The “woodie wagon” has long been an iconic part of American automotive culture. Motorized work vehicles and eventually station wagons with real wood sides made their debut in the early 20th century and the trend continued today, at least in terms of style and design, with the imitation vinyl side stripes found on cars like the PT Cruiser. The AACA Museum’s upcoming exhibition, Ash and Maple Marvels: Wood Bodied Cars 1910 to 1953 will explore this subject with a 25 vehicle display that covers the entire history of wood as the actual structural exterior finish elements in the body of the car, truck or station wagon (as opposed to steel). This trend began with early work trucks and became more mainstream with the debut of the Ford Model T “Depot Hack.” When used to finish the exterior of a vehicle, wood offers a beautiful and unique surface that is both expensive to construct and costly to maintain. The use of wood was employed by all the major automotive manufacturers to one degree or another up until about 1950. Most auto enthusiasts are familiar with the “woodie” wagons offered by Ford, but this exhibition will also showcase outstanding examples from Pontiac, Buick, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce and Pierce-Arrow, among others. Ash and Maple Marvels will also highlight early commercial vehicles that employed wood as a structural element along with the Chrysler Town and Country, probably the best-known wood-bodied convertible ever built. The exhibition concludes with the 1953 Buick Station Wagon, the last production vehicle to employ a true wooden structure. The exhibition will run from September 24, 2010 through January 31, 2011.