At least once a week here on Barn Finds, a car is posted that is so bafflingly equipped that one would give almost anything to interview the original owner in an effort to get to the bottom of it. Here’s this week’s car, a 1968 Plymouth Fury III Sport Suburban, the line-topping three-seat wagon in Plymouth’s full-size lineup. It has the fake wood sides, yes, but it also has base hubcaps, a three-speed on the column, no power brakes, no air conditioning, and no power steering. This solid Matador Red anomaly is being advertised at Hemmings.com for $21,900, and it is located at a dealer in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. Thanks to reliable Barn Finder Curvette for sending it our way.
The Sport Suburban’s standard engine was the underappreciated 318, whose 230 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft. of torque are sorely tested by the family hauler’s 4,125-pound shipping weight. With a full load, the wagon will easily crest 5,000 pounds, which might have made the original owner wish they’d sprung for the 383. Still, with no added accessories to sap power, the 318 would have gotten the job done just fine as long as you weren’t trying to make a dicey pass on a two-lane highway. The seller lists the mileage at 42,754, but doesn’t make any claims that the odometer hasn’t rolled over. The radiator appears to be an original Mopar unit, and everything under the hood looks to be as the factory in Newark, Delaware, assembled it.
The third pedal on the floor is what really makes the Suburban fascinating. Everything points to the three-speed being a New Process A-745 unit with a non-synchro first gear, which sends the 318’s power back to an 8 3/4″ rear end with 3.23:1 gears. The gear spacing in the three speed is as follows: First, 3:02:1; Second, 1.76:1; Third, 1:1. Clearly, the wagon spends most of its time in second and high, which is no surprise given the unsynchronized first.
The Sport Suburban was available in two-seat and three-seat models, with this three-seat example being less common (only 9,954 were built). Fury wagons were available in Suburban, Custom Suburban, and Sport Suburban trims, and the Sport Suburban had this swanky vinyl interior, a clock, a lighted glove box, and of course, the wood applique on the flanks.
For a wagon with a dealer tag from Ewell Chrysler-Plymouth in Glen Burnie, Maryland, the undercarriage is in excellent condition. Everything is a little oily underneath, but having driven old cars for fun for practically the entire time I’ve been driving, I know that old cars are going to be old cars. They’re just a little seepy, that’s all. The muffler has a little perforation that you might want to keep an eye on, but the car’s solid, and that’s the important thing.
The dealer says that the Fury “tracks straight,” but the parking brake needs adjustment, the clock doesn’t work (do they ever?), and the gas tank “seeps when full.” Those are fairly minor issues (well, maybe not the fuel tank), but the plus side is that you’ll get a really interesting wagon that is in excellent driver shape. And considering its almost complete lack of options, somebody must have really wanted those wood sides when this Suburban was new.
Nice to have a manual with this beast and the smaller 318 mill 😎 👍
“…it also has base hubcaps, a three-speed on the column, no power brakes, no air conditioning, and no power steering.”
No wonder it looks so nice. No one wanted to drive it.
That’s funny!
If nothing else, this car will give the driver a workout! LOL I wouldn’t want to negotiate today’s traffic in this barge. And parallel parking? Forget it. GLWTA!
BWAHAHAHAHA ~ I had a 59 Biscayne 283-3 on the tree no ps or pb and it was a blast to drive.
Mic drop!
Ha Ha Ha your comment made my day, but let me just say if I was 16 and this was in my parents driveway, it would only be a 5000 RPM clutch drop away from a Dragging Wagon town terrorizer. Very nice car IMHO.
All that clear untinted glass would make me a little uneasy in today’s environment.
My dad had a 67 ford ranch wagon. 240 six with auto. Not quick when loaded.
I know around 68 or 69, when Chrysler started using computer punch cards cards to schedule their production, there were a number of cars that came out of the factory like this – including Chryslers. Some of the higher end cars including the station wagon probably had two punch cards but the computer could only read one at a time. There were Chryslers that came out of Jefferson with a three-speed manual no power steering no power brakes. What the company did was gave them to their management employees as their company car. I wonder if the same thing happened here?
Back then Tigger, Chrysler was “dumping” cars on dealers. Making them take units they didn’t order. I heard of a maroon Newport sedan that was built with a green interior! Had to be the most hideous thing to see on a dealer’s lot!
I heard that back in the day they’d do that to dealers they wanted to get even with.
