Supercharged muscle cars may, on the surface, seem like a fairly new concept, with the likes of the modern Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and the Mustang GTD utilizing blowers to maximize their punch. Likewise, fast wagons seem to have exploded in popularity in the last few years, pioneered by the Porsche-developed Audi RS2 and Volvo T-5R in the '90s. But what if we told you that back in the late '50s, Ford was producing a model that combined the power of a supercharger with the practicality of a family-friendly wagon bodystyle?Even more extraordinary, this early Blue Oval superwagon used tech that was being homologated directly for the racetrack, giving it a true racing pedigree. The best bit is that this powerful wagon has all the friendly, unoffensive styling of a Wurlitzer jukebox, so you could probably call it a sleeper too. This is the story of a pioneering model from Ford that seems long forgotten... The F-Code Country Sedan Wagon Is A Supercharged Sleeper Mecum In the '50s, American car sales were booming. In the postwar years, the automotive sector was creating ever more daring models, with fins, chrome, and more color than the "Enchantment Under the Sea" high school dance. Throughout this decade, it is estimated that 58 million cars were sold, and American carmakers were in their stride. But while these flashy automobiles looked like a Burger Chef on wheels, behind the scenes, the Big Three were locked in a battle to translate racetrack success into showroom sales, with the mantra "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" ringing in their ears. The Supercharged V8 Was Designed For NASCAR Homologation MecumBut for the race cars to help the road cars, it had to work initially the other way around. The big manufacturers realized that they could homologate new engines and tech for the new race series called NASCAR by making 100 road cars for retail. Chevy had introduced a fuel-injected 283-ci V8 for this reason, and Ford had the same idea.For the 1957 season, the Blue Oval decided upon a supercharged 312 Y-Block V8, which would come to be known as the F-Code, on account of the fact the first digit of the VIN on these cars is an 'F'. These cars could be ordered with a McCulloch/Paxton VR57 centrifugal supercharger. Interestingly, Ford made this mill available across the range, including the innocent-looking Country Sedan wagon. Other models from '57 that were fitted with the unit included the elegant Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner and the The Performance Of Ford's Supercharged V8 Is Impressive Even By Today's Standards MecumThe idea of fitting a souped-up V8 into a family wagon was pretty novel in 1957. Yet here was the Country Sedan, a mid-range Ford station wagon that had been introduced in '52 and was already on its third generation by '57, with this lump under its hood. The Country Sedan with a supercharged 312 had a healthy 300 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque.For an interesting comparison, the aforementioned Audi RS2 Avant, seen by many as the godfather of super wagons, has 315 horsepower and 302 lb-ft of torque from its turbocharged 2.2-liter five-pot engine. F-code Fords weren't just fitted with power-sapping autos either, with a choice of three-speed stick shift or automatic available.Mecum Official performance figures are hard to come by for the Country Sedan F-Code, likely because of its rarity, but this modified F-Code 1957 Ford Custom two-door sedan posted a quarter-mile time of 13.73 seconds, showing that the unit had plenty of potential. Unfortunately, a lot of the engineering for the F-Code was probably in vain, with NASCAR limiting induction to single normally aspirated four-barrel carburetors early in '57, with a mutual Automobile Manufacturers Association (AMA) ban on factory-supported racing coming shortly after. 1957 F-Code Wagon Value And Availability Mecum A Rarely-Ticked Option The F-Code cars may have been exciting to enthusiasts, but they remained incredibly rare. Exact production figures seem to vary, but RM Sotheby's says that fewer than 1,000 full-size Fords of all body styles received the supercharged engine, including fewer than 20 Skyliners. Hemmings puts the number even lower, estimating that between 350 and 450 full-size Fords in all model ranges were bought with the F-code supercharged V8 option ticked.Even for the Thunderbird, the supercharger option was incredibly rare, with just 200 of 21,380 Thunderbirds produced in 1957 getting the F-Code engine package, says RM Sotheby's. The rarest of all F-Code Thunderbirds is the Phase One D/F Supercharged, with just 15 examples handbuilt at Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters on January 25, 1957. Production figures for the F-Code versions of more everyday models, such as the Country Sedan, are hard to come by, but as this was not bought as a sporting model like the Thunderbird, it is likely that sales for F-Code versions were minuscule. Searching even the classifieds brings up almost no F-Code Country Sedans. Naturally Aspirated Country Sedans Are Affordable, But F-Code Cars Are Hard To Find Mecum Country Sedan prices vary greatly, with many cars being customized over the years. In general, '57 and '58 cars hover at around the $30,000 to $40,000 range (in good condition) according to Hagerty, but these are all non-supercharged models, with engines including a 226-ci inline six and 352-ci naturally aspirated V8s.The F-Codes, which are rarely seen, are true unicorns on the secondhand market. F-Code Thunderbirds do come up for sale from time to time, with one selling in 2023 for $224,000. A 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner 'F-Code' that sold at auction in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2022, sold for an equally impressive $176,000. For any potential buyers, it is essential to check for the “F” prefix on the chassis number to help ensure it is a true F-Code car. The Other Forgotten Supercharged Wagon From 1957 At the same time that Ford was giving the F-Code treatment to the '57 Country Sedan, there was another option for a supercharged wagon in America. The Studebaker President-based Packard Clipper Country Sedan is a four-door station wagon, and in '57 it was only available with one engine choice: a 289-cubic inch Studebaker V8 with a Model VS-575 McCulloch supercharger bolted on, breathing through a two-barrel Stromberg carburetor and ready to kick in above 3,000 rpm. The result was a decent 275 horsepower on tap to move the 3,650-pound Country Sedan. The 1957 Packard Country Sedan Is A Supercharged Classic Wagon For Less Than $40K If you are hankering after a '57 supercharged wagon, then the good news is that these Packards are likely a bit more plentiful than the F-Code Country Sedan. There were 4,809 Clippers produced for 1957, says RM Sotheby's, and that included 869 Country Sedans — so they are still pretty rare. That said, when a perfect-looking 1957 Packard Country Sedan with a Flight-O-Matic automatic transmission came on the market in 2011, it fetched $60,500. Another two-tone lilac and white car went under the hammer in 2019, making $56,100.Hagerty's Valuation Tools puts the price of a 1957 Packard Clipper Country Sedan in good condition at just $33,800. If you want a '50s classic with an interesting engine, and need to fit the whole family, a Clipper Country Sedan or Ford F-Code Country Sedan would make an intriguing addition to any collection.Sources: Hagerty.com; Hemmings.com; Rmsothebys.com