Woodie Wagon Day – July 20, 2024

History of Woodie Wagon Day

While the woodie wagon was famous during the time it was invented, many from the current generation barely know anything about the car. A woodie is basically a station wagon of which the bodywork is made of wood instead of steel. Initially, furniture makers and carpenters made woodies as a side business and the cars were called ‘depot hacks.’ The custom-made depot hacks were used as small buses by resorts until automobiles gained popularity across the U.S.

Once woodies became famous, they started being mass-produced by companies such as Ford. The cars were even used in famous Hollywood movies during the peak of their popularity.  However,  though the car was in demand, production was low since the woodie was hard and costly to make. In fact, to increase production, Ford began growing and cutting its own trees. Since woodies became expensive and hard to maintain, their demand also drastically decreased by the 1950s. In 1949, Plymouth built the last woodie called the Streamliner Wagon. Around 1,000 models were produced and the wagon was officially discontinued in 1950. 

After steel cars started being developed, the use of woodies decreased. By the 1960s, woodies were used by surfers to transport their boards to the beach. Today, woodie wagons are often displayed at car shows and museums. In 2010, George Barris created a woodie version of the Smart Fortwo, whereas GM also displayed a prototype woodie version of the Chevrolet at the Paris Motor Show in 2010.