Photos from the CC Cohort by Hyperpack.
I won’t deny that I have a fascination of sorts with the wild and outlandish vehicles of the Chrysler corporation created from 1957 to 1961. Now, keep in mind that fascination doesn’t mean admiration or condemnation; admittedly, the cars created at the Pentastar in this era go from the futuristically attractively bold to the outlandish and bizarre. But to ignore them? That’s hard to do. So, fascination, in my case, is the word.
The ’61 full-size Plymouths certainly fall on the outlandish side of the equation. Wild, extroverted, and overwrought fit too. See that face once, chances are you’ll never forget it.
Now, by the dawn of the sixties the rest of the domestics were shifting away from the “let’s shock them” styling that had prevailed in the late ’50s, and the Pentastars seemed out of step with the changing trends. Never as common as Chevrolet or Ford full-sizers from the same era, it’s always an unlikely event to see one nicely preserved, particularly one in family hauler body. And if we add this one carries Golden Commando V8 power, the maker’s second hottest setup for that year? Well, yet more power (literally) to this find.
As a number of essays online and at CC have noted, it was clear that by 1960, Chrysler’s Design VP Virgil Exner was looking for ways to reinvent the company’s styling language. In an overly artistic way, perhaps. After being a trendsetter with the ’57 “Suddenly it’s 1960!” lineup, the ensuing years would bring ever more challenging outputs. By ’60, the clearest look at his newfound approach would be revealed in the 1960 Valiant, a mix of traditional classic elements, with yet one more reinterpretation of aeronautic language –“fuselage” bodies, with horizontal aero cues. The latter, with its intricate panel detailing, perhaps a foreteller of “surface treatment” way before the term became commonplace.
Still, something must have been in the air by the mid to late ’50s, as Ford and GM correctly sensed that the outlandish late ’50s had overplayed their hand, with both retreating to more restrained approaches by the early sixties. Chrysler played a different hand, however, as the products showed.
Following on those instincts, for ’61, full-size Plymouths arrived with long-wide looks, and a horizontal theme played in the profile; topped by an airplane like cabin shape in the hardtops. That plus aeronautic detailing like jetpod taillights, and in trendy ’60s spirit, an artsy Googie-esque spirit in a number of touches. Finally, a very angry face that could have easily served as inspiration for a mid 2010s SUV/CUV.
Now, to the wagon. The Suburban name had been in Plymouth’s repertoire since 1949 and had been the industry’s first to make a transition from “woodie” to all-steel body. A market defining moment, with all of Detroit quickly following. By ’61, Plymouth’s Suburban was an established (if eroding) player, and rode on Chrysler’s 122″ full-size wheelbase, just as it had done since ’57. Unibody construction had been adopted in ’60, and was still the norm for ’61.
Three trim levels of Suburbans were available for ’61, starting with the Sport at the top…
… followed by the Custom line, and (ironically), the Deluxe at the bottom.
No shots of our wagon’s interior today, but here it’s one in an insert in brochure form. There’s enough there that feels more airplane-like than car-like in the arrangement, which can be better seen in a photo from an earlier ’61 post.
Let’s check out the exterior detailing. Here’s the rather Googie (or something…) thick piece of trim that indicates this to be a Sport Suburban, Plymouth’s top offering in the segment. You may disagree on the car’s overall look once the sum of the parts are put in place, but on their own, each piece is almost a work of art. Staring at these elements is one of the most fun things about cars of this era.
More lovely intricate details in the side rear view mirror, plus the chrome accents throughout the body. However, that windshield is feeling soooo Suddenly It’s 1957!
Not from today’s wagon, but here’s the ’61 taillight in more detail, as shown on a recent post by Stephen on a wonderfully preserved Fury hardtop.
Elaborate and intricate surfaces and details at the rear.
Golden Commando Power emblem at the rear, the division’s 395 big-block V-8 engine, now with 361CID displacement, 305HP and a 9.0 to 1 compression ratio, plus 4-barrel carburation. As the brochure states: “… one of the favorites for police cars…”, or for the driver who “…wants to cruise effortlessly on turnpikes and retain an extra safe margin for passing.”
