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FIVE LITTLE LONG ROOFS YOU’LL NEVER SEE AT A CAR SHOW

Jerry Admin

The early 1960s were a turning point in the car industry, because that’s when the North American car industry decided to take on the compact car challenge.

There was heavy competition from Europe, and the Europeans were winning–until the domestic compact car hit showrooms.

That happened in the early 1960s when buyers suddenly had far more options to buy smaller cars…and that meant they all had station wagon options.

Jerry Sutherland

You’ll rarely, if ever, see any of these five mini long roofs at your local car show because they were relatively rare when new. They were eventually baled because nobody put a high price on used compact wagons.  

The first example is the 1960 Valiant V-200 wagon. The Valiant was brand new in 1960, and it was aimed directly at a typical Baby Boomer family that needed more space and fuel efficiency. The Slant Six was also brand new, so that meant this very unique-looking wagon had function and form on its side. They only built just over 16,000 V-200 wagons—that’s why you won’t see them at many car shows.

The second example is the 1961 Studebaker Lark III wagon.

Studebaker was getting down to the last ticks on the clock in ’61, but that didn’t stop them from building a heavy-duty compact wagon. Studebaker was ahead of the curve on compact cars, so they had no trouble putting rugged compact long roofs on their showroom floors. They built just over 24,000 of them in 1961 thanks to their early entry in the compact world—but few survive to this day.

The third example is the 1961 Buick Special wagon.

This was a Buick–consequently it couldn’t slide by without a V-8 option, so they compromised with a 215 cubic inch aluminum V-8. Buick buyers had standards—even in the compact wagon field. Buick built about 18,000 Special station wagons in ’61, but you can go to 5000 car shows and never see on today at a car show. That’s the car show’s loss.        

The fourth example is the 1962 Ford Falcon Squire wagon.

The Falcon was in its third production year in ’62 and they offered various levels of wagon models ranging from basic two-doors to the high-end Squire edition.  Ford sold over 22,000 of these Squire wagons and led the Big Three in compact wagon sales. Despite that, you’re very unlikely to see a mint example of a ’62 Falcon Squire wagon in 2025.    

The fifth and final example of a cool early 60s compact station wagon is the 1963 Rambler American wagon. Rambler had a big head start on the competitors because they’d been building little cars since the Nash years. The American debuted in 1958 and it was a rock-solid bet in 1963 when the American wagon hit the assembly line.

They sold just over 17,000 Rambler American wagons in ’63 based on customer loyalty and a great reputation for AMC reliability. Unfortunately, the 1963 Rambler American long roof is nearly a footnote in automotive history now—you may see one at a large AMC show, but don’t hold your breath if you expect to see one at a local weekly show.

They were basic, functional cars when new, but now the classic compact wagons of the early 60s are nearly gone—cool automotive history is lost to the ages .       

Jerry Sutherland

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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