The County Squire was born out of the shift from wood-bodied to steel-bodied wagons in the early 1950s. And would remain part of the Ford lineup for 40 years. None were bigger than the LTD Country Squires of the mid-1970s like this ’73 edition. It looks to have been used plenty over the years and needs some cosmetic TLC. But in terms of moving people, it may have plenty of life left. A tip from Gunter Kramer, this land yacht is in Scarsdale, New York, and available here on craigslist for $6,400. I’m surprised Clark Griswold hasn’t scooped it as another Wagon Queen Family Truckster!
If you wanted a top-of-the-line station wagon back in the day, the Country Squire was the way to go. After the use of real wood in wagon bodies came to an end in the 1950s, imitation woodgrain siding took over and was a hallmark of the Squire for years to come. No fewer than eight generations of the big transport were built across four decades and the Squire was finally phased out when consumer demand shifted to mini-vans and (later) SUVs.
The seventh generation of these wagons was part of the LTD series from 1969 to 1978 and the Brougham was as fancy as you could get. Even though smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles would soon dominate the American car scene, Ford built nearly 143,000 Country Squires in 1973 alone. While this edition of the CS now resides in New York, we’re told this vehicle spent much of its life in California. As a result, the paint is original (but weak) and there is no known rust on this Ford. The bumpers are both in bad shape from dents and dings, and the woodgrain paneling is well-faded after 50 years.
Under the hood resides a 400 cubic inch V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor. Not the most potent of engines for a beast this size, but maybe it’s better on gas than a 429 or 460. The interior is loaded with plenty of seats to haul the gang to and from soccer games and the upholstery seems in fine shape except for one small tear. The seller says the LTD runs but not well given that it could use a tune-up. At 106,000 miles, it’s not going to be pretty sitting in your driveway, but it will be functional with some TLC. Thanks probably okay with ole Clark.
Demo derby stop stick included? Once Imperials were outlawed from such events, the long roof wagon became the car of choice. I don’t think they lasted much longer than other cars, the long roof made it a bit less vulnerable in a rear hit. Before SUVs, before minivans, THIS was the suburban people mover. It did it all, from sheets of plywood, to sports events, and literally everything in between. Splitting hairs on gas mileage, again, gas price wasn’t a concern, only when to fill it up again. The back facing seats were a mixed blessing, it held more people, but you had to look at your irritating sibling for the whole trip. Those finned P/S coolers made their way into a variety of vehicles. I don’t see a lot of interest in these, and might want to check when the next county fair is.
The wagons were a better choice in derbies , that’s why we ran them ..
I consider myself a “Country Squire”.
The 400 was miserable on gas, to go along with being gutless. If you sprung for a 460 you got much more power at about the same guzzlement. All this car needs is a Christmas tree tied to the top!
I had a 74 Ranchero and a 78 Bronco, both with 400s, both had plenty of power, and neither was any harder on gas than anything else of comparable size.
The LTD Squire was introduced in 1968.
Country Squires were around in the 1950s
A Christmas tree on top would be as bad as a surfboard!!
I never cared much for the mil-spec ramming speed bumpers and the onslaught of molded plastic on post-1971 cars, but face it, these things are coming into their own. If you’re priced out of the established collector cars, now’s the time to get your 1970s dreamboat less’n you’re priced out of that, too within a couple years. Time flies and she ain’t gentle nor is she gracious.
Remember when Ms Griswald was in the shower.. & Clark pulled open the shower curtain 🚿 👀
I think Phoenix Graphics makes the Di-Noc woodgrain for these, a repaint would help as would getting the bumpers re-chromed or replaced. The price is a little on the high side, but it is in New York in the more upscale area of Scarsdale, so you price it for your market. In Oklahoma they go for about 1/2 the ask of this one. We had one and it was a pick up truck, people mover, softball team traveler, etc. etc. Had the 460 and I could pull 19 using the cruise control at 75 MPH with the A/C on
73 did not have the frikken UGLY big fat lip bumpers. Maybe a late 73 with the 74 bumpers? Never heard of it but who knows. Also the 400 v8 was only good for a boat anchor. ANY other v8 offered back then was a good engine, especially the 460. The 400 besides sucking as much gas as a 460 was a gutless wonder that threw timing chains. I had three that threw chains.
All 1973 cars had larger front bumpers, it was a Govt. mandate. 1974 They also had to have the larger rear bumper . Some car companies did a better job with the styling of the larger bumpers, Ford wasn’t one of them . Dont believe me ? Look at pics of a 1972 Torino and then a 1973 Torino , or a 72 Duster and a 73 Duster or a 72 Nova and a 73 Nova…etc..
5mph extended bumpers were all the same, they all looked alike, doesn’t matter who the manufacturer was.
Great memories of this era, except for the Oil Embargo of 1973. Too bad, you already bought your car, in 1973. They really did have us over a barrel. Permanently. This is a good car to have fun with, for sure. For about $3,300. Not $6,500 or even $4,500. $10,000 grand more and you can get a mint condition 1973 Ford Country Squire wagon. Doesn’t matter what engine. Buy smart folks. Yeah, have fun with this one, put a little money in it and call it a day. Good luck to the new owner, and great article!
Kudos to whoever had the courage to order a Country Squire in this color. It works much better than I could have imagined.
I had a 74 Galaxie 500. If you Google search images, mine is the one next to the railroad turntable with Maryland plates. These cars are very nice drivers and NOT as heavy as they look. Yeah handling sucked, but pillow soft on the interstate. The good part is that any of these cars performance shortcomings are easily cured for not a whole lot of loot. They LOOK a lot larger than they are.. Big Fords of that period were designed with a tall side panel section with a short glass line. This tends to exaggerate the car’s size. The most noted being the Mark IV Lincoln and subsequent Thunderbird ’72-’76. They often came in atrocious colors as well which didn’t help bring them into the next century. Lol. After playing with numerous Fords from the 60’s and 70’s I’ve since gotten bored and went back to GM. The biggest hindrance to the mileage and performance with the full sized Ford cars of the 70’s is the rear axle ratio, and the rear itself. Unless they were big block cars (which had a 9.5″ inch rear NOT a regular 9″ 2.75 or 3.00 ratio) the others had the miserable Ford 8.7″ WER rear axle. Only ratio available was 2.47 gear ratio open carrier. This was the early predecessor to the 8.8 Ford. No part is interchangeable. However, there are options to swap in several other axles with better braking systems as well as Panther based front suspension, sway bars front and rear, larger brakes, as well as rack and pinion steering. Many overdrive transmissions automatic, and manual. These cars are blank canvases. Have fun, and safe motoring!!