Against the Grain: 1983 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible Woody

 There was a time from the 1930s through the 1950s when wood was used to augment automobile body panels. In the 1960s, actual wood was phased out in favor of decals and plastic inserts, presumably for ease of manufacture and safety reasons. By the 1980s, faux wood grain paneling had degenerated from simulation to near caricature. This is perhaps best exemplified by the Chrysler Woody LeBaron of the 1980s. Find this 1983 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible Woody sale in Brady, NE for $4,750 via craigslist.

1UZFE V8 Swap: 1980 Toyota Cressida Woody Wagon

The third generation Toyota Cressida (1976-1980) was part of Toyota's Mark II family of sedans, and featured a Jaguar/Mercedes style front end unabashedly plastered onto a plain vanilla Japanese econobox body.  It looked like the 70s equivalent of what comes out of the Chinese automakers these days, and the woody version looks like a 7/8ths scale Ford Fairmont wagon...not that there is anything wrong with that.  Find this 1980 Toyota Cressida Woody Wagon offered for $8,000 in North Bend, WA via craigslist.  Tip from Karl.

10k: V For Verbose: 1949 Buick Super Woody Wagon Could Be Redone As A Gorgeous 1949 Cadillac, Oldsmobile 98 or Buick Roadmaster

This morning, DT's resident Buick lover, Hunsbloger, sent me a message.  It was short.  Something was wrong. Hunsbloger is never short.  Hunsbloger is so wordy, he can't send text messages, let alone tweets. His family Christmas cards unroll onto the ground like Santa's list. I always wear adult diapers when we go to car shows together where there might be a Buick present because he is gonna rattle off worthless interesting facts until Pontiac is brought back from the dead.  Not the brand, but the frozen head of Albert Hamilton Pontiac the 3rd is resuscitated by some unknown futuristic technology.  Not today.  Today the message was "Something wrong.  No words." The DT brain trust initiated Emergency Protocol Number 7 and started scouring the internet for clues to Hunsbloger's sudden onset of mute-ism. And then it came.  Words flowed like a dam had ruptured at the headwaters of the river Styx and we were powerless against the onslaught.  Knowing there was only one way to fix our fallen comrade, I forwarded the link for this 1949 Buick Super Woody Wagon Could Be Redone As A Gorgeous 1949 Cadillac, Oldsmobile 98 or Buick Roadmaster currently bidding for $8,400 reserve-not-met with 5 days to go. And then the reply:  "He has sucked all of the words out of the universe.  I'm depleted, I need to rest, to store up.  Its like a wizard who has performed too many spells in one day, and I need a booster."  Hunsbloger was back, but will he ever be the same?

2k: Woody: 1978 Toyota Cressida Wagon

The Toyota Cressida was the US Market equivalent of the Toyota Mark II and combined classic Japanese driving experience with a Jaguar/Mercedes-esq front end.  If you think a long roof Cressida will attract hipsters, checkout this woody version --it's like a fishook covered with vintage hats, great for snagging a bearded dude in skinny jeans.  A stock Cressida/Corona Mark II won't be the fastest car around, but for the price of admission it offers a level of cool that is unmatched by much from Japan from the era. Find this 1978 Toyota Cressida Wagon offered for $2,600 in Happy Valley, OR via craigslist. Tip from Mike.

5k: Subsonic Woody: 1983 AMC Concord DL

 This Concord is not a supersonic passenger jet, but a replacement for the AMC's outgoing compact Hornet and mid-sized Matador.  The Concord was released in 1978 during the height of the domestic downsizing, by the struggling AMC.  It was designed with an emphasis on luxury to lure buyers from the big three and invading Japanese competition.  As the smallest US OEM, AMC had the most to fear from the impending boom of the reliable, efficient and inexpensive Japanese economy car. The Concord survived until 1983 as AMC slid farther into abyss of the alliance with Renault and later acquisition by Chrysler.  Find this 1983 AMC Concord DL offered for $3,995 buy-it-now via ebay, located in Rainbow City, AL with 17 days to go.

5k: Lancia Powered: 1969 Morris Minor Traveller Woody Wagon

The Morris Minor was an economy car that was sold in huge quantities (over 1.2 million) from 1948 to 1972 built by Morris Motors Limited in the UK.  It would be easy to mistake the Minor for an Austin Mini imitator (family sedan built in large quantities, many variants available, old styling lasting for decades), but the Minor is much larger and used a front-engine rear drive setup instead of the Mini's front-front.  Today's Minor Traveller (wood framed station wagon) could easily be mistaken for another old slowmobile, but it has some major improvements under the hood.  Find this 1969 Morris Minor Traveller Woody Wagon with Lancia power offered for $6,995 in Minneapolis, MN via craiglist.

