1955-1957 GMC Suburban: A Classic American SUV

1955-1957 GMC Suburban Browse the article 1955-1957 GMC Suburban

1955-1957 GMC Suburban

The 1955-1957 GMC Suburban was GMC's version of Chevrolet's Cameo pickup. The Suburban was initially called Town & Country. The name was changed to Suburban to avoid trouble with Chrysler, but was probably confused with the Suburban wagon.

Cars of the 1950s Image Gallery

1955 GMC S-100 Suburban pickup.  See more pictures of 1950s cars.

The Suburban shared the same smooth styling of the Cameo, but the GMC had the advantage of bigger, more powerful engines than Chevrolet. The six was a GMC design, while the V-8 was borrowed from Pontiac.

While Chevrolet built the Cameo as a low-production model, GMC used the Suburban as a promotional piece to draw showroom traffic. Suburbans are therefore much rarer than Cameos.

Pluses of the 1955-1957 GMC Suburban:

• Trend-setting style
• Rarity
• Better performance than a Cameo

Minuses of the 1955-1957 GMC Suburban:

• Even harder to find than a Cameo
• Parts also hard to find

Specifications of the 1955-1957 GMC Suburban:
Weight, pounds: 3,645
Length, inches: 198
Wheelbase, inches: 114.0
Price, new: $1,923 (1955)

Engines for the 1955-1957 GMC Suburban:

TypeSize
Horsepower
Years
ohv I-6248 cid
125 1955 ohv I-6 269 cid
130 1956-1957ohv V-8 287 cid
155 1955 ohv V-8316 cid
180 1956 ohv V-8
347 cid
206
1957

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