1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster
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One of the last of the wood bodied station wagons manufactured by Fisher Body for the Chevrolet Division of General Motors for the 1948 model year. Fisher Body produced the wood bodies for Chevrolet and Oldsmobile from 1946 to 1948 only. Two colors were available for these vehicles from the factory: Oxford Maroon and Live Oak Green. The maroon color was the more popular choice, so fewer examples survive in the original Live Oak Green. Based on statistics from the National Woodie Club, it is estimated that less than 100 1948 Chevy 'woodie' wagons are in existence today, out of only 10,171 produced. The bodies are framed in ash with mahogany side panels and were factory finished with varnish as a protective coating. The wood bodied wagons were labor intensive to build by hand and were discontinued in favor of all-steel bodies during 1949. Wood bodies require high maintenance when exposed to weather, and as these wagons aged, few received the care required which accounts for the low survival rate. These wood bodied station wagons when equipped with three rows of seats from the factory were chosen by buyers such as hotels and educational institutions to transport more passengers than the...