5k: Wood and Green: 1972 Ford Ranchero

Ford did the "business in the front, party in the back" two years before Chevy made it cool with the El Camino. Actually, both ran their respective nameplates well into the '80s before gas-guzzling V8 two-seater pickups, like the mullets they embodied, became very uncool. Find this original, two-owner 1972 Ford Ranchero Squire on ebay in Arlington, TX with a current bid of $5,400, reserve not met.  Words and tip from DT commenter/contributor slowcarSLOW-MPGlol.

5k: Ford-Front-Ended Woody Beach Bopper: 1973 VW Super Beetle Custom

The Volkswagen Beetle seems to be converted into all kinds of crazy stuff and every time we turn around someone has created something a bit more odd than the last one.  This one is really hard to describe in words, so we are just going to let the pictures do the talking.  Find this 1973 VW Super Beetle Custom with Ford front-end, Woody Beach Bopper for sale in Jacksonville, FL currently bidding for $1,626 reserve-not-met with buy-it-now of $4,200 via ebay with 1 day to go.

1k: Eagle i Thrust Hammerhead Brougham: 1929 GM-Based Hand Made Wood Truck

If you've ever had a burning desire to drive around in something that looks like a mobile sauna, we've got a treat for you today.  The building material of the day is wood, and we aren't talking about something as subtle as wooden-frame Morgan or garish like a faux wood sided wagon...no...this is  entirely custom bodywork, built from varnish covered dead trees.  It is as if Canadian superstar handyman Mike Holmes has joined the cast of Top Gear BBC and helped them build an Eagle i Thrust Hammerhead Brougham Edition.  Find this 1929 GM-Based Hand Made Wood Truck for sale in Dayton, OH currently bidding on ebay for $355 with 6 days to go.

5k: Brougham Sandwich: 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser Brougham Woody Wagon (V8, Minty Clean, 46k miles)

Nothing gets the DailyTurismo staff excited like lime green on top of wood grain, except Oldsmobiles...or wagons...and anything with a Brougham emblem, making today's combination rarer than getting hit by lightning while playing miniature golf.  Put your putters away and start imagining yourself putting around in this 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser Brougham Woody Wagon with V8 in mint condition, for sale in Grand Island, NY currently bidding on ebay for $2,025 with 8 days to go.

10k: 1952 Nash Rambler Greenbrier Wagon; A Bathtub Woody

The Nash Rambler is no stranger to the pages of the Daily Turismo; it exudes vintage style and can be purchased without taking out a second mortgage.  The bathtub nickname was given because all four wheels had full covers and the body resembled an upside-down tub.  This 1952 Nash Rambler Greenbrier Wagon is bidding on ebay for $8,400 with 10 hours to go and located in a garage with some interesting wall 'art' in Roseburg, OR.

10k: Phoebe Hearst's 1985 AMC Eagle 4x4 Limited Wagon

Celebrity-owned cars usually command a premium over regular used vehicles driven around by the rest of us plebeians and bourgeoisie scum, even when they aren't in especially good condition, or aren't especially rare or otherwise valuable. Whether value is driven up by interesting back stories or hordes of rabid fanatic stalkers who want to sit in the same seat as their favorite star, we aren't sure. We also are not quite convinced this feature vehicle qualifies as celebrity owned - but it was at least owned by one of the richest people in the world, so that's something. We're referring to this wonderfully malaise-y brown and fake wood paneled 1985 AMC Eagle 4x4 Limited station wagon, formerly owned by Phoebe Hearst Cooke, granddaughter of ultra-powerful media magnate William Randolph Hearst. It's for sale here on ebay in San Luis Obispo, CA for $8990 Buy it Now with bidding near $2,500 at the time of writing.

10k: 1956 VW Beetle Wagon: The People's Woody

Apparently we here at DT like to feature unusual versions of one of the most utterly common vehicles of all time. We haven't yet featured a standard Volkswagen Beetle, but we did make jokes at the expense of an electric Karmann-Ghia project, an open-air Type 2 Bus with Pinto power, a Thing, and a Beetle/Fiero/trike monstrosity. Not ones to muddle with a good thing, we'd like to continue this parade of oddball rear-engined Germans with a So-Cal surfer style custom "woody" wagon that we are inexplicably drawn to. Perhaps it's because this is the cheapest classic woody we're ever likely to find? Check out this 1956 VW Beetle woody wagon in San Diego, CA here on The Samba classifieds for $12,500 "or trade for Porsche Speedster kit car."