50's British Ford wagon on Craigslist

http://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/1373143462.html

This has got to be rare. A little 56 English Ford squire wagon in Kentucky on Craigslist.

 

at one point in my ilustrious past...i had 2 of the Squires, 7 Thames(panel versions),and 3 Anglias!!...can you say OCD?
...still have my 58 Anglia and 59 Thames

 

Yup...It's rare...And English looking...

 

So is that one the 9-passenger version?

 

I believe this Squire is the twelve passenger version. 3 passengers in the front bench seat, three passengers in the rear bench seat, two each in the pair of center facing seats in the cargo area, and this one I believe has the two optional folding jump seats attached to the back of the front seat.
lol.

 

twelve munchkins...

 

and 2 on the roof

 

If you count the roof top seating ( or what the British refer to as a "double decker" when mass transit vehicles are so equiped), then you should probably also count the two that can stand alongside on optional retractable running boards. This arrangement is only suitable for short trips however, as the extra weight of the two standing on the running boards, when combined with the weight of the twelve inside on the lower level and the two on the upper deck, has been known to cause the engine to overheat. On the plus side though, it is especially convenient to have two standing on the optional running boards when appraoching a hill, as they can easilly hop off to help push the fully laden Squire wagon up the hill, and easilly jump back on for the downhill side.
However, a wagon of this type, fully loaded with passengers should not be used in an especially hilly area, as the tiny drum brakes were prone to fade under such use, creating a memorable and exhilerating experience for the passengers on the down hill runs.

 

Maybe we can find some old movies of the tests they ran in that configueration......

 

I think I read somewhere that during filming of the tests on a narrow country lane, the camera and film were destroyed when the test vehicle, fully laden with 12 company executives and engineers inside, two on the upper deck and two on the retractable running boards, careened down a small hill after the brakes faded, and the car (or the passenger on the running board on one side, took out the camera). Though no film evidence remains, two major design flaws were discovered. Design flaw #1. At speed on a curve, if the passenger on the running board on the inside of the curve is suddenly gets knocked off by , say, a motion picture camera on a tripod on the side of the road, then handling is adversly effected. Apparently the sudden removal of the weight on the one side, would cause the center of gravity to pitch in the opposite direction. This, combined with the shifting weight of the remaining occupants towards the outside of the curve, can cause those passengers on the upper deck to be shot like a cannon from the car. In extreme conditions it could even cause the car to turn over. In such an extreme condition, it was hoped that the person remaining on the other running board would have the presence of mind to step off the running board of the speeding car before it tipped over on him. Design flaw #2. Its well known that ford was the first in promoting safety in their new cars at a time when safety didn't sell. 1956 was the year that Ford offered seat belts as a safety option and was the first major auto maker to do so. The test vehicle Squire was so equiped. But space was a little cramped inside for the twelve occupants, and after the test run, it was found that none of the 12 occupants inside the car had the room to move around enough to unbuckle the seat belts and extract themselves from the car.
Though not considered a design flaw, it was also later determined that either the brakes would need to be improved if the vehicle was to be used regularly for that size payload, or the number of passengers the vehicle was rated for would need to be reduced to four.

 

Jim, are you a reporter/writer? Good story!

 

Me? Write? No, I sell office furniture. But, I'm only 49. I've been looking for suggestions on what I should do when I grow up. Thats a great suggestion! Thanks for the compliment. Usually, in search of suggestions, I ask little kids what do they want to do when they grow up. But astronaut and professional football player just don't seem to be realistic goals at this point, I don't have the right education to be a doctor, and I'm not sure I would want the job of President of the United States (though I guess I'm qualified for the job).

 

Remember when we were kids in school? And teachers would tell us that "In America,anyone can be President" The best thing about the W Presidency? "If that guy can be President IT"S TRUE! Anyone can be President."

 

Just wait. I'm starting to think the new guy is going to prove himself to be much, much worse.