This is the very car that inspired “Curbside Classics.” I’d been admiring its blocky solidity for ten years, whenever its owner and I happen to workout at the Y simultaneously. I can count on its reassuring, unchanging, seemingly immortal presence at least a couple of times a month, an anchor of constancy in this turbulent world. And you can’t get much more anchor-like than this cast-iron 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook. But anchors sink, and this car began Plymouth’s long dive into the deep blue.
Chrysler products of this vintage developed a rep early on for their build quality. But the Plymouth wasn’t just solid; it was also stolid. And that’s not what folks were looking for in 1951 (or pretty much anytime). After almost a full decade with few new models, Americans after WWII were more than ready for a little excitement. They wanted sleek, and low. Ford and GM delivered; Chrysler . . . not so much.
Ironic too, since Chrysler’s meteoric rise in the twenties was in good part to their handsome looks. And when Chrysler boldly launched the attractive low-price Plymouth brand in 1928, it was an instant hit. Within three years, Plymouth captured the number three sales spot behind Chevrolet and Ford. That was no mean feat considering the dozens of brands competing back then—think China 2009.
And Plymouth stayed a solid number three for over twenty years. But after Walter Chrysler died in 1940, the baton was handed to K.T. Keller. Chrysler styling now . . . wasn’t. “Cars should accommodate people rather than the far-out ideas of designers,” Keller said. Was he referring to Harley Earl and his GM Motorama dream-mobiles? The fedora-wearing Chrysler prez dictated that the all-new ’49 Chrysler products accommodate hat wearers, with room to spare: “the styling won’t knock your hat off, but neither will getting in one of our cars…We build cars to sit in, not to pee over.”
The result is self evident. Abe Lincoln in his stovepipe hat would feel at ease in this tall-boy. Well, the stovepipe-hat-wearing market was small, if non-existent. But the market for anything new was huge. Americans’ pent-up appetite for new wheels in 1949 created the biggest seller’s market ever. And the stodgy un-Dodge sold well enough.
That is, until the market caught up. In 1951, Plymouth moved 600,000 fedora-mobiles. But the unchanged 1952 model crashed, down by a third. And by 1954, Plymouth tumbled out of the bronze. There was a brief return after 1957 with the dramatic Virgil Exner-styled “Suddenly it’s 1960” models. But after two more cameo appearances in 1971 and 1974, Plymouth’s days on the low rung of the winner’s podium was over.
Plymouth had developed a reputation for dullness and styling stodginess (or quirkiness in some years, like 1962) that it could never quite shake, despite some good efforts along the way. A rep it took all the way to its grave.
But this original Cranbrook is far from its final resting place. At the rate it’s aging, it’s got another sixty years in it easy—before it needs a restoration. And, ironically enough, its proportions actually look more contemporary today than they did in the low-slung sixties. Tall boxy cars and crossovers are in, the benefits in seating comfort rediscovered. Keller was a genius, ahead of his time. Didn’t I read somewhere that fedoras are in again, too?
Sitting in one of these old tanks is a joy. Driving one . . . well, you have to change hat and mindset to 1951. Or even 1933. That’s the year the Plymouth’s 218 cubic inch flathead six first saw the light of day. These long-stroke (4.38″) chuffers deliver a gentle but steady dose of torque, right from idle speed (max. 175 lb·ft @ 1200 rpm—I wasn’t exaggerating). Just the ticket for chugging around town and not sweating the not-fully-synchronized three-speed tranny.
On the highway, these gentle cars are happiest at a pre-interstate system 55 or 60 mph. The advertised horsepower was 97 gross @ 3600 rpm—maybe 85 horses in today’s net rating. That might take you up to an equivalent number of miles an hour. But you wouldn’t want to. Everything wants to happen slowly, like the unassisted steering, and gently, like the brakes. And the word “handling” hadn’t entered Detroit’s dictionary yet.
This car brings back a raft of memories. They were ubiquitous in Iowa back in the early sixties. Ironically, I hated them then for their durability. They were a blot on the carscape, which in my mind should have consisted of nothing but dazzling 1960 Pontiac Star Chiefs and the like.
But on one of my hitchhikes, in 1974, I got a ride in one of these, right through a blizzard. Everyone else was stuck or off the road. The already elderly Plymouth didn’t have enough power to spin its wheels and just chugged on through. Right into a special place in my heart.
This Cranbrook plays a special place in the heart of its owner too. His teen-aged son bought this car some years ago, on a whim. After he passed away in unfortunate circumstances, his family took on the Plymouth as a family project, and continue to maintain, improve and drive it regularly. It’s a living memorial to the son, who unwittingly chose well in picking a nigh-near immortal car for that role.
Allpar has a good article on the ’51 Cranbrook with a look in the prehistoric engine compartment.
http://www.allpar.com/cars/plymouth/cranbrook.html
This article brings it to life.
What’s up with that guard behind the door handle? Must be an add-on.
Thats a accessory scratch plate. Chrysler in Aussie restyled these into their Royal model and kept stamping them out into the 60s
Women’s jewelry and rings wreak havoc on car paint under and around door handles!
