The Dodge Town Panel and Dodge Town Wagon are respectively a

panel truck A panel truck (also called a panel delivery or pickup truck-based van) in U.S. and Canadian usage is a small delivery truck with a fully enclosed body. It typically is high and has no rear windows in the rear cargo area. The term was first used ...

and a carryall, manufactured between 1954 and 1966 in the USA and between 1954 and 1971 in Argentina by

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above ...

.Bunn, Don. Dodge Trucks. United States: Motorbooks International, 1996. The Town Panel and Town Wagon trucks were based upon the design of the Dodge C Series pickup trucks with round fenders and wraparound windshields. Even after the Dodge D Series "Sweptline" pickup trucks with square fenders and flat windshields were released, the Town Wagons retained the 1958 sheet metal design of the C Series pickups and heavy-duty trucks. They were produced until 1966, when the Dodge A100 Commercial and passenger vans eliminated the need for the pickup chassis version.DeLorenzo, Matt. Dodge 100 Years. United States: Motorbooks, 2014. A passenger sport utility version of the Dodge D series truck was not again developed until the third generation D Series based

Dodge Ramcharger The Dodge Ramcharger is a large sport utility vehicle built by Dodge from 1974 to 1993, based on a shortened-wheelbase version of the Dodge D Series/ Ram pickup truck chassis. A Plymouth version, named the Plymouth Trail Duster, offered from 1974 ...

, a competitor to the Chevrolet Blazer.

Town Panel

The Town Panel truck was introduced in 1954 along with the other Dodge C Series trucks. At the 1954 Chicago Auto Show, a golden Town Panel truck in a "jewel box setting" was used to celebrate the 50th (golden) anniversary of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association. The new Dodge Town Panel styling was heavily promoted. It proved to be popular with local delivery companies, such as

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curre ...

. The Town Panel had no windows or seats behind the driver and was a commercial-use vehicle. It was designed to protect loads from weather and pilferage. Dodge previously had built panel delivery trucks on their Dodge B Series and older truck chassis prior to the Town Panel, but did not specifically market them separately.

Town Wagon

The Town Wagon was introduced in 1956. It was a passenger version of the Town Panel with rear passenger windows. It had two bench seats and upholstery for a passenger vehicle. It was competitor with the

Chevrolet Suburban The Chevrolet Suburban is a series of automobiles built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The name started in 1934 for the 1935 U.S. model year, making it the longest continuously used automobile nameplate in production. It has tradi ...

, a station wagon body built upon a truck chassis. The Town Wagon, along with truck-chassis wagon competitors from Chevrolet, Jeep, and International, were precursors to the

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definiti ...

. As American cars were built lower to the ground to run on newer highways and interstates, sportsmen needed higher-riding vehicles to go onto more primitive roads. Dodge would not market another 5-door SUV until 1998 with the

Dodge Durango The Dodge Durango is a mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by Dodge in three generations starting with the 1998 model year. The first two generations were very similar in that both were based on the Dodge Dakota and Ram Pickup, both ...

Town Wagon Power Wagon

1965 Dodge Power Wagon W-100 Town Panel (35108020066)

The Town Wagon in factory four wheel drive configuration was called the Town Wagon Power Wagon.Ackerson, Robert C.. Standard Catalog of 4 X 4's: A Comprehensive Guide to Four-wheel Drive Vehicles Including Trucks, Vans and Sports Sedans and Sport Utility Vehicles, 1945-1993. United States: Krause Publications, 1993. It was offered starting in 1957. The Dodge C Series Vehicles were given the W-100 designation for their now available half ton four wheel drive versions. It had a higher stance and large fender flares. It gained a "Power Wagon" fender badge, along with its W series "Sweptline" pickup variants, linking it to the Dodge Power Wagon WC300 "Military Type".Dodge Builds Tough Trucks, 1963 Dodge Truck Sales Promotion Department, Detroit, Michigan

References

External links

Another Town Wagon and Town Panel Page
*https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/car-of-the-week-1965-dodge-town-wagon *https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/11/25/hemmings-find-of-the-day-1962-dodge-w100-town-wagon {{Dodge 1950s cars Cars introduced in 1954 Town Panel Vans Sport utility vehicles Station wagons