1964 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser: Where the action is!

These days, with Hemi-powered Dodge Magnums serving double duty as grocery-getters and tricked-out hot rods, the classic “station wagon” body style is far from obsolete. And that car owes much of its success to the large and powerful wagons of yesteryear. Back then, the big three each had their own competing versions of the popular family hauler.

One guaranteed attention-grabber is the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. This icon of Sixties suburbia had a Rocket V8 under the hood and room for eight, along with that smooth GM style no modern minivan could ever hope to match.

The Vista Cruiser (along with its cousin, the Buick Sportwagon) was introduced at the February 1964 Chicago Auto Show and it was in Olds showrooms soon after that. Basically a stretched version of new-for-1964 GM midsize Cutlass wagon, the V8-powered Vista Cruiser featured a long 120 inch wheelbase and an optional forward-facing third seat. But what got everyone's attention was the raised rear roof with the tinted glass panels. The innovative feature increased rear headroom as well as cargo space, but, more importantly, it just looked great, kind of a "mini-me' version of those wonderful GM Streamliner trains of the 1940s and Greyhound SceniCruiser buses of the 1950s.

First-generation Vista Cruisers were built from 1964 through 1967, with the usual Cutlass-flavored styling updates every year (and, hey Detroit, we sure miss those annual model changes).

A sleek new, slightly larger generation of Vista Cruisers appeared for 1968, still with that beautiful Vista roof, but now boasting even sleeker lines, more luxurious interiors and larger V8 engine options.

Which one's better ? Either version is a great find, and considering that Oldsmobile built more than 350,000 Vista Cruisers from 1964 through 1972, they're a surprisingly rare sight today.

Well, maybe not so surprising. The average station wagon had a harder life than most cars, and we're glad to see wagons are finally being appreciated for their beauty as well as their functionality.

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