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This rare Ford Ranch Wagon offers classic styling and modern updates that include a massive 8.1L V8 and head-turning paint job.
Ford Wagons of Yesteryear
You know the Ford Ranchero and the Ford Country Squire, but do you know the Ford Ranch Wagon? Way back when, the station wagon wasn’t just the go-to choice for family hauling, they were also often positioned at or near the top of the spectrum of available trims for a given car. They signaled elegance, sophistication, and financial largess. This helps explain why Ford, GM, and Chrysler all offered station wagon variants of their popular models. The Ford Ranch Wagon was one of these, based off the Ford Mainline, it debuted alongside the four-door Ford Country Sedan wagon, itself based on the Ford Customline, for 1952.
For the motorhead of a particular persuasion an obscure 1950s wagon is the perfect foundation from which to build a restomod classic. Take advantage of all that vintage styling while updating the mechanicals for loads of additional horsepower and spiff up the interior with modern creature comforts. This was the approach for the restomod build we’re featuring today, a two-door 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon finished in an eye-popping silver and green and sporting a gargantuan Ford crate motor under the hood.
Background on the Ranch Wagon
The Ranch Wagon saw various iterations throughout the early 1950s. While they began as off-shoots of other models, the Ranch Wagon and Custom Ranch, along with the rest of Ford’s wagon offerings were moved to their series for 1955. For 1956, styling updates added more sculpting to the side fenders and a more aggressive front end including nacelles over the headlights and a new grille.
Most pivotal was the 1957 model year. Styling was updated again for the entire Ford car lineup and new models were introduced. The Del Rio Ranch Wagon was a Southwest themed version of the Ranch Wagon and served as the basis for the new Ford Ranchero and Mercury Commuter utility trucks. A styling refresh for 1958 coincided with a new four-door version of the Ranch Wagon. 1959 saw the exterior given a more thorough redesign with a completely new grille, quad headlights, and a new rear quarter panel all of which was shared with the rest of the Ford lineup, including the new top-of-the-line Ford Galaxie.
By the early 1960s, the prestige and popularity of station wagons had begun to wane, and Ford began trimming their wagon offerings to the point that by 1963 the Ranch Wagon name had been relegated to the wagon variant of the Ford Fairlane. Ford brought back the Ranch Wagon as its own full-size model for 1965 and through 1969 when it was again folded into an existing model, this time the Ford Custom, where it would stay through the 1974 model year.
This Ford Ranch Wagon
Our featured listing is a 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon restomod (restored and modified). This car has been restored from top to bottom, including a complete interior overhaul and the addition of a new drivetrain. This Ranch Wagon runs a Ford 460 Cobra Jet SVO crate motor under the hood. The V8 powerplant puts out a thunderous 560 horsepower, all of which is sent to the wheels via a Ford C6 automatic transmission (with overdrive) and a 9-inch limited slip differential. Those wheels are staggered 17 inches up front and 20 inches in back, wrapped in BF Goodrich G Force tires with stopping power provided by Willwood disc brakes at all four corners. The exterior’s flashy paint job is Orion Silver and Plant Green done by House of Color. Note the shaved door handles for a smooth continuous panel all the way down the side of the car. The revamped interior includes custom leather bucket seats with ostrich inserts by Twin City Upholstery with a matching center console. The car comes equipped with a Vintage Air AC unit and an Eclipse stereo with CD player.
This well-equipped and stunningly restored 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon is listed for $109,998.
