The above video by our friends at Petrolicious is just wonderful. They’ve managed to find someone who owns a 1987 Mercedes-Benz AMG Hammer Wagon. This is a real deal longroof built by the Affalterbach best. Someone back in the late 1980s bought a diesel wagon, then shipped that big beautiful bastard back to Germany for the full Hammer treatment. Now a 6.0-liter 32-valve V-8 engine sits under the hood in a vehicle that would be casually dismissed as nothing more than a humble grocery getter.
This is good wagon right here. It’s tremendous wagon. In fact, it sits quite high on my list of all-time great wagons. Of course the more modern E63 AMG is also up there. As is the RS6 from Audi. It’s not just Germany that makes some great wagons though, as the Buick Roadmaster and Cadillac CTS-V are pantheon longroofs.
Which wagon though… is best wagon?
I’ll accept custom answers such as the Bertone Jet and Ferrari Breadvan, but special consideration is given to full-on factory offerings. Hit me with your best shots… fire away.
Hooniverse Asks: So what's your favorite wagon?
By Jeff Glucker
Sep 6, 2017
By Jeff Glucker
Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff
W124 is very good, with 4matic (<-no l33t there, mind you) and heated seats it's a winter staple; similar merits like a Volvo 940, which just is.. more reasonable?
My personal favorite would be more quirky, such as a CX Break:
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/citroen-cx-break.jpg
The self leveling rear suspension on the S124 wagons is hydropneumatic and can use Citroen parts
Aw, man! This was going to be my choice. My grandfather had a 1979 2000 Diesel. My cousins and I would pile into the back with the dog. I remember gramps feared the ride-height lever lest the suspension should break. LOL. Badass automobile, though!
Still can be your choice – look, there’s another one!
http://i.wheelsage.org/pictures/c/citroen/cx/citroen_cx_break_4.jpg
That’s a really hard question. I wouldn’t go for wolf in sheep’s clothing as my #1 choice, because I’d rather have a perfect everyday wagon than a heavy racecar. So my choice would be a Volvo 145 Ekspress. They’re the epitome of a rational classic to me. Gigantic loading area, the extra height is very welcome for the transport of furniture, bikes, firewood or whatever you need to move. Material quality in these Volvos is outstanding, the engines are built to survive the apocalypse, and nothing is easier to drive than a cuboid on wheels, dressed in rubber bumpers.
http://www.swedespeed.com/emAlbum/albums/Cars/01%20Volvo%20(Historic%20Era)/100%20series/145/(EU)/001.jpg
While that’s lovely, I’m torn between a re-purposed 245 ambulance,
http://gomotors.net/pics/Volvo/volvo-265-ambulance-02.jpg
and a nearly theoretical 165:
https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Volvo165.jpg
The ambulance would be too top heavy for me and lacks the secobd row of seats. Also, I vastly prefer Volvo’s I4’s to most of their six cylinder engines, except for the late smooth one in the 960/S80.
The 164 is an inline like the late 960 of course – which can’t be a coincidence!
Would love to build a 164 with the six taken as far at it’ll go.. with three carbs. Though I wouldn’t object to something like the Vöx Amazon withthe I6 from the 9xx. Aand I think i found my answer to this post.
Ah, see, the lack of second-row seating is a plus in my book (no kids, don’t like having more than 1 passenger), and I’d love one for a road-trip rig. A full-on RV is too much, but I’m not much for sleeping in a tent on a road trip.
Since this is entirely theoretical, it would get a 5.0L Ford V8 & appropriate transmission swapped in!
I really like a good, solid Conestoga, but I think my favorite wagon is still a Radio Flyer 90
https://static.erowz.com/09/pimg/5/0/vi/0_VINTAGE_RADIO_FLYER_90_KIDS_RED_WAGON_MTMyMzE4MjM4MTY0_medium.jpg
The modern plastic wheels detract from the classic lines.