These cars were built right here in my home town
Evansville Indiana…
http://www.ply33.com/misc/vin
Look Dad — a Nissan Versa!
When I was just starting elementary school our next-door neighbor had two of these, a gray one and a blue one. You could buy these things in pretty decent shape for almost literally nothing throughout the sixties, and while they were stodgy for the times, even then I marveled at the solidity and comfort they offered. Another neighbor had a mid-fifties Nash Ambassador, which was my all-time favorite at that age. The Plymouth was up there, though.
The fully exposed B-pillar is structurally efficient
This car may be the reason for my general indifference to 1950s cars. My buddy’s dad inherited one of these when we were kids, and parked next to it in his garage was a 73 Javelin. Jeez that thing is boring, especially when parked next to that AMC..
None of the 50s cars really lit my fire until the “Suddenly it’s 1960″ cars came out.
I have always admired the post war Chrysler products because they represented good engineering, driving dynamics and comfort. In my university days, my dad had a 1949 Chrysler Windsor as a toy and I drove it quite a lot. I was impressed how well it drove and how good the basic engineering and materials were. The interior materials were excellent and the car was easy to drive. Now, I would never autocross it, because it was not designed for that kind of thing. But I do remember taking it up the Malahat north of Victoria and the “Spitfire” six never missed a beat. At 60 mph the torque pulled it up the steepest grades without missing a beat. It also admired the Fluid Drive. In my opinion, it was a better engineering solution to the early automatics, especially the Powerglide, which in its early iterations didn’t automatically shift anyway. Fluid Drive was totally reliable and a huge cost savings. In the city, you could leave it in second great and it would pull just fine from a stop, with more than enough acceleration to keep up with traffic.
I loved that car and I always used it as my “first date car.” Whenever I met a new sweetie, I would always use the Windsor for my the first date, which caused quite a few strange impressions from my dates. If she loved the car, I knew we would have a great time that night and if she hated it, I would take her home early. Then on the second date, I would show up on my Honda 500 Interceptor, just for contrast effect.
I have always admired sound engineering, driving dynamics, quality, value and fit and finish over flash and these has been the criteria I have used whenever I buy a vehicle. The stuff Detroit made after this Plymouth was throw-away trash. The much vaunted ’57 was a rust-bucket that leaked like a sieve. My dad went from a 1952 Chevy to a 1957 Plymouth. He loved the power of the V-8 but not the leaking trunk and door seals. By 1961 it was a rust-bucket and had to be scrapped and he bought a 1961 Chevy Biscayne with 194 six and three on the tree because he wanted a good car that was cheap to run.
I could go on, but perhaps my family car stories might get a little dull….
Dull? We’re the audience for old car stories! Maybe I’m being presumptuous, but I love it when people recall the old cars they remember.
About the build quality, I do recall that the finmobiles didn’t last nearly as long as cheap, daily drivers as the previous generation had. In the 60s we went from the ’46 Chevy Master sedan to the later fifties cars — a ’57 Pontiac, ’57 Buick, and a ’59 Chevy — the befinned cars were practically disposable compared to cars of just a few years before. I loved the glamour as a child (especially the pink and white Starchief), but they were junk compared to the car featured here (and the ’46 Chevy). Even as a 6 year old I could plainly see the drop in quality.
Yes, they lasted a long time. Yes, they were dull and stodgy, so much so that a lot of their owners simply got tired of them. My friend, just out of high school, somehow ended up with a light blue Chrysler Windsor sedan that had the beautiful red leather and flannel Highlander interior. I saw it at the wrecking yard one day; when I asked him what had happened to it, he said he’d been running it flat out in low range to try to blow the engine.
Now you’ve done it! This car really brings back memories. My parents had a 1950 Plymouth. gray, two-door, stick shift, pretty much like this example. This car was the inspiration for me buying our dearly-loved gray 1990 Plymouth Acclaim. My dad had his Plymouth for 10 years until the driver’s seat was literally falling through the floor. We had our Acclaim for 10½ years, after the third time my daughter wrecked it. Come to think of it, both cars looked remarkably similar, too. I always referred to the Acclaim as my “1950 Plymouth”! Similarly, I regard my Impala as if I’m driving my dad’s 1966 Impala! By the way, I do wear a fedora, and my 2007 Miata has plenty of hat space with the top up! Ditto for my Impala and CR-V! I own a half-dozen hats and know how to use them! The ’50 Plymouth was the car I almost fell out of when I pulled the door handle instead of pushing it to lock the door, and where I ate half a box of Baker’s coconut in the back seat that cured me of ever eating coconut again! That car was the newest car my dad would ever own, too. He bought it when it was only 6 months old and always kept it in the best condition he could. A stodgy design? You bet! When I got to ride in relatives’ cars, they were always flashier, newer and much more modern and I wondered why we didn’t have a car that was fancy like theirs, but that’s another story. Thanks for a great article Paul, as the memories just keep on coming with car features like this! You made my day!
