1923 Buick Station Wagon Cantrell Body 🇺🇸

Buick cars were available with two engines in 1923, a four cylinder mounted on a 109 inches wheelbase, and a six cylinder mounted on 118 or 124 inch wheelbases. Production reached an all-time high with over 200,000 cars built, good for a third place in the production race, just behind Ford and Chevrolet. All models had a more modern look, thanks to the use of new crowned fenders, drum headlights and wire spoke wheels. Some chassis were sent to outside suppliers to be fitted with a wood wagon body, like this car, that was purchased by the Nicola Bulgari Car Collection in 2015. The J.T. Cantrell & Company in Huntington, NY, installed its Suburban wood body on a six cylinder 124 inch roadster chassis, with side curtains and seating for seven. It was purchased from a seller in Maine whose family acquired the car from the first owner in 1957. The seller recalls traveling to Vermont with his father to retrieve the vehicle, and then bringing it back to life. The car is all-original (except for a small piece in the rear that was replaced) as one of few, if any, 1922/23 wood-bodied station wagons with original wood.

Company
General Motors

Wheelbase
124in

Interior trim
black leather and wood

Brakes
front and rear drums

Make
Buick

Length
202.5in

Engine
inline 6 - 242cid

Tires
32x4.5

Model
Cantrell Station Wagon

Width
74in

Carburetor
1 Marvel T4

Original Price
N/A

Body style
4-door Sedan

Weight
3750lbs

Horsepower
75hp @ 2800rpm

Production
201,572

Model year
1923

Exterior paint
Maroon with black fenders

Transmission
Sliding gear 3-speed manual

Wood has played a fascinating part in the development of the automobile. In the beginning it was an essential element for fuel, wheels, framing and bodies. As the automobile evolved, wood became less essential, since it was abandoned as a power source by 1910, but continued to be used structurally until the early fifties. The evolution of the station wagon began with the “Express Body”, a light truck vehicle that was soon modified into the “Depot Hack”, a commercial express body with added seats. Its function was to transport a small number of passengers from the train station, located outside the city, to the city. As they grew in popularity, the depot hacks became more refined, with more comfortable seats and with side curtains, to protect the passengers from the elements. As the demand increased, some furniture manufacturers converted their facilities to build woody bodies. The automobile companies began shipping car chassis direct to the body builders, who in turn shipped the finished product to the dealer. One of the earliest wagons offered by a car manufacturer was the 1912 Buick Wagonette and Express, equipped with opposing bench seats which could be removed, an oiled duck canopy roof and roll-up side curtains. It could carry 7 or 8 passengers in relative comfort. In the late teens, the train depot gave way to the train stations, and the depot hack became known as the station wagon. By 1920, a fair number of station wagon body builders had emerged, names like Cantrell, York, Martin-Parry, Ionia, Springfield, and Hercules would become synonymous with station wagons. The bodies were getting more refined, with better construction and more creature comforts, and most builders had models catering to the more affluent customers, who used the wagons solely for pleasure. By the mid-twenties, the aftermarket industry for wood-bodied station wagons had expanded to dozens of new manufacturers, yet none of Detroit’s car companies were offering a production station wagon model.

In 1922, the Durant Motor Company presented the first production station wagon, with bodies supplied by outside companies, assembled and fitted at the factory, and delivered as finished wagons to the dealers. Buick had the same idea and introduced its Combination Passenger and Express wagon later that year. The Buick, which sold for $935, featured bodies built by Cantrell or Martin-Perry, shipped to the Buick factory by rail, assembled on the chassis and then sent out to dealers. The sales brochures depicted the station wagon as “the perfect vehicle for the southern estate or the winter vacationist in the south. Light, sturdy and comfortable, it is designed to withstand the hardest usage on all sort of roads. It accommodates seven passengers or, with the seats removed, a surprising amount of goods and luggage”. The station wagon industry continued to grow, with many suppliers providing bodies to the automobile manufacturers. Then, in 1929, Ford decided to explore this relatively new market, offering a station wagon version of its popular Model A. The body was provided by Murray or Briggs, was mounted on the chassis at the Ford factory and then distributed to dealers all around the world. The price was decidedly cheaper than the various custom-built cars, and this allowed many customers to take advantage of the versatility of the station wagon concept.