Did someone say ‘Conestoga’? Here’s a modded ’54
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2b8244cdcfc152ac9359ea13c4b670aedfd80c9a324650948701a04a808ff329.jpg
Spectacular.
Here are two favorites of entirely different philosophies – a 1964 Chrysler New Yorker (last of the four-door hardtops) and an Audi 200. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c63795e29591ed5dbd9fd7aec37ab4e8616994381fff65ef12da1308d2ea7e9c.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6a2b06ca43948684a30616c5d3bda6daf9bcea5773b49796975742853a54939c.jpg
I’m conflicted. Both compel equally.
1971 Ford Torino Squire with a 429 Cobra Jet.
https://assets.hemmings.com/story_image/216681-870-0.jpg?rev=2
Yes, it is factory.
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mus/2010/09/The-Reverse-Mullet—1971-Ford-Torino-Squire/3689701.html
From that article, from the owner “To be honest, it’s not really my favorite of all the cars I own.”
Come. On. He has to be forced to sell it now. Preferably to me.
It doesn’t say what his other cars are though, only one has to be ‘better’ to be the favourite.
Make mine a Safari https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/858d5b8e96b1b2eb5d67d4094f30c684aafbd5be4a883483fa5a10ff1354e5ce.jpg
Always been a fan of the plain non-R 850 Turbo from the years they called it the Sportswagon.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/1994_Volvo_850_T-5_station_wagon_%282015-07-09%29_02.jpg
that’s my answer too! i have a ’99 (V70) with the manual gearbox and the big turbo.
they’re my favorite because they strike the right balance for an enthusiast on a budget. they’re fast, look good, and carry everything, but unlike some of their contemporaries, they’re not that hard to own if you DIY: parts are cheap and the work isn’t that hard to do in your garage. everything around the engine breaks, but nothing that’ll leave you stranded, and the fundamentals of the engine are quite strong. you don’t have to go yanking it out or replacing head gaskets every three years, as you might with some of its competitors. once you take care of some PMs, the T5 is solid. mine’s at 256k miles.
might i prefer an E46 or a W124? in an ideal world, it’s certainly close. but in the real world, i wouldn’t want to own either of those long-term. (also, its durability aside, the T5 engine’s performance and upgrade path are the best of any out-of-the-box USDM wagon i can think of. if that’s your thing.)
Anything that makes handling
idiot blockssmall square bales easier is a winner in my book.http://assets.cnhindustrial.com/nhag/nar/assets/Material-Handling/sp-bale-wagons/Gallery/bale-wagon-gallery-02.jpg
Aston Martin Lagonda Shooting Brake conversion.
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–9BdGvSwR–/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/18d3s7qjst0cnjpg.jpg
That’s loooking looong.
Interesting from the front, but when you looks at it from the rear – gack! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c76b77b35d5af90f0389f988422b020bb213c1459ad70b12503eee40f17c5fb7.jpg
Yeah, that rear window looks like they stole it off a 1970s pickup truck camper top.
finally somebody calls the longroof by its proper name. Thank you!
Harrah’s Jerrari. A Jeep Wagoneer with a Ferrari V-12. He did at least 2. One with the stock Jeep body and this one with a Ferrari nose.
http://www.leftcoastclassics.com/1969_Jerrari/extras/fullbody/slides/IMG_0059.JPG
WTF kind of abomination is this? KILL IT WITH FIRE!
The “Jerrari” built by Bill Harrah when he had the casinos. He did a second one that had a standard Jeep body with a slightly lengthened front to fit the V12.
The ’69 thru ’72 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Similar vintage Buick Sportwagons also get a pass.
Good choice. I’d probably pick one of the earlier type, because they are less flabby.
First you put a rack on the roof, and then you lower it by the height of the rack? Sound plan, well executed!
Also, the flat X of the front fascia, at least from that perspective, is great.
