Woody Estates
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Discussion

Keep it stiff

Original Poster:

1,850 posts

202 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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I have to confess that I have always had a bit of a soft spot for the look of the classic American woody.

I was reading this Wiki item recently, I find it interesting that such a strong styling trend in the US never really translated over here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodie_(car_body_sty...

Moggy and Mini travellers of course, Ford flirted with the Cortina/others, was that pretty well it for the UK?


Allan L

799 posts

134 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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The real wooden-bodied estate car/shooting brake/??? was quite widespread in the UK but you have to go back to the pre-unit construction era when cars could be supplied as rolling chassis.
The Morris Minor was a bit of a half-way house but wooden estate cars could be had from Alvis, Bentley, Daimler/Lanchester, Ford, Healey, Lea-Francis, Rolls-Royce and others.
The fashion for adding external bits of wood to unitary construction steel estate car bodies must have appealed to someone but shouldn't be confused with real wooden bodywork.

//j17

5,057 posts

252 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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If you want something cheaper/more 'modern' (/probably harder to find!) then back in the 80's we had a Datsun 180B estate that was a bit "70's/80's US Woody (i.e. stickers).


john2443

6,540 posts

240 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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Keep it stiff said:
Moggy and Mini travellers of course, Ford flirted with the Cortina/others, was that pretty well it for the UK?
Minor was wood framed, mini was wood fixed to a monocoque shell.

I think the Minor was the only one produced in volume, the original ones built as shooting brakes would have been one offs.



Turbobanana

8,316 posts

230 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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john2443 said:
Keep it stiff said:
Moggy and Mini travellers of course, Ford flirted with the Cortina/others, was that pretty well it for the UK?
Minor was wood framed, mini was wood fixed to a monocoque shell.

I think the Minor was the only one produced in volume, the original ones built as shooting brakes would have been one offs.
Then there was the original Clubman Estate, with a strip (plank?) of faux-wood applied down each side.

lowdrag

13,181 posts

242 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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How about this Jaguar XK150? Transformed for his dogs and shotguns, and always kown as the "Foxbat".


a8hex

5,832 posts

252 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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lowdrag said:
How about this Jaguar XK150? Transformed for his dogs and shotguns, and always kown as the "Foxbat".
Ha, you beat me to it. I'd been waiting till I got out to my main PC to hunt out the photo I'd taken of the poor put upon thing. Only I can't find the photo now. Not the greatest woody conversion and not the greatest thing anyone has ever done to an XK. But once you've seen it, you can't unsee it.

Teamred

35 posts

90 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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The reason they were built in the UK was that they were judged to be commercial vehicles and thus avoided the heavy taxation that 'domestic' vehicles attracted at the time because the Government was desperate to boost exports to get the country back on its feet again following WW2.

Dapster

9,401 posts

209 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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I'd love a go in one of those hideous faux wood mid 80's land yachts like the Chevvy Caprice. So bad they're good!


Keep it stiff

Original Poster:

1,850 posts

202 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
quotequote all
Dapster said:
I'd love a go in one of those hideous faux wood mid 80's land yachts like the Chevvy Caprice. So bad they're good!

My thoughts exactly!

That XK is a good effort although it looks like they gave up on trying to create appropriately stylish lines between the original roof and the extension.



restoman

1,011 posts

237 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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This looks good. As the P4 has a separate chassis you could build something like this under the 'rebody' rules so no need to worry about BIVA.

Dapster

9,401 posts

209 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
quotequote all
//j17 said:
If you want something cheaper/more 'modern' (/probably harder to find!) then back in the 80's we had a Datsun 180B estate that was a bit "70's/80's US Woody (i.e. stickers).

The one that sticks in my mind was the 280c with the twin rear wipers!


TypeR

1,196 posts

268 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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The traffic cop that taught me to drive used to turn up occasionally in an old Rolls Royce with a Woody body.
I'll try to dig out a photo.

john2443

6,540 posts

240 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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OP...here you go smile

Woody Reunions

a8hex

5,832 posts

252 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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Keep it stiff said:
That XK is a good effort although it looks like they gave up on trying to create appropriately stylish lines between the original roof and the extension.
I always thought that it looked like a MorryThou traveller stuck on the back of an XK150, it doesn't look any better in the metal I'm afraid. The join between the curvy roof of the XK and the flat of the back is jarringly obvious, a Lynx Eventer it is not.

The other well known modified XK150 is this one



Which is completely off topic as its not a Woody

dontlookdown

2,491 posts

122 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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lowdrag said:
How about this Jaguar XK150? Transformed for his dogs and shotguns, and always kown as the "Foxbat".

I have always thought that the Foxbat's creator had a good idea - a woody XK could have looked great. But the execution wasn't up to the concept. Just looks like the Traveller rear was bolted on rather unhappily.

Alfa101

68 posts

168 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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Turbobanana

8,316 posts

230 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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Am I doing this right?

threespires

4,465 posts

240 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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A selection:-

Bradford Shooting Brake being built in 1947

Same car today

Armstrong Siddeley Whitley Shooting Brake

Austin A40 Shooting Brake

Austin A70 Hereford Shooting Brake

Fordson Shooting Brake

Alvis - Austin 16 - Unknown Shooting Brakes

Escort3500

13,452 posts

174 months

Wednesday 10th February 2021
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Not a proper woody, but I was never a fan of Ford’s early ‘60’s effort



Edited by Escort3500 on Wednesday 10th February 19:18