W Is For: 1955 Willys Wagon vs 1955 Woodill Wildfire

Welcome back! Today we’re up to the letter W, and I’ve got two heavily modified 1950s classics for you to look at. One you’ve no doubt heard of, the other is probably new to you. I know it was to me.

Yesterday’s cars were familiar to all, and in one case, that familiarity seems to have bred some contempt. Those of you who said that the VW Jetta is probably in worse shape than indicated are almost certainly right. I know VWs of that era pretty well, and that one is not worth dealing with all the likely heartache of putting it back to rights. If it were a Scirocco, I could probably be convinced to tackle it anyway, but it’s not.

That leaves the Volvo, and it took home a well-deserved win. I’ve seen some really haggard 240s being sold for the same money as this one. I know most of you would rather have a wagon, but personally I’ve always been fond of the 240 sedans, and besides, the wagons are starting to command silly money. This looks like a fair price for a rock-solid car.

Modifying a car is always a little dicey, especially if you intend to sell it. You can’t go too far down the path of personalization, because it still has to have broad enough appeal to find a buyer. But here’s the strange thing: sometimes you have more leeway with a rare car than with a common one, because everyone knows what the common one is supposed to look like. One of today’s cars is reasonably common and has been tastefully and respectfully updated for modern roads. The other, I couldn’t even tell you what’s stock and what’s not – but it looks cool as it sits. Let’s check them out.

1955 Willys Jeep Station Wagon – $25,000

Engine/drivetrain: 318 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Torrance, CA

Odometer reading: 16,000 miles (probably rolled over)

Operational status: Runs and drives great

During World War II, US soldiers fell in love with the Jeep, and after the war, Willys took full advantage of that by immediately introducing civilian versions. But a tiny, open-topped 4×4, as useful as it can be, is not the answer to every automotive question. Enter ace industrial designer Brooks Stevens, who designed a simple, all-steel station wagon that echoed the Jeep’s famous styling, but could be made easily and cheaply. It was the first all-steel station wagon, and Willys sold a ton of them. This wagon dates from 1955, after Willys had been bought out by Kaiser.

This wagon would have originally been powered by a Kaiser flathead six, but this one has had a bit of an upgrade, from a 318 cubic inch 1962 Dodge “Poly” V8. It’s backed by a Torqueflite automatic with push-button controls, and powers a Chrysler 8 3/4-inch rear axle. The front suspension comes from a Ford Mustang II, a common upgrade for hot rods, and probably the Mustang II’s greatest claim to fame.  The seller says it runs and drives great, and is a good highway cruiser.

The interior is largely stock, and nicely restored. The transmission’s push-button controls and parking lever are nicely incorporated into the stock steel dash, and I would imagine that stock-looking radio is anything but. It doesn’t have air conditioning, but a couple of the photos show a period-correct window-mounted “swamp cooler,” which is better than nothing.

The body was restored and repainted in 2012, and it looks great. And kudos to the seller for keeping tall-sidewall tires on it, instead of some ridiculous low-profile nightmares that don’t suit it. I think I might have gone for wide whitewalls instead of the BF Goodriches, though.

1955 Woodill Wildfire – $36,900

Engine/drivetrain: 396 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD

Location: St. Ann, MO

Odometer reading: unknown

Operational status: Runs and drives great

Here’s a new one on me. The story goes that Blanchard Robert Woodill, a Dodge and Willys dealer in California, proposed the Wildfire to Willys, but new owner Kaiser wasn’t interested, so Woodill decided to produce the car on his own. Only three hundred were built, mostly sold as kits, and it’s estimated that only about 25 survive. The Wildfire is also a first, when it comes to body construction: it was the first fiberglass-bodied car, beating the Corvette by a few months.

I found two Wildfires for sale, and neither one is anywhere close to original. This one has been modified with a Chevy 396 big-block from a C2 Corvette, and also features Corvette front and rear suspension. It has a Turbo 400 Hydramatic transmission with a ratchet-style shifter, power steering and brakes, and a big aluminum radiator to keep everything cool. The Corvette parts were originally installed in the 1970s, but the whole car was restored in 2013. The ad is full of terms like “investment potential,” and I get the feeling that this car hasn’t been driven much, but I think it deserves to be.

The interior is all custom, with black leather seats and an engine-turned aluminum dash. I can’t decide whether I like it or not. It’s different, that’s for sure, but I think I’d prefer wood. Of course, I’d prefer a four-speed manual in something like this, too, but you can’t have everything.

It has been customized outside too, but of all the photos of other Wildfires I found online, no two looked exactly the same. That’s typical of a low-volume, hand-made car, especially one that was so often sold as a kit; builders put their own stamp on such cars all the time. This particular Wildfire seems to have been featured in quite a few places; I’m actually surprised I haven’t run across it before. But hey, that’s part of the fun of this job, finding cool stuff I didn’t know existed.

I imagine these are probably both a little old for a lot of you; hell, they’re a little old for me too. But I can appreciate well done customs of any age and any style, and these two are definitely well done. Which one is more your speed?