The Ford Parklane was a car

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 produced by the Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 in the United States for one year only, 1956. Launched to compete with the Chevrolet Nomad

Chevrolet Nomad

The Chevrolet Nomad was a station wagon model made off and on from 1955 to 1972, and a Chevy Van trim package in the late 1970s and early 1980s, produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors...

, it was a two-door station wagon

Station wagon

A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...

, based on the Ford Ranch Wagon

Ford Ranch Wagon

The Ford Ranch Wagon was a station wagon built by Ford Motor Company from 1952 to 1977. The Ranch Wagon was a full-size model, except in 1963 and 1964, when it was part of the intermediate-size Fairlane series, and represented the lowest-priced selection in its respective line.- 1952-1962 :In the...

, but unlike that low-end workhorse model, it was tricked out with all the fittings of Ford's top-end Fairlane

Ford Fairlane

- Automobiles :* Ford Fairlane , a car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company between 1955 and 1970* Ford Fairlane , a car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1959 and 2007- See also :...

 models of that year, including the distinctive stainless steel side 'tick' and a well-appointed interior.

As a Nomad competitor, it was a successful one, since 15,186 were built in comparison to 7,886 of the competition. The problem was that neither figure was particularly impressive; the Nomad (based on a Chevrolet concept car of 1954) wasn't doing all that well even before competition came over the horizon.

Two-door wagons in general have proven rather hard to sell; those who need the carrying capacity of a station wagon normally carry passengers and want easy access to those rear seats. A low-end model like the Ranch Wagon appeals to a market segment who primarily want the vehicle for its hauling capacity but occasionally need to carry people, but a higher-specification car isn't what those buyers need.

A prototype for a 1957 Parklane was built, but instead Ford produced the slightly downmarket Del Rio

Ford Del Rio

The Ford Del Rio was a full-size, six passenger station wagon produced by the Ford Motor Company in the United States for model years 1957 and 1958...

as their 1957 two-door station wagon, making the Parklane a single-year only model, and quite a rarity.

The Nomad, being based on a concept car, was always better known, but its main reason for fame - its use by surfers needing a vehicle to haul their boards around - came only after both cars were long discontinued. Surfers, although the perfect market for such a vehicle, never tended to buy new.