Speedsociety.com Declares Regarding Chevy Suburban History: “A Star Was Born”

The Chevy Suburban is one of the longest-standing nameplates within our brand's offerings, something to take great pride in as we are situated within an era where so many models seem to be coming and going. Making its way solidly through gas crunches and a few various economical spirals, the full-size SUV has become somewhat of a staple for us here at Chuck Hutton. The awesome folks on staff at the Speedsociety.com Blog produced a feature last week that celebrated the fact that the Suburban is a car with a massive and original touch of class.

In the beginning, the Suburban was not intended for any sort of civilian consumer at all. It was designed for military supplies and personnel, with a large-bodied vibe, and sturdy enough shell to brave the worst of the world's aggressive elements. When the decision was made to switch over to a format that average consumers could use, this is when the blog author lamented that “A Star was Born.” The video presented here provided an in-depth guided tour of the Suburban's history, and the illustrious way in which the truck found its comfortable niche. Nestled alongside the Camaro, Corvette, and Silverado, the Suburban is not a model slated to disappear anytime soon, as it is more than ideal for tasks ranging from a family hauler to a personal limo.

During the early 1930s, parts of the Midwest were covered in dust, and Chevy was quietly and astutely putting station wagon bodies on their full-size truck frames for outfits like the Army and National Guard. As the lines were bustling with their production, a worker noticed how instrumental they could be for the general public, and during 1937 both GMC and Chevy had the same car with the same name. During WWII, they were used as military transport vehicles, and many soldiers arriving home wanted to lug their new families around in the vehicles they had become used to on the front lines.

The third-generation Suburban offered up during 1947 was the ultimate inspiration for the 2011 HHR, with sweeping lines and curved fenders. During the 1960s, Jeep was siphoning some business from GM due to the increase of off-road capability. Instead of responding by making the vehicle smaller, it increased in length by a foot in 1967, sticking to the blazing guns of full-sized prowess and power. By 1972, over 27,000 models were produced, and this seventh-generation model would last for almost twenty years, a truly defining model for future development. It was tall, aggressive, and sported the 454 for primo power source.

By 1984, Chevy and GMC were cranking out nearly 65,000 Suburbans per year, and the world could not get enough of this outdoorsy and oversized fence-crushing and dirt-defying machine. One of the reasons why military personnel were such fans of the Suburban was the way in which it blended in: On the flipside of the coin, if you see four or five black Suburbans in a caravan, you “know something is goin' down” as the show host put it, and it is a nice display of appropriate flex. Front skidplate, off-roading tires, and a very unique grille were first offered by means of the Z71 package in 2001: this is when things began to get very serious, while those who already knew it was a vehicle unrivaled in a class it entirely created continued to be fans.

We invite you down before the beauty and fresh perspective of spring hits to come check out the 2019 models, and see how much heavy-handed haul ability and practicality you'll discover. A fully-boxed frame serves as the foundation for upgraded body mounts, aluminum front control arms, and a relocated rear axle sporting a now-wider rear track. The V-8 is backed up to a six-speed automatic transmission, and now standard on 4WD Suburbans is Autotrac 4WD with a single-speed transfer case.