CC Reader Sam B. sent me this single shot of a 1975 or 1976 Plymouth Fury Sport Suburban wagon. It’s a terrific find, and it’s been way too long since I’ve seen one of these. A quick refresher: in 1975, Plymouth changed the name of its 117″ wb mid-size Satellite to Fury, with the full/mega-size 122/124″ wb body getting the Gran Fury moniker. This was an acknowledgement that the big cars were essentially moribund, and would be gone after 1976, and return in 1978 as the 118.5″ wb R-Body Gran Fury. Our full CC on the 1975 Fury is here.
I had to peruse 1975 and 1976 Plymouth brochures to remind myself that those two years appear to be identical, as I can’t see any difference in their grille textures or other external signs. Does anyone else know how to tell them apart?
Yes, these were stumpers. I think the only way I might have been able to tell was by the steering wheels, which I think were different with the 75 sharing that big fat hub that was new for 1974. I think that went away for 1976. for either a really ugly 2 spoke or the thin 3 spoke.
I think they also might have changed some (but not all) of their interior colors.
No help on the year, but my twisted perspective thinks this is a fantastic looking ride.
The sunshine yellow and wood grain are a perfect combination. Just add a couple
Of 8 tracks and a willing copilot and head for parts unknown!
The Gran Fury soldiered on through 1977, selling about 38,000 units to the competing Chevrolet’s 600K plus. Then, all was kaput.
The R body Gran Fury was a last minute afterthought for the 1980 model year.
I remember thinking Chrysler must not have much faith in the then-new R body if they didn’t bother giving Plymouth a version. It resulted in quite a few Chrysler-branded cars landing in police and taxi fleets for 1979 only.
…andor maybe they didn’t have much faith in Plymouth!
The R Bodies I think were selling decently for Chrysler and Dodge before the Iranian Hostage Crisis hit which made gasoline prices spike. The first year cars were also terrible from a quality control point of view. The Plymouth Fury R Body came along due to fleet sales and Plymouth dealers complaining they didn’t have a full sized car. The Chrysler Newports probably were profitable and sold for a higher price per car than the Fury when equipped with options.
There were virtually no standalone Plymouth dealers. The corporate marketing plan was based on dualed C-P stores.
Chrysler was following the pattern started with the Cordoba and Charger in 1975, and continued with the LeBaron and Diplomat for 1977. Dodge and Chrysler each got a version, but Plymouth did not.
Plymouth received versions of the smaller cars – Volare, Horizon and TC3.
Part of that was driven by the dealer body. Dodges were often sold by standalone dealers, so they wanted a full line of vehicles to sell. Chryslers and Plymouths were sold through the same dealer body, so it made sense to label the larger and more expensive vehicles as Chryslers. In the late 1970s, the Chrysler nameplate was still viewed as a step up from Plymouth and Dodge.
Road Test magazine featured a monthly sales chart that listed the sales of each domestic model, along with the total for the entire brand. Even then I noticed how few full-size Plymouths (and Dodges) were sold compared to the competition.
Here is a Dodge Coronet version that I found in Spokane a few years ago. Different grill, and I don’t know if the stand up hood ornament was an option on either brand. Looks much better without the wood.
Never apologize for Wagon Love .
I don’t want one but I certainly remember fondly every one I had, big American boats made for comfy work or play .
There was a time when the studios used American station wagons as crew vehicles .
-Nate
count the rings on the wood?
I just like the inclusion of the word “Sport” in its model name. Seriously, though, there can’t be that many of these left. I’m hoping against hope for a happy ending for this one.
I’m not the only one who has spotted this car, and this is not the first time that it’s been featured on the website: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cohort-outtake-1975-or-1976-plymouth-sport-suburban-can-anyone-tell-which-year-it-is/
Aha! After 18,000 posts here, I admit that I can’t remember all of them. That and I’m getting old.
Oh, no! It has lost a “tooth” since then.
I briefly wondered if maybe there’d been a change from clear to amber front turn signal lenses as on the ’76 A-bodies, but it appears there was none. So short of looking at the 6th character in the VIN to see if it’s a 5 or a 6, only her hairdresser knows for sure!
Having read through the older post on it, a commenter named Jeff said the ’75 headrests were narrow as shown, but the ’76 headrests were a lot wider, going the whole width of the seat back. So apparently it’s a ’75. Or a ’76 with ’75 headrests…
I know I don’t care what year as the car is just plain ugly or just plain blah. I gravitate off and on between the two.