We’re not prone to getting massively excited by station wagons at crankandpiston. In the arena of performance and power, where horsepower meets torque and tyre smoke duals with lunatic dynamism for a place in our hearts, a 1940s Oldsmobile with wooden rear bodywork has something of an uphill battle.

David Fetherston might not agree. Indeed, the American author has recently finished work on the 400-page Classic Woodys, which documents the history of the ‘woodie’ car body style.

David’s clearly done his research. The book photographically chronicles not only the design’s significance to the Fords, Buicks and Batnams of this world, but also the resultant cultural fascination. Dealers who refurbish and renovate broken-down woodies to this day, for example, get their moment in the spotlight in Classic.

What’s really swung us though is the elegance with which this coffee table odyssey has been put together. To protect the hardback within, the $495 asking price also gets you a protective wooden cover that replicates the tailgate of a woodie station wagon.

Nice touch. Just watch out for splinters.