Start with what the Plymouth Cabana is: a 5-door station wagon, built from 1958, at the height of the post-war boom. What it meant takes a little longer.
The background
The Plymouth Cabana was a 1958 concept car built by Plymouth. It was a station wagon that featured a panoramic glass roof over the rear portion of the car and rear facing 3rd row seats. The initial drawing that inspired the Cabana was done by Chrysler stylist John Samsen. The Cabana was reportedly built by Ghia in Italy, based on a 1958 Plymouth rolling chassis, but was never fitted with a drivetrain. It was reportedly never shown outside of the Chrysler design studio and was later scrapped.
Under the skin
The record carries the shape — a 5-door station wagon — and the layout: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.
Where it sits
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Fiat 500, the Nissan Patrol, the Mini Mini. Its Plymouth stablemates include the Plymouth XNR and the Plymouth Laser.
Owning one today
There is no federal ownership record for the Plymouth Cabana — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.