A life-long car lover recreated the Griswold’s famous station wagon

If you find yourself driving along the scenic New York State Thruway near Lake George, you might get a sudden urge to sing the song “Holiday Road.” The popular Northeast vacation destination is home to a small fleet of cars associated with another very popular vacation: the fictional Griswold family’s trek to Walley World in the 1983 classic National Lampoon’s Vacation.

The accidentally-purchased 1987 Ford Country Squire owned by Tom and Chrissey Dittus of Lake George. Over the past several years, he’s made the car look like the cross-country driving station wagon from the film. It’s has garnered thousands of views on Facebook and plenty of buzz in real life.

“Sometimes I wonder if it’s the most viewed car in the country,” Tom tells Popular Science. “People and businesses share on their Facebook pages and it gets a huge response.”

a man with beard poses with a station wagon — The Lake George Family Truckster can be booked for parties, conventions, car shows, etc. *Image: Tom Dittus.*

The pair now take their three Griswold cars to film festivals, conventions, and other events around the country, inviting fans and even celebrities (including Chevy Chase himself) to pose with what Clark Griswold lovingly called the “Family Truckster.” The cars are even given a seasonal twist in honor of the film’s third installment, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Popular Science recently spoke with Tom about his life-long love of cars, the Vacation movies, and his advice for other hobbyists. Answers have been condensed for clarity.

Laura Baisas: How did you find the 1987 Ford Country Squire?

Tom Dittus: In 2014, I wanted a cheap car to put lots of stuff in, and I like old cars so got an old wagon for $2,000, which I found online at a garage sale site. It was 15 minutes from our home in Lake George, New York.

a station wagon driving by a lake — Tom and Chrisey haven driven the car from Lake George, New York to Florida twice, turning rest stops into “a little car show.” *Image: Tom Dittus.*

LB: What made you decide to make it look like the car from the Vacation movies?

TD: I, and others, associated the ‘80s wood-grain vinyl wagon with Vacation movies. Since the car made people happy, I decided to play the role by throwing old luggage on the roof and stuffed big coffee bean bags from a local café to look like Aunt Edna. People loved it!

LB: How did you fix up the other cars in your Griswold fleet?

TD: I searched for a custom plate, but “Griswold” was taken plus various abbreviations for “Family Truckster” were taken too. So, I thought about changing the “s” to a “z” since it would sound the same. So, it became “Grizwold.” I put old crappy luggage on top that we had hanging around the house along with a sleeping bag ready for the garbage can. I got a kid’s set of plastic golf clubs too. A Lake George café, Caffé Vero, gave me coffee bean bags which I stuffed for Aunt Edna. It was already nicely customized by 2 guys (Eric Wildman and John Larson) in their garage in DesMoines, Iowa. I found them on their Clark W. Griswold Facebook page and bought it sight unseen in 2020 during COVID. I give them a lot of credit for their efforts in building something so special. A couple of years ago, I did get the body renovated. We also got all 8 headlights and all 4 tail lights working (only 2 worked in the movie). Then we added a gas flap in the hood per the movie.

“Wallywld” seemed appropriate for the second wagon since people ask us if we’re headed to Walley World when they see the car. But, every six months, I switch the plate to “XmasVaca” and throw a tree on top with a ceramic squirrel, and put a cousin Eddie mannequin with a trapper hat and white bath robe in the back seat per the Christmas Vacation movie. We put a Santa face on the front grill, lots of garland, lots of solar lights, Santa and elves in the back seat, etc. It’s a huge hit at Christmas events such as bars and the Palace Theatre in Albany, New York for a Chevy Chase appearance where they showed the Christmas Vacation movie!

tom dittus wears a green chistmas bacation themed shirt while his wife wears a red one. actor chevy chase is sitting between them — Tom (left) and Chrissey (right) Dittus pose with actor Chevy Chase (center). *Image: Tom Dittus.*

LB: What have the reactions around town been like?

TD: Driving the Family Truckster anywhere is an experience unlike any other car. Folks really admire my ’63 Triumph since there are very few around. I’ve had exotic cars like an ’86 Porsche 930 Turbo that gear heads certainly appreciated. It had the extra wide rear end and big meats (tires) on the back. The ’90 Ferrari Testarossa had the same wide stance. I loved those cars, but the Truckster is different. It triggers big smiles, laughs, and thumbs up everywhere.

Most people just glow when they see it. They stop what they’re doing, drop what they’re carrying, whatever. I can often read their lips – OH MY GOD!!! A few have actually said, “That’s the greatest thing I’ve seen in my life!” or “That just made my vacation!” Also, many relate to having a station wagon as a child. They sometimes get emotional remembering sitting way in the back while their parents (who sometimes have passed away) were in the front.

When we drove the car to Florida, every rest stop was like a little car show with people taking photos. Now we have Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok followers all over the East Coast.

a station wagon with a large evergreen tree on the roof — During the holidays, the team will put a tree with a large root system, ceramic squirrel, and other nods to *National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation*. *Image: Tom Dittus.*

LB: How long have you been working on cars?

TD: Living in Kingston, New York, I started working on cars after buying my first one, the 1963 Triumph TR3B in 1969. My brother had an MGA and two of his friends had TR3’s. English sports cars were big after the Beatles came to America in 1964. So, I had to have one. I completely rebuilt the engine with the help of a neighbor.

A few years later, I wanted to see if the car could actually do 100 mph. Success! Except I destroyed the engine. I opened the hood, then failed to completely tighten the Dzus fasteners when closing it. So, the hood flew off and got destroyed, along with shattering the windshield. As a college kid, I didn’t have the money to repair it so I bought a cheap 1964 VW Bus. A year later, I renovated the VW by hand sanding and using cans of spray paint, put in shag carpeting which was popular back then, etc. It actually looked pretty good, despite my being an amateur.

A year later, I got the urge for another TR so bought a ’59 TR3A for $500 again, in Woodstock, NY. A few years later, I got rid of the VW and the ’59 TR started to fail, so I got the urge to bring the ’63 back to life.

To this day, I’m kind of amazed at the mechanical things I tackled back then. It probably helped some that I’m an engineer (ceramic) and had ready access to tools. I worked for Snap-On Industrial for 30 years, selling from a briefcase, not a tool truck.

a man driving a red car — Tom drives his beloved red 1963 Triumph. *Image: Tom Dittus.*

LB: Why do you like working on cars?

TD: I like the feeling of accomplishment that comes with fixing something mechanical on a car, or making the body or interior look just a little bit better than it was. The four cars and our 65-year-old log cabin represent craftsmen and women of years gone by and it feels good preserving what they built.

LB: What advice do you have for hobbyists looking to do similar projects?

TD: If you’re going to restore or even maintain old cars, in many cases, it’s a money-losing endeavor, especially if you can’t do the expensive repairs yourself. The Triumph and two of the country squires have not taken off much in value over the years. The accurate replica car, AntEdna is in a class of its own though. If value is based on demand, then it’s very, very valuable. But, so far, we’ve just tried to be satisfied with the smiles it generates.

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