For ’61, that was one of five available powerplants, and sat atop the Economy Six, the Fury V-800 and the Super Fury V-800. You wanted more? That landed on the SonoRamic Command with Ram Induction, with 330HP and a compression ratio of 10.0 to 1. Now, as many reviews of the period show, that type of powerplant was for the racing crowd, but looking at photos from the era, Sunday Racing was a thing with dads back then.
As for the rest of the mechanicals, they were known Pentastar quantities; mainly the Torsion-Aire suspension, which along with the company’s torsion bar setup, provided above average riding and handling. Shifting was either via 3-speed manuals, or 3-speed Torqueflite and 2-speed Powerflite automatics activated by push buttons.
For the Suburban ’61, total sales would be about 35K, which followed a downward trend the nameplate had been suffering for a few years. As such, ’61 would be its last year before returning later on, from ’68 to ’78.
On a personal note, I’m not sure if I ever came across one of these ’61s in person, much less in wagon form. However, their visage was forever ingrained in my head as a convertible version played as a cop car in the 1980s police drama Crime Story. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, but what’s certain is that I never forgot it, something that speaks to the enduring power design plays in us.
And today, after an age of angry-looking SUV/CUVs, these extroverted Plymouths seem to have found a better liking from me. Heck, maybe even fondness. Certainly, fascination; but that’s been so from the get-go.
Related CC reading:
1961 Plymouth Fury Hardtop Coupe – Best Preserved Original In Existence?
1961 Plymouth Fury – What Planet Are You From?
1961 Plymouth – Maybe It Should Have Been The Last Full-Size Plymouth Ever?
If the front agreed with the side and back, the whole thing would have been restrained and harmonious. For instance, a copy of the ’60 Dodge truck’s front clip would be just right.
The best guess on what the original full-size Plymouths would have looked like for 1962 was the use of the ‘pie-plate’ front end that did make it onto the downsized cars, just on the 1961 body.
Whether it would have sold any better is another one of those auto history ‘what might have beens’ that will never be known.
I agree with your premise that these Plymouths are better looking today than they ever were, especially that red Fury hardtop with the Hoffmeister kick up on the beautiful roof. I think I understand what they were trying to achieve. Salvatore Dali approves.
As a kid they were thin on the ground. My mother would occasionally buy a bag of 1/64 scale injection molded cars in various colors. I can remember a ’61 Plymouth in there. I always would say it was the ugliest car ever made.
The “60” was . imo
Car 54
Compared to Ford and GM models for 1961, these did look bizarre and dated. But for the next few years at least, there were still plenty of ‘59 and ‘60 cars on the road and though I was very young then, the Plymouths didn’t really seem any odder than the ‘59 Buicks and Oldsmobiles, and of course Chevys, which were very common. My memories are that it was different for the compacts; the Valiant (and Lancer) were much more flamboyant than the Falcon and Chevy II, as well as the Rambler American and Studebaker Lark.
Thanks Rich for a great dive into the styling details. And the names! SonoRamic and Safe-T-Matic. I miss those days.
Still, the design of the C-pillar of the 1960-61 Mopar wagons (and 1962-63-64 if we add the Dodge Custom 880 wagon) looks less nicely designed compared to the 1957-59 Mopar wagons.
There is a two door version at the Chrysler show at Carlisle PA
Wow, that’s a rare car!
Very cool wangon, I love to own one. A beach and weekend special
The “crazed look” of the “61’s” actually looks good on the wagon. Never thought much about it till now.
I’ve seen a “60”. wagon in real life; well maintained but “not a looker”. lol
The inside was quite nice; blend of blue, gray. All blue exterior.
Was a great many years ago.
I’ve seen these with and without the extra chrome trim around the headlights and the full length side trim. Was that an option or a mid year change?
I’m tepid on the angry face, but I really like the red coupe. Thanks for this, Rich.