Ford Parklane

Ford Parklane
1956 Ford Parklane station wagon
Overview
Production	1956
Body and chassis
Class	Station Wagon
Body style	2-door station wagon
Related	Ford Ranch Wagon Ford Fairlane
Powertrain
Engine	223 CID "Mileage Maker" 1bbl. 137 hp (102 kW) I6[1] 292 CID "Thunderbird" 4bbl. 200-202hp V8[2]
Transmission	3-speed manual[1] Ford-O-Matic automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	115.5 in (2,934 mm) [2]
Length	197.6 in (5,019 mm)
Width	75.9 in (1,928 mm) [2]
Chronology
Predecessor	Ford Ranch Wagon
Successor	Ford Del Rio

The Ford Parklane is a car that was produced by Ford in the United States for one year only, 1956. Launched to compete with the Chevrolet Nomad, it was a two-door station wagon, based on the Ford Ranch Wagon,^[2] but unlike that low-end workhorse model, it was equipped with all the fittings of Ford's top-end Fairlane models of that year, including the distinctive stainless steel side 'tick' and a well-appointed interior. An AM radio was $100, while the 4-way power seats were $60.^[2] Brakes were 11" drums.^[1]

As a Nomad competitor, it was a successful one, since 15,186 were built in comparison to 7,886 of the competition.^[3] The problem was that neither figure was particularly impressive; the Nomad (based on a Chevrolet concept car of 1954) wasn't doing all that well even before competition came over the horizon.

Two-door wagons in general have proven rather hard to sell; those who need the carrying capacity of a station wagon normally carry passengers and want easy access to those rear seats. A low-end model like the Ranch Wagon appeals to a market segment who primarily want the vehicle for its hauling capacity but occasionally need to carry people, but a higher-specification car isn't what those buyers need.

A prototype for a 1957 Parklane was built, but instead Ford produced the slightly downmarket Del Rio as their 1957 two-door station wagon, making the Parklane a single-year only model, and quite a rarity. Starting in 1958, the name ("Park Lane" separated by a space) was used for the top-line Mercury series.

The Nomad, being based on a concept car, was always better known, but its main reason for fame - its use by surfers needing a vehicle to haul their boards around - came only after both cars were long discontinued. Surfers, although the perfect market for such a vehicle, never tended to buy new.

Notes

1. "Directory Index: Ford/1956 Ford/1956_Ford_Wagons_Brochure". Oldcarbrochures.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
2. Flory, Jr., J. "Kelly" (2008). American Cars, 1946-1959 Every Model Every Year. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-3229-5.
3. John Gunnell, Standard catalog of American Cars 1946-1975, Revised 4th Edition, page 396