Ford’s two-door Ranch Wagon had proved very successful in its first few years on the market. After all, the Blue Oval’s arch competitor, Chevrolet, had only four-door wagons, allowing the Ranch Wagon to comfortably hold its own against Plymouth’s two-door Suburban and Savoy. Chevrolet’s upscale 1955 Nomad, however, posed a clear threat, as Ford had no prestige two-door wagon to contest that part of the market.

For 1956, Ford made sure that they had a competitor ready. A truly unique model like the Nomad was out of the question on such short notice, so Ford reached into the parts bin and put the Fairlane’s “check mark” side trim on a Ranch Wagon. A designer interior was installed, including carpeting from front to rear, even on the load deck, although it was protected by bright metal slide strips. The folding rear seat had a bold chrome accent, which was adapted from the Sunliner Convertible.

The Parklane offered here was the recipient of a frame-off restoration, and it features beautiful, straight bodywork, excellent panel fit, highly polished bright metal trim, and a highly detailed engine bay. The striking two-tone paint scheme of Bermuda Blue and Diamond Blue matches the color codes on the trim tag, as does the medium blue vinyl and woven acrylic interior. The finish is beautiful, with no imperfections to speak of, and the interior appears to have never been sat in, with new carpets of the correct type also installed. Even the door panels are in superb condition. The dashboard gauges are crystal-clear and set in an excellent dashboard. The original windshield was left intact, and while its frame shows minor pitting, it shows how nice an original car this was prior to its restoration. Indeed, the 56,201 miles recorded could well be actual mileage from new.

In keeping with the Parklane’s image as a “glamour wagon,” this car has just about every available option, including power steering and brakes, a Ford-O-Matic transmission, a heater, an AM radio, front stone guards, stainless rocker moldings, rear fender skirts with stone guards, a windshield visor, and “nerf bar” bumper guards. The wheels are shod in wide whitewall radial tires and are trimmed with stainless hubcaps.

This is an exceptionally nice example of one of the rarest wagons of the 1950s.