AL5000 wrote:
Never understood why that was an advantage. What’s wrong with one large door?
There are some advantages. First, in a tight garage with the garage door closed, you might be able to open the split type when you can’t open the regular type. Second, the lower part protects the bumper when loading. Third, depending on the weight capacity, you can sit on the lower part during a tailgate or picnic, especially in the rain.
The “real” clamshell" tailgate was the tailgate on the full sized Chevrolet wagons around 1972. The upper half rolled into the ceiling of the car and the lower half rolled into the floor. One could not bump one’s head on the top part of the gate and the bottom part of the gate was out of the way so that items could be easily loaded. I had a friend with a 1972 Chevrolet Caprice wagon and the problem was that the clamshell tailgate always leaked rain into the wagon. Does anyone else remember these vehicles made 40 years ago?
Rather than a '70s era Chevy wagon, I think that the OP’s ideal vehicle would be a '49-'53 Kaiser Traveler or Frazer Vagabond (the same vehicle, except for trim items).
These were hatchback sedans, rather than wagons, and the rear opened in the way that the OP desires–with both a liftgate and a tailgate. The cargo area flooring consisted of strips of nicely finished hardwood, and the overall effect–both inside and out–was actually quite pleasing to the eye.
Skrome–Start trolling the pages of Hemmings Motor News for ads for these vehicles, as one of them would be exactly what you are looking for!
VDCdriver–you got me on this one with the Kaiser Traveler/Frazer Vagabond. I thought I was the ranking geezer on this board. Some of the independents back in this time period had some interesting designs.