Yes the good old “sales bank”. I remember hearing that dealers were told if they wanted the hot sellers did have to take some of the sales bank cars off of Chrysler’s hands
If the next owner needs lessons in driving a 3/tree with unsynchronized 1st gear, I’m your guy. The trick is: clutch in, slide into 2nd gear–all the while keeping the clutch in–then slide into 1st gear. The 2nd gear sychronizer will impart spin, allowing a smooth shift into 1st. At least, that’s how my Studebaker Wagonaire works. I’m assuming a Plymouth would be the same.
Same technique as your Stude for a 64 Impala 4 door htp 283/3sp that I drove in NYC from 1985-1999. 64 was the last year for non-syncro 1st on the 3 speeds. Yes, it was a lot of arm work in traffic!
Not sure where they got the “non” synchroed from – Mopar had full synchronize in all gears by 1968….this is an odd duck – a thrid seat s kinda rare with the standard stuff….maybe a church deacon ordered it….
I’m under the same understanding. Being a Gm guy, the Chevy (& I’m assuming the rest of the makes ) cars were all synchro by ’66 & the pickups followed in ’67. My uncle had a ’65 Bel-Air non-synchro 1st gear.
My Dad’s ’66 Chev pickup had non-synchro. I learned how to double clutch at lower speeds so it wouldn’t grind into 1st. Not when he was around, though!😁
I looked into this carefully; Mopar didn’t have a fully synchronized three-speed until the A-230 in 1970/71. If anyone has any evidence to the contrary, I’d like to know about it for the sake of my own knowledge bank.
My ‘68 Valiant did not have a synchronized first gear.
The column shift 3 speed manual is going to act like a repellent, it may have fans on this site, but that love does not translate to the marketplace at large. It looks like a nice wagon and might find a buyer, but an automatic would be an easier to sell. There was the occasional 4spd wagons built domestic manufacturers, one of those or a wagon converted to to a 4spd would be a strong selling point.
Steve R
I mean, if it had PS PB AT it’d be less unique but more like what more people want. But also if it were a foot taller, 3 feet shorter in length, 55 years newer and AWD…
You have a point ~ younger people want to be riders, not drivers. Hop in, punch the automatic go to button, kick back and enjoy your $8 milk shake with a shot of coffee in it while you play a video game. We used to enjoy driving, which included interacting with the car. I would much rather drive a 58 Vette with a 4 speed and no power options than ride in a Tesla.
And get off my lawn!
Yeah, essentially you’re looking at a strippo wagon with shelf liner added. Whoever ordered this had to leave a hefty deposit with the dealer.
My aunt had a 1968 Chevrolet station wagon with a 3 speed manual way back in the mid-1970s. I remember thinking that was weird even though I was very young. You still had enough old school people around in 1968 who would have ordered a car this way.
A lot of older people who went through the Great Depression ordered barebones cars. Our neighbor, and old WW1 vet, had a 1967 Biscayne that had virtually no options , not even a radio, though it did have the Powerglide automatic.
I don’t know about the “weird” options. My Dad bought a 69 Fury III sedan with the following options: Spinnaker White Exterior, Blue Cloth Seats, Tinted Windows, 318 (210 HP), (A-727) Torqueflite Automatic, Air-Temp Air Conditioning. No Radio,Power Steering or Brakes were chosen. It ran well, getting between 20 and 22 mpg on the Highway and served us well.
The 1968 Plymouth V.I.P. Sedan that was auctioned last week on Barn Finds WAS WIERDLY OPTIONED, as a top of the line car without Factory Air Conditioning as standard equipment.
I’m a Mopar Fan, but that alone tells me that someone in production was clueless….
A lot of cars that were sold in the north weren’t equipped with air conditioning. My mom had a 73 Town & Country wagon when we move to the Seattle area. The dealer rarely saw one with air-conditioning and my mom‘s was the first only one they saw dual air-conditioning.
My ’65 Dart 170 Wagon is an almost no-options car; however, it came from the factory with air conditioning. Therefore, it had (I put a 225 in it) a 170, a three-speed on the column, and air conditioning. Other than that, the AM radio is probably the only option.
Unfortunately, most of the AC components had been pirated when I bought the car, but it makes sense since I bought it from a Mopar salvage yard.
You also have to appreciate the lack of any tinted glass anywhere on this beast. It’s pretty much a greenhouse on wheels. I worked in a Chrysler dealership in 1968-1969, and some awful cars came through, pushed out by corporate. We got one 300 in metallic red with white leather interior that they sprayed a major panel repaint with the passenger window down. Worst part of it was that it was a customer’s special order car.
Tuck a dollar into this strippers g-string and let her dance for someone else!
