The stick and the wagon are two endangered species in the United States and many motorists argue they belong in a bygone era. Some cars have managed to buck market trends; the Mazda MX-5 Miata is often ordered with a manual transmission and the Subaru Outback has resolutely resisted the onslaught of SUVs – including some it shares showroom space with – over the past two decades.

The Outback wasn’t the first off-road-friendly station wagon but it’s the most popular member of this niche segment and the one that has spawned the most imitators. Join us for a look at how it all started: