Back in the day, those seeking outdoor adventures may have called upon the station wagon as one means to lug their gear to their travel destination. So, let’s take a step further back in our latest edition of This or That by offering four dream garage options from the immediate postwar station wagon market, when such cars were still built with a healthy amount of lumber. Commonly called woodie wagons, they are among the few vintage cars that are icons of the industry and pop culture alike. Here’s a closer look at some that Detroit offered, all of which are currently available in the Hemmings classifieds.

1947 Chevy Woody Wagon, 350 crate engine, 330hp, power steering, AC/heat, 700R4 transmission, new paint, great driver, eye catcher, award winning car.

Let’s start with Chevrolet. Although the division began offering the all-steel Suburban Carryall in 1935, regular production woodie station wagons didn’t technically appear until 1939. We say ‘technically’ because wood-bodied wagons from Chevy had been available through its dealership network on a special-order basis, with bodies furnished by a number of independent suppliers, such as the Springfield Body Company and Hercules Products.

Like others, Chevrolet’s station wagon production were among the last models to be resumed after the end of World War II. Offered only on the upscale Fleetline series, just 804 were produced as 1946 models, but that number jumped to 4,912 units a year later, this 1947 Fleetline among them. Costing $1,893 new (or $22,626 today), it originally contained the division’s svelte 216.5-cu.in. six-cylinder, which was rated for 90 hp; however this stock-appearing “woodie” has been warmed up a bit with modern mechanical enhancements.

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• Buick
• Chevrolet
• Hemmings
• Oldsmobile
• Pontiac
• station wagon
• Woody