Shelley Andrews' 1957 Ranchwagon

Station wagon is a term that's disappeared from Detroit's carmaker lexicon, because, as anyone in the Motown marketing community will tell you, station wagons just aren't cool.
However, forget about selling this notion to Shelley Andrews. She says she thinks her '57 Ford Del Rio wagon is about as cool as it gets.
Thousands drew their own conclusions on that opinion at the 2005 Detroit Autorama show, where Andrews' Ford was part of a 10-car hot wagon roundup -- "Longtops 'n' Tailgates" -- organized by Chuck Miller, a semi-retired paint and body man who is a legend in local custom car circles.
Miller spotted the car in August 2004 at a Michigan International Speedway custom car meet and invited the owner to participate in his Autorama circling of wagons. The owner at the time -- Jim Prowse of London, Ontario -- planned to sell the car, so Miller's invitation became part of the deal.

Andrews and her husband, Dennis Krupnow, acquired the car in October via the Internet and accepted the invitation.
"I wasn't really looking for a wagon," says Andrews. "I was looking for something from 1955 -- that's when I was born -- and I was thinking about a Chevy.
"But the Ford was so cool! I loved it right away."

While the wagon has obviously gone to a good home as a member of the Andrews-Krupnow collection in Romulus, MI -- the fleet includes four other custom hot rods, housed in an array of garages flanking their home -- the credit for its restoration and subsequent custom work goes to Prowse.
Prowse found the car near Amarillo, where it had been slowly blending itself with the Texas prairie red clay for about 25 years.
He took it home to Ontario where he first restored it, removing most of the chrome in the process. Then he added hood louvers, recessed or "frenched" head and taillights, a custom grille, and a two-tone orange pearl and Mercedes silver smoke paint job.
The original 5.1-liter V8 gave way to a robust 7.0-liter V8, one of several big-block torque monsters Ford offered in the '60s and '70s. An automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels. The car has been lowered about 2 inches, an effect visually enhanced by a set of side exhaust pipes.
By 1999, it was ready for the street.

 

  
The only modification Andrews and Krupnow have made to the wagon is the addition of a set of wheels from American Racing.
Although the wagon -- one of 46,105 Del Rio models made in '57 -- is obviously show-worthy, with a value of about $30,000, Andrews intends to put it to work.
"We drive all our cars," she says. "And I can use the wagon in my business."
Andrews, it turns out, is a small-scale car dealer. Literally.
She and her husband are partners in Attic Treasures & Collectibles.		  
Andrews likes to have names for her cars, and as the countdown ticked toward Autorama, she came up with one for her new ride.
Dolores. Inspired by the late Dolores del Rio, the Mexican actress whose film career spanned five decades.
Considering the wagon's model name and this car's Texas heritage, it's hard to think of a better moniker.
"I didn't have a cool car when I was growing up in Toronto," says Andrews. "So now I'm making up for it."
   
Shelley Andrews sits in her 1957 Ford Del Rio wagon at her home in Romulus, MI. She says she wasn't looking for a wagon when she bought it in October 2004.

 
                   Article by TONY SWAN
Detroit Free Press Special Writer