The Ford Parklane is a

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

that was produced by

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

for the 1956 model year. In line with the

Chevrolet Nomad Chevrolet Nomad is a nameplate used by Chevrolet in North America from the 1950s to the 1970s, applied largely to Station wagon, station wagons. Three different Nomads were produced as a distinct model line, with Chevrolet subsequently using the n ...

, the Parklane was a premium two-door station wagon, combining the body of the two-door

Ford Ranch Wagon The Ford Ranch Wagon is a station wagon which was built by Ford in the United States 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 th ...

with trim elements of the Ford Fairlane sedan. For the 1957 model year, the Parklane was succeeded by the

Ford Del Rio The Ford Del Rio is a full-size, six-passenger station wagon that was produced by Ford in the United States for model years 1957 and 1958. The model was also marketed under the name Del Rio Ranch Wagon. Description The impetus for the creation ...

; similar in concept to the Parklane, the Del Rio was added to the Ranch Wagon model line. The nameplate returned (as two words) for 1958 in the Mercury division, denoting its premium sedan line; the

Mercury Park Lane The Mercury Park Lane is a full-sized automobile that was produced by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. While not officially introduced as the replacement of the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, the Park Lane became the flagship of the Mercur ...

was produced through the end of the 1960s.

Model overview

The Parklane is a two-door station wagon, sharing its bodyshell with the Ford Ranch Wagon. To distinguish the model line, the Parklane received the stainless-steel bodyside stripe of the Fairlane (otherwise reserved for three-row Country Sedans). While the roofline was shared directly with the Ranch Wagon, the B-pillar was trimmed in stainless steel (a design element loosely adapted from the Fairlane Crown Victoria). The model line introduced several advanced features for the time, including a fully-carpeted interior (including the cargo area) and a privacy cover for the cargo area. As a $60 option, the Park Lane was offered with 4-way front power seats. In line with other Ford station wagons, the rear seat of the Park Lane folded completely flat, forming a single flat load surface. The Parklane shared its powertrain offerings with other Ford station wagons. A 223 cubic-inch inline-6 was the standard engine, with a 292 cubic-inch V8 (shared with the Thunderbird) was offered as an option. The 11-inch drum brakes introduced for 1955 were fitted to the model line.

Epilogue

Although a 1957 Parklane prototype was assembled, Ford withdrew the model line after a single model year. Coinciding with the release of the 1957 Ford model family, Ford repackaged the Parklane as the Ford Del Rio. While similar in concept, the Del Rio was more closely integrated within the Ranch Wagon model range. As the 1950s progressed, two-door station wagons began to fall out of favor; though offering the same passenger capacity as a four-door wagon, two-door station wagons restricted rear-seat passenger access. Purchased primarily for utilitarian use, the market segment of two-door station wagons saw little demand for high-feature vehicles (which appealed to families). While more widely recognized than the Parklane (in part from its concept-car derived design), the Chevrolet Nomad was outsold by the Parklane by nearly two-to-one: 15,186 Parklanes were produced in comparison to 7,886 1956 Nomads.John Gunnell, Standard catalog of American Cars 1946-1975, Revised 4th Edition, page 396

Notes

{{Ford Parklane Station wagons Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States Cars introduced in 1956