A good few of us here at Hemmings are fans of the traditional station wagon – the kind that hasn’t really been built since the Chevy Caprice and Buick Roadmaster were terminated after the 1996 model run. Proper wagons are full-sized, with V-8 engines and rear-wheel drive, and most of the good ones were at least offered with fake woodgrain side trim.
So we were intrigued when this 1997 Ford Crown Victoria appeared in an online classified at hemmings.com, it being from the generation of redesigned big Fords that debuted for 1992, conspicuously lacking a station wagon variant. But here it is, long roof and all, and apparently ready for daily duty.
Our initial assumption was that it had been coach-built when new, and probably by one of the outfits that were seasoned in creating ambulance and hearse bodies from sedans; over the years, there have been a number of custom wagons to come from these shops, including Cadillacs like the one to be featured in the upcoming May issue of Hemmings Classic Car. The wagon portion of this Crown Vic is clearly from an early Taurus, and dipping into the Dearborn parts bin would seem a natural route for anyone attempting such a conversion.
However, looking into the accompanying photos, it seems this Vic had already had a career in law enforcement in standard P71 police sedan form before going under the knife; similarly, it was a junkyard-dwelling Taurus that donated its rear roof/greenhouse section, rather than it having been pieced together with new replacement sheetmetal.
The seller says it was constructed by a “hearse/limo shop,” and if the photos can be believed, the work appears to be of impressive quality, the merged pieces offering no hints at their splice lines. The tailgate area isn’t quite as graceful as an assembly line wagon might have been, in part because it appears that the Taurus top came up a little short, necessitating a bit of a hump where what was once the trunklid juts out a touch. Inside, there’s even a flip-up, rear-facing third-row seat, upholstered to match the others; the rest of the cargo area is also nicely trimmed in fabric and carpet, just like the factory might have done. To spruce up the exterior, it appears to car has been fitted with a set of alloy wheels from a later Grand Marquis.
Overall, it’s a pretty neat exercise in customization, offering a glimpse into what might have been, had big wagons remained in vogue back in the early 1990s. Whether or not it’s worth the asking price will have to be determined by the buyer – it’s probably going to require a hardcore blue-oval wagon devotee to step up for this what-if phantom Ranch Wagon.
See more Fords for sale on Hemmings.com.