1959 Ford Ranch Wagon

1959 Ford Ranch Wagon — Pro-Street Custom Build with Small-Block V8 and Ford Cruise-O-Matic

The 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon occupies an interesting place in American automotive history. It was the entry-level model in Ford's full-size station wagon lineup that year, sitting below the Country Sedan and Country Squire but riding on the same 118-inch wheelbase platform shared across the entire 1959 Ford full-size range. What made the 1959 Ford particularly significant was its complete redesign — Ford debuted a lower, wider body that year with a bold horizontal grille and distinctive quad headlights stacked in pairs, a look that was a direct response to the fins-and-chrome excess of Chrysler and GM. The result was a cleaner, more modern silhouette that held up better over time than many of its contemporaries.

Station wagons were serious business for Ford in 1959. The Ranch Wagon was the two-door version of the lineup, which made it lighter and sportier than the four-door models. The panoramic rear window — a feature that wrapped around the upper corners of the cargo area — was a genuine selling point at the time, giving the Ranch Wagon a sense of openness that competing wagons could not match. That rear glass treatment remains one of the most visually distinctive features of this body style.

This particular 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon has been built as a pro-street custom. It is not a stock preservation piece — it is a driver built for the road, with modern drivetrain upgrades and suspension work done to make it more capable and comfortable than any factory Ranch Wagon ever was. The red exterior is sharp against the tan vinyl interior, and the attention to detail throughout the build is evident from the undercoated undercarriage to the color-matched door handles. This is a car that has been thought through, not just pieced together.

Key details
Transmission: Ford Cruise-O-Matic Automatic
VIN / chassis: C9RR131515

Offered by Skyway Classics, 10420 Portal Crossing, Bradenton, FL 34212. Taxes, title and fees not included.

Photos courtesy of Skyway Classics.