Studebaker Wagonaire

The Studebaker Wagonaire was a station wagon built by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from 1963 to 1966. Its distinguishing feature was a retractable sliding rear roof section that let it carry items too tall for a conventional wagon of the era, and Studebaker boasted that it could carry a standard refrigerator upright. The roof was the invention of industrial designer Brooks Stevens, whom company president Sherwood Egbert had asked to widen the range without spending heavily on retooling, and it was fitted to the existing Lark wagon body. Early roofs leaked near the front of the slider, which tarnished the design, and a fixed-roof wagon sold for 100 dollars less. Wagonaires seated six, or eight with a rear-facing third seat that was available through 1965. The design has been noted as possibly the first crossover vehicle.