| The Ford Country Squire was a full-size station wagon built by the Ford Motor Company from 1952 until 1991; it was based on the Ford full-size car line available in each year. The Country Squire was the premium station wagon in the Ford range (see also Mercury Colony Park), and always featured imitation-wood trim on the doors and tailgate. As a full-size wagon, it could carry up to 9 passengers with the unique side-facing seats which were fitted in the cargo area, as opposed to the usual rear-racing seat. The Country Squire was the iconic top of the line American family wagon, with similar "Squire" wagons as top of the line for other cars, including the Pinto in the Ford line up.
The Country Squire was based on the Customline from 1952 to 1954, the Fairlane from 1955 through 1958, Galaxie 1959 through 1966, LTD/LTD Crown Victoria from 1967 through 1991.
Real vs fake wood
Actual wood was used on the sides until the mid-1950s. From the mid 1950s onward, the framing of the wood was fiberglass and the remainder a plastic applique.
End of the family wagon
The wagon was discontinued with the "aero" redesign of the 1990s, with the third row seat niche going to the Taurus wagon, Explorer SUV and Aerostar and Windstar minivans. Full-sized GM wagons would also be discontinued in the 1990s, with the Chevrolet Caprice and Buick Roadmaster being discontinued in 1996. The Country Squire's closest successor is the Ford Explorer (introduced in 1991). The Ford Freestyle would re-introduce the 3-row wagon as a crossover design, sans fake wood sides.
Tailgate advances
Prior to 1961, all Ford wagons used a two-piece tailgate assembly that required the operator to lift the rear window up and locking it into place via a mechanical support, and then drop the tail gate down to fully access the rear compartment.
For the 1961 Ford adopted a tailgate assembly that used a self-storing window feature which 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
In 1966, 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 seating area. The Magic Door Gate was made possible through a use of a traditional stationary hinge on the right, and combination of hinges along the doors right side which carried the weight of the gate as it swung outward when used as a door.
Both GM and Chrysler would adopt a similar configuration by the end of the 1960s. An advanced version of this was the 3-way tailgate which permitted opening the door sideways with the window up.
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