On the Road with Big Green
The idea to cross the country in a classic vehicle while making stops for upgrades along the way was spawned last winter as we dreamed of getting back out to see things after being sequestered for so long. When we spotted the big, tall Suburban, with four-wheel drive and a manual transmission, and covered in a Hemmings-friendly shade of green, we felt as though this trip was destined to happen. Our first stop of the journey was to pick up Big Green, our newly acquired 1981 Suburban, at GR Auto Gallery in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I sort of knew what we were getting, but hadn’t ever seen the truck in person, so it was fun to finally meet it in all its big, slow, glory.
GR is a candy store of classics, with everything fromcar to an AMC Eagle wagon. I was especially delighted by the yellow Opel GT with the rare 1.1-liter engine, which looked very cool with its twin carbs. Most Opels in the U.S. came with 1.9-liter engines. GR sells and consigns all kinds of cars, but the owners have a thing for International Scouts, so there were many examples, including a diesel.
