Few companies can say that they’ve been producing the same car for nearly a century. Morgan, obviously, still produces the same cars that they have for thousands of years with nary a change in the design. On this side of the pond, we have General Motors’ Suburban models that are the physical embodiment of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy of engineering. Unlike Morgan, various design updates have happened over the course of the Suburban’s production run spanning nine decades, but today’s 2021 Suburban remains true to the original’s intent of being basically a heavy-duty station wagon. You can find this former government work vehicle here on eBay.

Unlike the modern Suburban, this 1951 example is powered by a 235 cubic inch (3.8 liter) Thriftmaster inline-six driving the rear wheels through a manual gearbox. The information I found about the third generation ‘Burban says that the Thriftmaster was available only starting in 1954, and could be had with a three-, or four-speed manual or a four-speed Hydramatic automatic transmission. Regardless, the valve cover clearly says Thriftmaster, and I spot a clutch pedal on the floor. The seller states that the engine doesn’t run, but it can roll and the transmission shifts through how ever many gears it does have.

Inside, you’ll find a split front bench and enough room in the back for half a dozen or so more passengers, but no seats for them to sit in. This truck was a former government work vehicle, so form always follows function. In a work vehicle, seating for eight people isn’t as often needed as cargo room. The floor is rusted through in the front footwell, and that split front seat will need new upholstery, but as far as projects go, this seems to be relatively complete and uniquely situated for someone’s dream rat rod build.

The seller says as much in their description, and they’re open to answering any questions potential buyers might have, which is always good when buying a rusted-out former work vehicle with an engine that forgot how to be an engine. As with many cars that are six decades old, it will require some work to get running again. The benefit with buying a Suburban is that since it’s been produced for so long, by such a ubiquitous company, that uses many of the same parts for all of their models, you won’t have trouble finding cheap replacement bits or a like-minded group of people who have done their own restorations or custom builds on the same car.