
1961 62,667
1962 64,197
1963 87,204
1964 94,239
Fifth-generation Country Sedan production (6- and 10 passenger combined)[4]
Year Sales
1965 92,037
1966 92,249
1967 85,195
1968 68,709
Sixth-generation Country Sedan production (6- and 10 passenger combined)
Year Sales
1969 47,850
1970 54,854
1971 60,487
1972 55,238

Rear gate advances

[edit]

(Originally from Ford Country Squire)

Prior to 1961, all Ford wagons utilized a two-piece tailgate assembly that required the operator to lift the rear window and lock it into place via a mechanical support, and then drop the tail gate down to fully access the rear compartment.

For the 1961 model year, Ford incorporated a tailgate assembly that featured a self-storing window that could either be rolled down into the gate via crank on the outside of the gate, or by an electrical motor actuated by the key or an interior switch. A safety lockout measure required that the rear window had to be fully retracted into the gate before it could be lowered.

With the introduction of the 1966 models, all Ford wagons introduced the Magic Door Gate which allowed the tailgate on the vehicle to function as a traditional tailgate that could be lowered, or a door that swung outward for easier access to the seating area. The Magic Door Gate was made possible through a use of a traditional stationary hinge on the right, and a combination of hinges along the doors left side, which carried the weight of the gate as it swung outward when used as a door.

General Motors, Chrysler, AMC, and Toyota would adopt a similar configuration by the end of the 1960s.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 1959 Meteor Brochure, www.oldcarbrochures.com Retrieved 5 October 2021
  2. ^ a b c d e Flory, Jr., J. "Kelly" (2008). American Cars, 1946-1959 Every Model Every Year. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 893. ISBN 978-0-7864-3229-5.
  3. ^ Odin, L.C. A concise guide to the Ford and Mercury full-size automobile production 1969-1978. Belvedere Publishing, 2016. ASIN: B01HE91Y4K.
  4. ^ a b c Gunnell, John, ed. (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946–1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87341-096-0.
  5. ^ '73 Ford brochure, oldcarbrochures.org Retrieved 19 August 2024