The Ford Mustang lineup is expanding
Recently, all sorts of news and rumors have been making the rounds about the ever-iconic Ford Mustang. Some reports suggest that a four-door Mustang sedan is in the pipeline. Others, including a story by our very own Max Taylor, indicate that a hybrid Mustang is also reportedly in the works. Whether we’ll ever actually see a hybrid Mustang or a four-door sedan variant is entirely up in the air, but considering the fully electric Mustang Mach-E’s immense popularity with American buyers, it’s not at all surprising that Ford’s executives have their minds set on expanding the Mustang lineup. So, perhaps in a bout of caffeine-induced eccentricity, I’ve been plagued with the desire to imagine a variant of the Ford Mustang that, instead of appealing to the masses, appeals to a far less grounded group of individuals: car enthusiasts.
Ford
That is, I’ve imagined what a contemporary Mustang could look like as a station wagon, but not just any station. No, I’ve imagined it as a spiritual resurrection of the long-lost Ford LTD Country Squire (and, let’s not forget its twin sibling, the Mercury Colony Park), fitted with wood panels, a V8 engine, and all the other necessary attributes for a fitting revival. Now, I’ll freely admit that not all car enthusiasts are the kinds of people who spend their afternoons daydreaming about family station wagons draped in old-school wood cladding, and that, of course, in society’s current fashion cycle, a vehicle like this would more than likely appeal to almost no one.
Ford
Ford
Ford
That being said, fast station wagons are rapidly regaining popularity, even in North America, with notable examples such as the Audi RS6 Avant and the BMW M5 Touring leading the resurgence in station wagon appreciation. Retro nostalgia is similarly popular, with prominent examples such as the Toyota Land Cruiser and Ford Bronco drawing off their respective models’ storied heritage to move units off of showroom floors. So, then, judge me and my silly Mustang Woody Wagon renders as you will, or enjoy them as the richly enthusiastic results of a weary daydream that they are. Using Midjourney 7.0 and Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, I take an imagined look at what a revived, Mustang-based Ford Country Squire Woody Wagon could look like, also speculating about its potential features and specifications. These renders are purely fictional and do not depict any actual Ford products.
Ford
Why the Country Squire, of all things?
Land-yachtish, wood-clad family station wagons seem like long-lost relics of a bygone era these days, despite the visually striking yet firmly practical body style being a staple of the 20th-century American automotive landscape. Almost every major American automaker offered one at some point throughout the 1900s. Jeep gave us a few under the Wagoneer nameplate, plenty of Buick wagons found themselves draped in lacquered walnut, AMC offered Pacers and Eagles in Woody Wagon guise, and Chrysler sold both minivans and station wagons with the iconic wood cladding, among others.
Ford
Over the course of 41 years, from 1950 until 1991, Ford sold wood-clad station wagons using the Country Squire nameplate, which denoted its positioning as a top-level model within its respective lineup. Wood panelling was once considered a “premium” feature, and it’s easy to see why. Its natural warmth added plenty of charm to the exterior styling of Ford’s station wagons, and made for an overall more inviting and richer visual sensation. Nowadays, many people unfortunately view wood panelling as a dated and irrelevant styling element, but I have a feeling that’ll change sooner rather than later.
Ford
There is, of course, a cyclical nature to fashion and design. Just as the grainy picture quality of old-school film cameras and the crackly musical imperfections of traditional vinyls have become increasingly popular as a response to society’s general push towards mass digitization, I believe automotive woodgrain cladding deserves to be considered with the same high regard. It would, after all, be a fitting response to a similar push towards the contemporary digitization of automobiles, and the general lack of stylistic charm that has forced many modern-day critics to question whether we are in the midst of another automotive “malaise era.” So, even if it is just an overly romanticized vision of a vehicle that’ll likely never exist, I figured I at least had to envision what a new Ford Country Squire might look like.
Cole Attisha Using Midjourney 7.0 & Gemini 2.5 Flash Image
This is what it could look like
Pretty sweet, huh? I mean, it’s nothing wildly new or radical. What you see pictured above and below is, essentially, just a 60th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang with an extra pair of doors and a roofline stolen from the Ford Explorer. Still, there’s no denying that it looks mighty whimsical and spectacularly American at its core, regardless of how you feel about its wood panelling. A cream white Ford Woody Wagon looks good in any stereotypical, old-school American setting, whether it be on a beach with a matching wooden surfboard strapped to its roof racks, or towing a chromed horse trailer through a well-kept farm ranch, or even cruising along an interstate highway packed to the brim with children and suitcases.
Cole Attisha Using Midjourney 7.0 & Gemini 2.5 Flash Image
Under the hood, there’s no question that the Mustang GT’s 480-horsepower naturally aspirated 5.0-liter Coyote V8 would be a fitting continuation of the historically V8-powered, rear-wheel driven nameplate as well as a properly intriguing modern performance station wagon. Alternatively, the hybridized powertrain that Ford is reportedly developing for the Mustang could also be a fitting addition to the model, combining efficient performance with the frugal nature of a family-oriented station wagon. We still aren’t sure whether the Mustang’s potentially upcoming hybrid technology will be integrated alongside the legendary Coyote V8, or if it’ll be paired with a smaller, turbocharged engine, or perhaps even a brand-new power plant. Regardless, a performance-oriented engine paired with the fuel-sipping efficiency of a hybrid system would be a welcome addition to this imaginary wagon.
Cole Attisha Using Midjourney 7.0 & Gemini 2.5 Flash Image
Final thoughts
If you’re still reading this, then maybe you’re like me, and you wish that auto manufacturers would put the same level of heart and soul into their products that they once did. Even if you aren’t a fan of wood-panelled station wagons, there’s no denying that such charming quirkiness is sorely missed in contemporary automotive design. I’d love to see more creative styling elements, such as wildly unconventional wood panelling, find their way onto more modern vehicles. Perhaps that can only come from automotive executives giving less control to their bean counters and more to their engineers and stylists, which would mean a culture of calculated-risk-taking behavior from even the highest powers in corporate chains of command; something that’s just as unlikely to ever happen as the revival of the Ford Country Squire. Oh well. A guy can dream, I guess.
About the author
Cole Attisha
Staff Writer, Autoblog