AMERISUD-USCCNormandy-V8Forever

The biggest thin I remember about them is how thin the cushion was for the third-row seat, how the big hump for the differential intruded there, and how the spare tire well in the right-rear quarter panel always got rusty because it hung down below the bottom of the quarter panel. I also remember that our ’72 had a manual tailgate – there was a lever like the ignition lock around the heyhole in the back. When you turned it, the tailgate would drop like a rock, and to close it, you had to grab a handle in the trim in the middle of the tailgate and yank it up with all your might. At our mom’s insistence, the ’74 and ’76 cars had electric tailgates! I also remember how the fold-down seat to get into the third row was two parts – the bottom folded forward and the back folded down. Then a mad scramble to get in. We went on a lot of summer vacations in those cars! - See more at: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2008 ... 6yRlP.dpuf

On all fullsize GM wagons, the window for the clamshell door was power operated, however the gate door itself could be had in either manual on Chevrolet models or power assist in Pontiac, Oldsmobile or Buick brand cars. The manual style door quickly lost favor because of the effort required to lift and swing the heavy door up from is storage area; sales tapered off after the 1972 model year and electric assist all but became standard. This was the first power tailgate in station wagon history. This system was large, heavy, and complex, and was never adopted for any other car manufacturer.