Before there was the big Chevrolet SUV called the Suburban, there was the Plymouth version as a station wagon. While it was produced from 1949-78 overall, all Plymouth wagons would be their own series from 1956-61. This six-passenger Sport Suburban from 1959 has been forgotten inside a garage for more than 50 years and is almost ready to rejoin the rest of the world. Located in Sacramento, California, this solid Plymouth is available here on craigslist for $14,500.

As part of the “Forward Look” Chryslers of the late 1950s, the 1959 models got a bit of a facelift. And the wagons were available in three levels of trim: Deluxe, Custom, and Sport. The Sport Suburban was Plymouth’s snappiest wagon and with two seats, 7,224 copies were built in 1959 (plus another 9,549 set up for nine passengers). The ’59 Suburban’s featured an ‘egg-crate’ grille and side trim changes, while the front bumper lost its raised center section and gained larger tail lamps that set them apart from the rear. When the 1962 model year came around, Plymouth’s wagons were rolled back in with the rest of the body styles.

As the story goes, the owner of this ’59 Sport Suburban got involved in a small fender bender in 1969, the last year the wagon was registered. It was backed into the garage and left there until just recently when the now-deceased owner’s family sold the property and the contents in it. The odometer reads just 64,000 miles which the seller believes is accurate based on what the family was able to tell him about the car. It still has its 1960s-era black California license plates, having always stayed in and around San Francisco. Inside the car’s glove box is paperwork dating back more than five decades, including the owner’s union car as a pipefitter.

The 1957-59 Plymouths were the last with frame-on-body construction, having moved to unit-body construction for 1960 (a cost-savings move). Except for the right front fender, the hood, and another small crease on the other side of the car, the wagon looks to be in remarkable condition. There is some surface rust that’s the most prevalent on the roof. Photos taken of the undercarriage from the Suburban up on a lift show things to be tidy after 62 years.

No attempts have been made to start the car as the keys are MIA and the engine won’t turn by hand. So, it’s unclear how solid is the 318 cubic-inch V8 under the hood, which would have produced 230 hp with a slightly higher compression ratio. The famous Chrysler push-button automatic transmission handles the shifting for the car, although with it not running, nothing is known about its condition. What gratification would there to make it roadworthy again and show car people what the “other” Suburban’s looked like!