The 1953 Willys Deluxe 685 Station Wagon holds a unique place in American automotive history as one of the first true all-steel station wagons and a direct ancestor of the modern SUV. Willys had introduced the all-steel wagon in 1946, replacing the traditional wood-bodied ""woody"" wagons that had been standard for decades. The 685 designation referred to the Willys model series, and the Deluxe trim level added additional comfort and convenience features. Available with both two-wheel and four-wheel drive, the Willys wagon offered genuine off-road capability combined with practical family transportation " a combination that no other manufacturer offered at the time. The 1953 model featured Willys's reliable F-head four-cylinder engine, known for its durability and torque. The wagon's boxy, upright styling was purely functional but has aged remarkably well, and today these early Willys wagons are recognized as the progenitors of the entire sport utility vehicle segment. This example represents a fascinating piece of American automotive history.
