Station wagon ambulances

[Anthony J. Rzucidlo]

I would say that its a Ford. I would guess the year of the vehicle to be a 1965 or 66.

[Tony Karsnia]

Here's another photo taken by my dad ca. 1968 when he worked for Brenny's Granite City Ambulance Service in St. Cloud, MN while attending St. Cloud State University. This is a 1965 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon.

[Russell Street]

Replace the 184 with a 176 Beacon, add red lights in the high beams, throw a Q on the roof and you've got your basic P&S rig from Akron, Ohio in the 1960's.

[Steve Loftin]

A-1 Ambulance (Waco, TX)
1970 Vista Cruiser

(SL collection)

[Steve Loftin]

Here's a matchbook cover from my collection. I'd love to find a better photo of this 1962 Mercury Amblewagon someday!

[Skip Goulet - Deceased 1945 - 2018]

Steve: Do you know what the other ambulance in the background is in the A-1 Waco photo? I've seen pix of this nice VistaCruiser before. Baker Ambulance in Odessa had a nice '67 Dodge ambulance that had come from Waco, but I'm not sure if it was from A-1 or someone else.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread, and as Steve well knows, I grew up with the stationwagon ambulances: particularly here in the Midland/Odessa area of West Texas. For more than 20 years I managed a small standby ambulance service in Lubbock; and during that time we had our share of stationwagons and short-wheel-based coaches such as Consorts and Oldsmobile Sevilles. Of that assortment, one of my most favorites was a 1965 Olds VistaCruiser wagon that had originally come from Airline Amblance in Corpus Christi. It's my understanding that this car had been specifically built as an ambulance. The rear seat had been removed and replaced with a ramp for the gurney to roll on, with the original jump seat retained. The car also had a large 100-amp alternator. When we bought it, it had been stripped; but you could see where the original Q, lollipops and beacon had been. So we were able to go back with the same setup. This was a fine ambulance in its day.

Anyone reading this thread who has pix of stationwagon and Suburbans ambulances that were manufactured by Gordon K. Allen Co., I would appreciate your emailing copies to me. I am working on an article about this co. and would appreicate anything you might have. Thanks.

[Steve Loftin]

Originally Posted by Skip Goulet

Steve: Do you know what the other ambulance in the background is in the A-1 Waco photo? I've seen pix of this nice VistaCruiser before. Baker Ambulance in Odessa had a nice '67 Dodge ambulance that had come from Waco, but I'm not sure if it was from A-1 or someone else.

From what I can see of it, I'd guess a 1965-68 MoPar of some sort...so it's probably the '67.

[Paul Steinberg]

This is the first 1962 Pontiac station wagon ambulance picture that I have seen where the car is sporting built in tunnel lights. Only wish that there was a full frontal view of this car.

[Steve Loftin]

Abernathy F.H. (Crescent, OK)
1965 GKA/Chevrolet

[Steve Loftin]

Originally Posted by Paul Steinberg

This is the first 1962 Pontiac station wagon ambulance picture that I have seen where the car is sporting built in tunnel lights. Only wish that there was a full frontal view of this car.

While not a station wagon ambulance (the raised roof makes it a SWB limousine-style ambulance, whether built from a wagon or a stripped chassis), here's the best I can do. These tunnels were used by Comet and then C/B from '58 through '62. This particular car was shot in a salvage yard on US 34 near Elmwood, NE in 1992:

(SL photo)