The Ford Ranch Wagon is a station wagon which was built by Ford from 1952 to 1974. The Ranch Wagon was a full-size model, except in 1963 and 1964, when it was part of the intermediate-size Fairlane series, and represented the lowest-priced selection in its respective line.
In the early 1950s, the era of the wood-bodied station wagon was coming to an end. When Ford introduced a redesigned line of cars for the 1952 model year, its Country Squire continued to cater to buyers who still wanted a station wagon with the look of wood (attained by applying simulated exterior wood decals, which were framed in genuine wood through 1953).
But for other wagon buyers, Ford also gave them two new choices that year, the first all-steel wagons in the firm's history. These were the Country Sedan, a four-door model in the mid-range Customline series; and the Ranch Wagon, which was a two-door model in the economy Mainline series, inspired by the European-term shooting-brake. The Ranch Wagon ran with either the standard "Mileage Maker" six-cylinder engine or the long-familiar flathead V8, which was optional.
After receiving mostly cosmetic changes for 1953, a second Ranch Wagon model, a slightly fancier version in the Customline series, was added for 1954, the year Ford's new Y-block V8 replaced the flathead unit. The two models were renamed Ranch Wagon and Custom Ranch Wagon for 1955, when the entire Ford station wagon set became a series of its own. For 1957, the Del Rio Ranch Wagon was introduced (replacing both the Custom Ranch Wagon and the Parklane), sporting special ranch-pattern upholstery. That same model was the basis for the new 1957 Ranchero, and a Mercury version called the Mercury Commuter which was a hardtop inspired wagon without a "B" pillar.