80 Years of Chevy Suburban

In 1935, the United States’ population was a little more than 127 million. A first-class stamp cost three cents, Technicolor was introduced to motion pictures and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Chicago Cubs in a tough World Series. It was also the year Chevrolet introduced the Suburban.

The Suburban was built to be a heavier-duty, truck-based wagon. Through the early 1930s, most manufacturers offered car-based wagons. Most were used by Salesmen of the day to carry their product.  The cars of the day that did this were referred to as Sedan Deliveries. The Suburban took this up a notch being much more versatile.

In the eight and a half decades since its introduction, the Suburban became an icon and the industry’s longest-running nameplate. In fact, Suburban was the first vehicle to reach 75 years of production in 2010.

Bodywork for these early vehicles often consisted of wood sides and canvas tops; and while they were versatile, their car-based chassis and damage-prone bodies were compromises. Chevrolet began experimenting with an all-steel wagon body mounted on a commercial chassis in the mid-1930s, and the Suburban Carryall was launched in 1935.

Over the years the Chevrolet Suburban has acquired more luxury while maintaining it’s legendary ruggedness.