But that “flat-x” on the nose isn’t supposed to be there. The question is whether it was accidental or deliberate. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b98860a119d75f89b8371065ae82d9c52d722d4107c5e6ef8e83b90ba6b53fa9.jpg
My, ahem, research says it’s rather a perspective thing, once the lens is under the level of the grille:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PdJqj_LHlHA/VG2BmCARSOI/AAAAAAADcqI/H_8JZb3QT2o/s1600/DSC_0096.JPG
For a genuine X-nose, here’s a good one – 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b1bcbfc49bd31eca3c83a4c251aecf374ab69e2d3605f1b4ce1bfbcec10353ce.jpg
Lingenfelter(RIP, John) ? Vista Bruiser, more like.
1963 Wagonaire Daytona – R2 supercharged engine https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ee5bf0b3793a4d7d1d28438b6fcfcdae07ddb5b15a2acaf3d5e5b1b657579faa.jpg
I don’t actively look for those, but I’d buy one on a lark.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Frx_oZSFK8/VA8ZkhczPLI/AAAAAAAAEPs/QWv-5WdsFsU/s1600/1982-Lynx-Eventer-V12-HE-16.JPG
It’s no where near the best at wagoning, but I just really want a Lynx Eventer.
Love these, although I’ve yet to see one with the optimal stance. They always look a bit low in the butt.
Better?
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/89/51/76/895176a303b161ece79f5e1367e90af2.jpg
Proper
It looks low in the butt, yes, because Lynx (strangely) chose to continue the curve of the shoulder line towards the back of the car so they could incorporate the angled slats of rear quarter window of the original car.
One of my favourites too. They made quite a few, enough that they did actual advertising…
https://i.pinimg.com/474x/f2/95/a8/f295a8c12f028e3d10e477e944097e33.jpg
http://www.exclusively-jaguar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/lynx_eventer_sep12_4.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2908/14116648485_445d3055ab_b.jpg
and they made them for quite a while, after the facelift.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Lynx_Eventer_facelift_rear.jpg
The Eventer is handsome, but I I think it looks better with the later, wide taillights. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cf8f09d8fb1ac70a2e49e7b50499cca60769e7b36f36d2cd158373a488bb612a.jpg
I think the Eventer was definitely better served by the late-period restyling than the coupe and convertible.
http://autowaffle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1963-Pontiac-Tempest-Wagon-Factory-Lightweight-421-SD-Front-three-quarter.jpg
1963 Pontiac Super Duty Tempest. 405hp 421ci V8, serious amounts of weight reduction, ran quarter mile times in the low 12s. And yes, it came like that from the factory.
Not many factory racing station wagons, cool
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/277de43e24ff3de53b9194ae4fbf30182a23f3d4feb07fe6c930073ff442bd6d.jpg
Cotton Owens Dodge “Cotton Picker” racer with lots of outside the box thinking including 100% more mid engine! Wagons are a great platform for a mid-engine setup. He was ahead of his time.
I’m honestly a little confused that other people have opinions besides GT-R swapped Stagea.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2cb54251815201c895e28580f793156d65a476e2b272aab1d0bebfbe19418a8a.jpg
I know someone who has one of these, but stock,(still with the 2.6 straight six turbo AWD), to carry his photographic gear to remote film shoots, so he uses the AWD rather than the turbo. It’s covered more than 600000 km now with perfect reliability, unlike the Audi S6 before it. He’s looking at replacing it with the next model. They are very stealthy.
https://images.cdn.circlesix.co/image/1/700/0/uploads/posts/2016/12/9db37bba8cc98a86b68d664926b13e98.jpg
http://www.j-specimports.com/lineup/images/Nissan_Stagea_M35_20.jpg
There is one of these bad-boys living in Oakville, Canada. Didn’t know what it was since it was never sold here and it’s clearly JDM with right-hand drive. Rarely am I perplexed in this manner!
That white one looks like an alternate-universe 2nd gen Subaru Forester. It’s spectacular.
