Malibu Trends: Station Wagons

I am sensing a trend toward station wagons in collector cars as well as new cars. In the collector car world we have seen an increased interest in pick-up trucks and we may be seeing a move toward a stronger interest in station wagons (or shooting brakes in the UK).

A few station wagons were collector cars from almost the beginning, like the Chevy Nomads, but most station wagons were family transportation, which were used up and eventually crushed. I grew up in the back of a station wagon and I almost never see the older ones representative of that era on the road or at car shows.

What do you think? Is there a trend toward station wagons as collector cars of interest?

Mike Gulett, Editor

Text and photos by Richard Bartholomew –

Why you need a station wagon in your stable. (Or how I learned to stop fearing the bomber and jump on the bus?)

Malibu is full of one thing if anything and that is money. California living can be expensive enough as it is but waking up to see the sun rise over the ocean back towards Santa Monica can cost some real money. It’s just a beautiful place and during the few hot months in Southern California Malibu is one oasis in the desert for any Southern Californian to beat the heat.

Fact: This money allows them to also have cool cars and multiple cars. This article explores one trend that I have noticed in Malibu while shooting pictures there near a coffee shop where these car owners happen to get their morning java on Sundays.

Station Wagons serve many purposes, they are the essence utilitarian but the Malibu trend goes further. The back section can be an area exclusively for dogs and even fenced off to preserve the rest of the car. Surfers, or lake goers, can use the back section as a changing room under a blanket. Large families with little kids and older folks might also like having a lower car with easy ingress and egress to fit everyone into instead of an SUV. With a roof rack multiple surfboards can be brought down to the sand with lots of people and supplies safely inside the vehicle. Wagons are perfect for many things.

Being Malibu not any wagon will do. As these pictures attest slick grey or black beasts with aero panels and trick lights is one look especially in the Mercedes but other makes are starting to try the look in their own way.

Another is the stock vehicle but brand spanking new “I’m the first guy on the block with this Audi.” trend. Or the “I’m the wagon you can only get in Europe.” trend. There are a few older American wagons of varying makes but not many. The few fifties forward look wagons I have seen at some shows haven’t shown up in Malibu, they are car show cars while these are ‘working’ vehicles some even try to insinuate racing prowess at least they look like they are capable.

Some of the really exotic brands have gone with SUVs lately but not station wagons and I don’t consider the Ferrari F a wagon at all, nor is the Rolls Royce a wagon per say in my opinion more SUV or a class by itself perhaps.

I am not sure of how or why the new generation has hooked onto blacked out long and low space ship like station wagons but they do look very cool and I take pictures of them with the Porsches and Mclarens etc.

You the readers decide and comment if I missed anything regarding this trend.

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

THE AUTHOR/PHOTOGRAPHER: Richard Bartholomew is an artist and photographer based in Southern California. Visit his YouTube channel here. He is open to interesting consignments and can be reached at zeroagenow@aol.com