Special-Order Gem: 1961 Plymouth Air Force Wagon Is Now Living the Civilian Life

Plymouth began using the Suburban name in 1949, some 15 years after Chevrolet introduced its proto SUV. Mopar's station wagon was the industry's second all-steel body rig, providing a more affordable option to the "Woodie" grocery-getters.

Plymouth offered Suburban versions of all its full-size cars until 1961, grouping them into a separate series starting in 1956. The nameplate returned as part of the Fury lineup from 1968 to 1978, but only as a four-door version. The two-door variant was discontinued in 1961, and the turquoise Deluxe version you see here is part of that legacy.

As a final-year two-door Suburban, this wagon is also a rare gem. Plymouth sold only 2,464 examples that year. And because most of these grocery-getters were discarded into junkyards as more modern vehicles became available, only a few of them are still on the road as of 2025. But this Mopar is even more special.

According to Pete Cook, who has owned the wagon since 2010, the Suburban rolled off the assembly line as a special-order model. The Plymouth was ordered for military duty with a combination of features that weren't available via the regular options list.

Several items were deleted, including the second-row bench, the radio, and the cigarette lighter. It was also painted Olive Drab green, a color Plymouth did not offer on its vehicles in 1961. The stripped-down wagon spent its early life at the Minot Air Force Base in Ward County, North Dakota.

There's no info about when it was relieved from military duties, but Pete found it in relatively poor condition. Fortunately, he's very fond of two-door wagons, so he restored the wagon to near factory specs. But even though he found traces of the original paint on the firewall, he went with a civilian color.

This hue, known as Robin Egg Blue, was part of the 1961 palette. I have to say that it looks pretty cool on a base-trim wagon with no chrome aside from the stripe between the door and the rear fascia. Matching wheels would have been nice, but the black ones aren't deal-breakers.

The cabin may be spartan front to rear, but the two-tone green upholstery is pure eye candy. The no-second-row layout limits the wagon's passenger capacity to only three people (or two if you want proper comfort), but that massive trunk has "camper" written all over it. I'd definitely spend a few weekends in this Mopar.

The Suburban's stripped-down character extends under the hood, where you'll find an inline-six. It's unclear if the mill is numbers-matching, but if it is, we should be looking at a 225-cubic-inch (3.7-liter) powerplant. It was originally rated at 145 horsepower, but this one appears to sport a few upgrades. The Suburban was also available with small- and big-block V8 engines that year.

Originally born with a three-speed automatic on the column, the wagon now sports a four-speed manual gearbox. There's no info as to when the conversion was made. Plymouth only offered a three-speed manual at the time. The engine bay also provides a glimpse of the fender tag, which shows the code 999, confirming the vehicle's special-order status.

Although it's far from spectacular in terms of looks and performance, I'm sure glad this grocery-getter survived to tell its story. Its military life makes it even rarer and worth keeping close to factory specs and on the road. Pete says he tracked down two more military-spec 1961 Suburbans, so that's three rigs getting the love they deserve.

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