My grandad’s first car was a 1950 Plymouth, which he bought new. He refused to subject it to the winter snow and road salt, so he took the bus to work, and on his off-time, overhauled the engine in a 36 or 37 Dodge which became his winter beater. The Plymouth was his “good” car, which meant it rarely got driven. Then in 1966 he bought a new Chrysler sedan and the Plymouth became the daily driver. I assume it soldiered on far a long time in that role, my guesstimate would be about another 10 years. The first daily-driver I remember my grandparents owning was an early-70s Olds, which would have been purchased used and probably replaced the Plymouth.
I don’t like the car , but I love the story that goes with it. Long may it survive.
It seems to me there was a period of time after WWII that Detroit still built the cars they built in the 30′s & 40′s. But GM and Ford stole a march on Mopar and others during the mid fifties. I think though that these cars would be out of step in the states, they would have sold well in Europe. Think of the British Daimler sedans, that resembled something rather similar to this car all the way through the mid 1960′s! Even Rolls Royce’s and Benzes had this kind of high three box set of proportions well into the 60′s and even the early 70′s. As others have noted, we’re headed back to this type of proportion, not a bad development IMO.
The timelessness of styling applied *after* considering the business of accommodating real human bodies is undeniable. A lot of people target CUV/minivan/SUV/pickup drivers as “evil” nowadays, but most of us just want reasonable comfort, utility, and visibility (and not to be blown into the next lane by the first 18-wheeler that goes by).
Give me a break!
This car isn’t real.
They made these cars a long time ago for old television and movies about gangsters, teen pregnancies, or rubber mushroom aliens attacking Centerville USA. These cars never came in colors because they were always shot in black and white.
The reason it looks so odd and boring is because when these cars were filmed, the camera lenses back then stretched their shapes horizonally so that they ended up looking like stainless steel ashtrays on wheels. And they smelled like giant rolling ashtrays too. See that dashboard? No instrumentation beyond a giant ashtray with a cigarette lighter the size of a door knob. You see, the actors in those movies back then lived off cheap whiskey, Coke, Luckies, Sen-Sen, and had to put toothpicks in their mouths in order to speak their lines.
All the actors back then wore hats, even Lassie. So, they had to make the roof of this car accommodate hats designed by a French harlot who once was a collaborator with the Nazis in Paris. The headlights on this car didn’t even have wiring because all the night scenes shot for the movies were shot during the day and they just used a filter to create a night effect.
So, don’t feed me any bull Paul! This car was never mass produced beyond whatever was necessary for a Warner Brothers film starring Ronald Reagan or Fred MacMurray.
Or for that Superman TV show where they used the gray and light blue Superman outfit – George Reeves was in it, I think.
I had a 1953 Chrysler Windsor 2DR in 1965. A $300 beater. 332[?] 180hp Hemi; Fluid Drive; green unborn mouse fur seats. Just depress the clutch; put it in 3rd and let the many solenoids do the shifting for you [you lifted your right foot to tell them when to upshift]. Tranny fluid was separate from engine oil. Maybe 15mpg, highway. If you started off in 2nd gear, that was the “Power” range. Unbreakable solid build quality throughout. Sold it for $300 a year later after the radio and heater refused to report for the onset of winter. I’d love to have one now, though….
In the 90s a friend of mine bought a light green 51 Dodge Meadowbrook sedan. It was in similar shape to the car in this story. The big differences were the 124 inch wheelbase and the Fluid Drive mated to the 3 speed manual tranny. I drove the car briefly, and it was a real experience. He bought it as a daily driver. Other than mounting seat belts in it, he had to do virtually nothing to it.
This car was made for driving in all the little county-seat towns of the early 50s. This was one of the first cars with the starter incorporated with the ignition key. Then, just leave the car in second gear and you were good for 90% of your town driving without the clutch. It was kind of like a fast, comfortable tractor. It is unfortunate that Chrysler never again built such solid cars. Like some of you, I too am a fan of function over form, and love these old flathead 6 Mopars.
Fun fact of the day: The emergency brake was just that in these cars – a big drum brake on the driveshaft. This was the kind of over-engineering I loved in these cars.
Thats called a carden shaft brake
I was waiting for pie outside of a pizza parlour in Black Diamond, WA tonight and wandered around outside and found the car in the image.
I looked at the name plate, Plymouth “Cranbrook”. Gee what a name for a car!! It sounds like the name of a man servant from a 50s show like Bachelor Father or something.
Of course, this one is no where near restored (the rear wheel is flat and covered in moss).
So I appreciate reading your blog gaining even more knowledge about this fascinating car…especially the insight about a return to the vertical cab style…yes, after driving a Mitsubishi Eclipse rental on vacation — which I thoroughly enjoyed for a few days — I was happy to get back to my KIA spectra and its easy to enter and exit doors and utilitarian design!
Still…I guess I’m craving a Cranbrook right now!
Love it, would be better as a coupe. Found one for myself and bought it right away. Great to drive, and love the looks people give when I drive by. Still need to do some customizing but for the most part im keeping it stock for the time being.