Um, silly question. Is that a Skyline front end grafted onto it or did it come from the factory like this because it’s based on the Skyline platform?
Swapped. It’s a fairly common swap because the Stagea and R34 platforms are so similar that the R34 front sheet metal is nearly a direct fit to the Stagea.
Marvelous.
Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra fame had a RHD Hammer wagon that he managed to write off on a wet road due to a lack of grip. The fact that AMG could make a RHD W124 V8 when the factory couldn’t always impressed me.
My favourite S124 is the Brabus converted 7.3-48 EV12 of which more than a few were made.
Because there’s no such thing as too much power.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wzr8BJjc7JA/TUqLvidrPsI/AAAAAAAAAJM/uck1xbD6hr4/s1600/image34639%255B1%255D.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv8bNrPYKsY/UKEGzFdiwuI/AAAAAAAAFxg/EL93pLVwJlI/s1600/w124_brabus_7.3_5.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ixojNOpSCU/TmyGEY7ZUHI/AAAAAAAACAc/smHVHKMLeNg/s1600/Mercedes_s124_amg_7.3_wagon_2.JPG
HOW?????
The R129 is basically a W124 two seater, if the V12 fits in that, it’ll fit in the 124. If you’ve got lots of money, why stay with 6 litres? With the V12 being essentially two M104 sixes glued together, you just have to go with the bits that make the biggest six.(AMG’s 3.6.) Fortunately AMG and Brabus had someone willing to pay for the development work. The Sultan of Brunei wanted the ultimate in everything, cost no object, which in the eighties and nineties he could afford. He didn’t want a standard S124 body for his V12 estate, he wanted a limited production conversion on the W140 S-Class at the time.( AMG made seven). While you’re spending that much then you may as well put the C140 front on.
They made more than a few 7.2 & 7.3-48 R129s for him as well, I had the privilege of driving one a few years ago that had been imported here to NZ. On a dry road the ESR light seemed to be lit constantly. All these big V12s were LIMITED to 205 mph top speed for tyre reasons.
http://www.avto.info/f/pics/Novice/Mercedes-Benz_S73_T_AMG-Station_wagon_par_excellence_2_b.jpg
http://nast-sonderfahrzeuge.de/MB-Exotenforum/img/uploaded/image11313.jpg
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oDTjUQa3dic/maxresdefault.jpg
http://germancarsforsaleblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/B38vOBgCGkKGrHqEOKjEEySCTIMMiBMoBCUfV3_12-475×356.jpg
https://cdn.automagzz.com/mercedes-sl-72-amg-the-sultans-benz-of-bahrain/mercedes-sl-72-amg-the-sultans-benz-of-bahrain-14.jpg
http://www.oursl.com/NewsLetter/NL0710/Sultan/9.JPG
And Horatio Pagani was very happy that someone else paid for all that development.
https://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/201211/one-off-pagani-zonda-2_800x0w.jpg
“7.3” is the 0-200 kph time, and “48” is for “always 48 mph over limit, even when parked”?
Wow. superb.
It’s got to be the Humber Super Snipe for me.
Quite the motorsport pedigree too…
http://www.roadkill.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Super-Snipe.jpg
I’m conflicted between the awesome wagon-ness of the Torino/Vista cruiser mentioned and something that’d actually work on Irish roads.
https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/gallery/SUBARUImprezaWagon-2269_5.jpg
BMW E34 M5. These never made it over here, but with the 25 year rule, a few a popping up now and then. E39 m5 wagon would be better, but I’d settle.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/62e2af41142869ebfc7930a94a764ec2659359129b3a377db5e0af72f1fdd226.jpg
Must have the 3.8 +6speed.
You know, I’m not sure. Certainly the s38, but not sure if it’s the final iteration of it. Never owned an E34 M5. I did have custody of the m88 in an 85 m635 for a couple years. Engine did sound incredible.