As a 20 or so y/o I worked in a Texaco gas station/repair shop in College Point , NY, which is in Queens, NYC, back in the mid 70’s. We had a wagon just like this we used for a service vehicle. It was a very light blue, like a robins egg blue. The interior was beat to sh it. We used it to go jump dead cars and drag the ones we couldn’t start back to the shop with a heavy braided steel cable. It was also great for taking the three shop dogs, Spark Plug, Cinnamon and Spicy, over to a nearby park to run around. The good old days.
Hemmings just did a story on it. limited market with 3 on the tree. options leave it or put a 4spd or a torque flite auto in it. it is a cool wagon. 1 of a kind
What a wagon! That rear seat inside shot feels like you’re sitting in the rear cabin seating area of a 747.
This really isn’t so odd when viewed in the context of the days when this was new. Lots of people bought basic vehicles with few options in order to save money. People actually knew how to use a clutch while shifting a non-synchronized transmission and how to brake and steer without power assist because they had been doing that for decades. I could slide in behind the wheel of this and drive it with no bother. And I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage in modern traffic either. But that’s just me and other older folks who became drivers before being cosseted by technology. Young and middle aged folks will not be impressed.
I totally agree ~ kids don’t know how to operate a complicated piece of machinery. I learned to drive in a 54 Chev 6 cyl 3 on the tree, no power options of any kind. Took my driver’s test in that car.
While you could have anything you wanted in 1968 I’m more fascinated by the wheel trim. Being the top trim Sport Suburban one probably got full wheel disks rather than hub caps. I would have expected a fully synchronized transmission but that was still a marketing tool in the 70s. I like it for being a wagon and a beauty with its wood sides but she’s going to be a handful for all but the most experienced driver.
The cool thing about this whole discussion is that back in the day you could actually order what you actually wanted. Even if you had really weird desires they would build it and send it to your chosen dealership. Today everything is in packages and I see that slowly creeping away. My dad used to order his trucks really weird. Beautiful K10 optioned pickups with premium interiors, top of the line radio, biggest engine available with rubber flooring and painted white bumpers and mirrors. The guy wanted fancy but dull lol and you could get it!
True that. My 70 C20 has a 350/TH350, PS, PB, gauges, tinted glass, rear leaf springs, rubber floor mat, 2 extra saddle tanks. Otherwise plain white/blue interior ~ like you said, fancy but dull. The original owner used it as a shop truck in Tucson for 30 yrs then restored it. After he passed away I bought it from his son & added a stereo.
Cool car. Zero options with a 3 on the tree. Sweet. Looks to be in good physical shape. I’d drive it.
Nice car I think I would put a time correct 4-Speed in and make a nice cruiser
In 1955, my dad bought a new Custom 2-door sedan. The only option on it was a 272 V8. No radio, clock, etc. It was turquoise, and I thought it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. I was about 6 at the time.
In 1962, my dad ordered a Bel Air 4-door, 283, auto with Positraction and a Kleenex dispenser.
Forward to 1967, and he ordered (with my help) a new Camaro Coupe with a bench seat, 327/275 HP, auto, and of course, a posi. (base price was $3200 and he got it for $2700)
Not done yet, Dad ordered a ’78 El Camino Conquista, V8, auto, posi, and a black interior with the dual 50/50 seats. It also had a power driver’s seat, which is the only one I have ever seen. The Conquista paint matched the colors on the El Camino sales brochure front cover.
The Ford dealer I worked at in 1986 got in a blue and white F150 with a green interior. Not a mistake, the dealer clicked the wrong interior color. Ford built it anyway.
I like the Plymouth Sport Wagon, but with a V8, auto, and A/C. $22,000 seems like a lot for a base luxury wagon.
Someone with a large family wanted a basic car. Was the third seat available on the lower trim models? I’d use it as a daily driver, but the price seems high for what it is. At least it doesn’t have the 225 slant six.
Wow, memories. When I was a kid we had a white Fury III stripped. Only option was automatic. Didn’t even have an AM radio. I took my driving test in that car. Parallel parking with no power steering.
My guess is that an older person ordered the car. In the 60’s my parents shied away from anything that might cause trouble but by 1970 we started adding options like power windows. By 78 dad was driving a Caddy and enjoying the extras on the cars.
It’s an early ’68, as indicated by the lower grille. From start of production to a mid-year running change, the lower grille on all 1968 Furys was painted body color. At some point the change was made to the lower grille, which was then painted light argent (silver), regardless of body color.
The other change, which was made concurrently with the grille change, was that the body side molding on Fury III models changed from a white-painted insert to dark argent (a dark grey textured finish).