Why were they called station wagons?

That is the question I was asked,and after I thought about it,I realized I didnt know, until I looked it up.
Am I the only one here who didnt know this?
Read the history part.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_wagon#History

 

i knew that

 

Probably not. One isn't born knowing everything.

 

That's cool! I love learning stuff like this.

I heard that GT (i.e. Mustang GT) means Grand Touring - anyone know if that's true?

 

That is true.

And GTO: ", which was DeLorean's idea, was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO, the highly successful race car. It is an acronym for Gran Turismo Omologato, Italian for homologated for racing in the Grand tourer class. The name drew protest from purists, who considered it close to sacrilege."

 

yes GT is for Grand touring on the Mustangs and Torinos . I had a 68 torino GT and on the inside of the door panels grand touring was embossed in the panel

 

Also, "dash boards" and "running boards" were originally made of wood.

 

Couple years ago at a SEMA show breakfast, Carroll Shelby told the story that his 'GT 500' he and his team created for Ford got the '500' after the GT because they wanted to name it 'GT something' and something that went with the 'GT 350' name. It was 500 foot walk between the the two buildings they primarily developed the car. Someone suggested '500' because of the common joke among the team about, "I'm gonna go walk the 500 (to the other building)"...Carroll said he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Done, it's the GT 500" He went on to say they had the previously named GT 350 simply sounded good, joking some say it's horsepower, etc.... He may have been kidding, but I like to think the story is true....simple often wins.

 

and floor boards.

 

Stoughton wagon= station wagon? suppose?

 

cool. i never heard that or really thought about it before.

 

bump

 

English gentlemen drove a shooting brake. Bentley, RR, Alvis, AM, Jaguar and others built them

 

The early ones were referred to as Depot Hacks and marques like Packard elevated them to Estate Wagons.

 

'41 Packard Wagon

 

So then, what actually is the dash board? While we think it's that instrument panel, it isn't. The dash panel, or dash board, is what we commonly refer to as a firewall. You probably won't find the OEMs referring to it as a firewall. In the history it was mentioned about seeing more station wagons in affluent areas. This was true in a few places along the eastern sea shores. You used your "station sedan" to go to and from your yacht. Back then your yacht had a crest and it was also affixed to some portion of the car. A way to determine who was out in the water by the crest on their car and of course the boat gone. Wagons give me wood...

 

In German the word for fender is "Kotfluegel." Dating back to the early days of the auto when horses left manure all over the roads, the word "Kotfluegel" roughly translates to "Shit Wing."

"Damn it Fritz, I crumpled the shit wing on my Mercedes!"

Okay, I know that doesn't have anything to do with Station Wagons necessarily, but I just thought of it and how often do I get the chance to pass on that important information?

 

Impressed the "Kot" out of me.

 

Well, you learn something new every day. I always thought GTO stood for Garbage Truck Options.
Had a brand new '66. Factory lemon (?), by far worst pile of crap I ever owned. Finally got the dealer to buy it back. Bought a used '64 Dart GT. No problems with that car. Drove it from Connecticut to California. Several times the GTO wouldn't make it from my house to work...

 

You my friend are not right mentally! HRP

 

I know Danny! It all started with Victoria Martin in 6th grade. I was crazy about that girl and haven't been right since.

 

The dashboard is more akin to the toe board, rather than the firewall.

For those who do not know: On carriages, carts, wagons, etc. it is the board that keeps rocks kicked up by hooves from hitting you.

 

A little story about the first car I painted: During the second war, the Navy took over Texas A&M. My Father was a senior Chief and taught Radio there. He had a heart condition, so we lived in the college presidents house that had a garage. The Sailors had a station Wagon that needed to be varnished, so my dad let them use our garage. When they were finished, they left the 1/2 can of varnish and the brush. My Dad parked our 1941 Plymouth coupe in the garage, so naturally, I (3 years old) Painted the Plymouth as high as I could reach.

 

back in grandpa's day, a resort or hotel would use them to pick up guests at the railroad station, much like hotels use vans today at airports.

 

only German word I know is "Gudentite" = means virgin

 

Because stage coach was already used?