Maybe not a favorite, but this Nissan Skyline is noteworthy. The Japanese answer to the Pinto Cruising Wagon? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8dc5caf77e6e5f990ea47062dcbd90531113eb1379e6152f1a7a79b9c8214aa5.jpg
One of the previous Skyline models, the C110, made the logical(?) conclusion that the ‘D’ pillar window wasn’t even necessary…
https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/1974-Nissan-Skyline-Wagon-Side.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f0/d1/4c/f0d14cab7c85c13b448297f5b646cc71–station-wagon-nissan-skyline.jpg
faithful to the original sketches
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/nissan-skyline-kgc110-design-sketch-09.jpg
models available
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Nissan-Skyline-C110-Wagon-Tomica-Limited-Vintage-Neo.jpg
Yes. Or waht’s the modern expresssion… YAAAAASSSS? https://youtu.be/000pZdkaEsg
Grown up in Yurp, I had to look up the Pinto – wow, it’s rare that a vehicle shouts 1977! as clearly as a PCW with stripes… Now I want one.
<img src="http://www.moto-verso.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1967_Volvo_Amazon_Concept_by_VOX_002_4157.jpg" alt="fuck yes" height="800"
I see i fucked up my html..
intense debatedisqus seemd to fix it though *shrug*Completely unrelated but our Chief BLooger needs to resurrect LAst Call or something similar. Where else am I to post? PArticularly when it comes to rnadom late night/ early morning music? https://youtu.be/SYAf3JEB7Xc
Also been stuck on this lately https://youtu.be/dU6_L1xaHnc
Not a one off and made by the factory to a ‘production’ total of seven, all for the same customer. By Pininfarina for his majesty, The Sultan of Brunei. The wagon was often seen around Knightsbridge in London, it was the consular shopping car for the Brunei Consulate in London.
Following the idea that you can do a wagon conversion of any four door car, what about making the four door first, from a two door car, and then making the conversion to a wagon, (and make seven of each.)
http://bestcarmag.com/sites/default/files/3133019L-Ferrari-456-2.jpg
http://www.coachbuild.com/2/images/encyclopedia/Pininfarina/Ferrari_456GT_Sedan/Pininfarina_Ferrari_456GT_Venice_Sedan_Brunei_Silver_01.jpg
https://a.motores.com.py/2013/10/705597_839abc9e59b7aa723b4e6df82f7f6414.jpg
At least one of the Venice Estates has been sold on to another lucky person, this green one.
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–_8YLwKQI–/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/18ax7ormtl4rpjpg.jpg
http://www.coachbuild.com/2/images/encyclopedia/Pininfarina/Ferrari_456GT_Venice_Estate/Pininfarina_Ferrari_456GT_Venice_Estate_Brunei_Blue_08.jpg
https://a.d-cd.net/614c95u-960.jpg
http://up.autotitre.com/f48koenig_v85co.jpg
Hybridizing functionality and speed.
We all know the sensible choices, so instead let’s celebrate the weird. Like the first gen Pontiac Tempest. Europe-friendly sized, light, zippy, independent suspension on all four wheels, transaxle for near-perfect weight distribution, the Buick aluminium V8 (if so equipped) is the forerunner of the long-lived Rover V8. Oh, and there was an optional roll-down tailgate window, and you can slap Buick Special or Oldsmobile F85 body panels on it. I can think of some great things to do with it, possibly involving a Corvette transmission, Corvette suspension parts and/or a TVR engine. It doesn’t even seem like a particularly outlandish undertaking considering what you can work with. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b47bb0578cbb57f199998c4a947e1df168dbb2969a558c8cd1d5c2aa519b4b34.jpg
Volvo V70R, followed by the 145S, and I reserve the right to change my mind once I get my 145 on the road again.
I need one of these. Nice custom touch, putting that nose and interior on/in a T&C.
http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/uploads/photoalbum/1977-chrysler-town-country-imperial-new-yorker-11.JPG
Wow. I am drooling.