A short-lived entry-level model produced from 1954 to 1958, the Plymouth Plaza is one of the brand’s lesser-known nameplates. Overshadowed by the Belvedere and even the Savoy, the Plaza is one of those classic cars no one really wants. As a result, most Plazas are pretty much rust buckets today.
Sure, you may see a restored example at the local car show if you’re very lucky, but many Plazas are to be found in junkyards with severe rust issues. And that’s exactly why I get excited when someone stumbles upon an unrestored unit that’s still in one piece. Like this 1955 station wagon.
This grocery-getter is actually linked to yet another Plymouth nameplate many people don’t know about: the Suburban. Yup, the badge that adorns the iconic Chevrolet hauler, also the world’s longest-running nameplate, was also used by Plymouth back in the day.
The Suburban was a separate series from 1956 to 1961 and then returned as a version of the Fury from 1968 to 1978, but the name goes back to 1949. That’s when Plymouth debuted the Suburban as America’s second all-steel body station wagon (following Willy’s Jeep Station Wagon). The initial iteration soldiered on through 1955; this grocery-getter is part of that lineage.
The Plaza Suburban you see here is not your average wagon either. Like many entry-level Plymouths of the era, this Mopar was born as a fleet model and started life as a staff vehicle for the US Air Force in Grand Forks, North Dakota. After a few years, it was traded into a dealer in Cooperstown, who sold it to a farmer. The new owner installed a hitch and used the car to pull a hay wagon until the clutch went bust.
Parked in the early 1970s and never fixed, the Plaza sat without a sip of gasoline until December 2023—that’s more than 40 years off the road. Amazingly enough, the vehicle returned to the light with almost no rust and no damage to the body panels. Equally impressive, it still sports its original blue paint. The US Air Force markings are obviously gone, but the tailgate plate is still in place.
Found in some guy’s yard, the wagon was recovered and found its way to YouTube’s “Morske Repair.” Our host did his best to fix the stuck flathead inline-six engine. The Plaza Suburban is still many repairs away from becoming road-worthy, but it sure looks like this wagon is ready for civilian life. It would be a shame to let it go to waste since most of these rigs are gone.
If you like old, no-frills Mopars and need a project to work on, the wagon is available for only $2,500. That’s cheaper than a Shaker Package on a modern Dodge Challenger.