The Plymouth Suburban is a station wagon produced from 1949 until 1978. It began as an all-steel two-door wagon that helped end the age of the wooden body, and from 1956 Plymouth grouped its wagons into a separate series built around the Suburban name.
Plymouth Suburban at a glance
| Maker | Plymouth (Chrysler Corporation) |
|---|---|
| Years | 1949–1978 |
| First body | two-door all-steel wagon with tailgate |
| Seats | six |
| Flat floor with the rear seat folded | 42 in (1,100 mm) |
| 1949 wheelbase | 111 in (2,800 mm) |
| Engine, 1949 | 217.8 cu in L-head six, 97 bhp |
| First turn-key ignition | in a low-priced car |
| Separate wagon series | from 1956 |
| Plymouth’s best year | 705,455 cars in 1955 |
History of the Plymouth Suburban
1949–1955
Before 1949 Plymouth offered only a four-door “woodie” wagon, expensive both to build and to buy. In 1949 the company introduced the industry’s second all-steel body wagon after the Willys-Overland Jeep Station Wagon, and with it the first automatic turn-the-key ignition and starter combination in a low-priced car. The Suburban had a two-door body with a tailgate and seated six, with the back row folding flat to give 42 inches of floor space, which made it popular as a commercial wagon. Vinyl upholstery was used for durability, power came from Chrysler’s smallest six, a 217.8 cu in L-head of 97 bhp, and the car rode on 6.40×15 tyres with an optional 6.70×15 “Super Cushion” set of higher gearing or a high-clearance 18-inch wheel option. Buyers expecting heavy loads were pointed to a taxi package with heavy-duty springs and shock absorbers, a 100 amp-hour battery with a heat shield and stiffer seat springs.
For 1950 the Suburban was joined by a four-door Special Deluxe wagon, the last of the woodies, on the longer 118.5-inch wheelbase. The Suburban stayed in production to 1955 with annual styling changes, including new bodies in 1953 and 1955. The 1953 cars gained the Hydrive transmission, a manual with a torque converter that removed the shift between second and third, and the 1954 models moved to 117 bhp and an optional two-speed PowerFlite automatic. In 1955 Plymouth added V8 engines, two of which were available in the Suburban, and with Virgil Exner’s all-new styling the company had its best year to date with 705,455 cars.
A separate series (1956–1961)
For 1956 Plymouth grouped its wagons into their own series rather than keeping them within the saloon lines. The range comprised the De Luxe Suburban two-door, the Custom Suburban two-door and four-door and the Sport Suburban four-door, with the De Luxe, Custom and Sport equating to the Plaza, Savoy and Belvedere. The 1956 cars brought the first tail fins and the “Forward Look”, and the V8 options grew to 180, 187 and 200 bhp. A new Exner body arrived for 1957, so modern that Plymouth advertised it with “Suddenly it’s 1960!”; the saloons rode on a 118-inch wheelbase and the wagons on 122 inches, and the Suburban became a model line in its own right. Separating the wagons limited confusion when ordering parts: the cars shared many components with Chryslers, DeSotos and Dodges rather than with other Plymouths. The 1958 Suburbans were similar with detail changes and offered three “Dual Fury” V8s of 225, 250 and 290 bhp plus a 350 cu in Golden Commando, and the 1959 cars wore an egg-crate grille.
Design and features
- All-steel body: the second such wagon in the American market, after the Willys-Overland.
- Turn-key starting: the first ignition and starter combination in a low-priced car.
- Utility: six seats and a flat 42-inch load floor with the rear bench folded.
- Separate wagon series: from 1956 the Suburbans had their own trims and parts lists.
Plymouth Suburban versions
- Suburban (1949–1955): the two-door all-steel wagon with a folding rear seat.
- De Luxe, Custom and Sport Suburban (from 1956): the three wagon trims of the separate series.
- Special Deluxe wagon (1950): the last four-door wooden-bodied Plymouth wagon.
The Suburban was the wagon line of the Plaza, Savoy and Belvedere families. More cars are in the Plymouth collection.
Video: Plymouth Suburban Station Wagon Big Fins 9 Seater
Video by x924t on YouTube.
Sources
- Plymouth Suburban, English Wikipedia: 1949 design, equipment, 1956 wagon series
