I’ve got a real soft spot for these postwar Plymouths. No, they’re not exactly beautiful on the outside, with their blocky tall bodies. In the immortal words of Chrysler President K.T. Keller: “Cars should accommodate people rather than the far-out ideas of designers…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.”
That works for me. I love to look at low and svelte and sensuous cars, but when it’s time to actually get in one, give me tall and blocky any day. There’s a lot to love on the insides too.
They were ubiquitous in Iowa back in the early sixties. The very first car I rode in upon our arrival in Iowa City was a wagon version, belonging to the wife of my dad’s new boss, who picked us up at the airport in Cedar Rapids. I was rather hoping for a 1960 Pontiac Safari wagon.
In those first years in Iowa during the early sixties, I knew of at least three families in our neighborhood that had Plymouths of this vintage. And they all still looked utterly solid, not so common for 12-15 year old cars back then. They were the Plymouth Valiant and Camry of their time.
On one of my many hitchhikes from Baltimore to Iowa in about 1972, I got a ride in one of these, right through a blizzard in the mountains of Pennsylvania. It was piloted by a young guy who understood how to drive it properly: steady as she goes. Cars were either pulling or sliding off the road. The already elderly Plymouth didn’t have enough power to spin its wheels and it just chugged on through. Right into a special place in my heart.
I can see him now, hunched behind that big handsome wheel, trying to see where the road was in that driving snow. The heater was like a little furnace. I dreaded the thought of having to eventually get out and hitchhike. No wonder I was quite happy to be going so slow.
1933 was the year the Plymouth’s 218 cubic inch flathead six first saw the light of day. These long-stroke (4.38″) old-school engines delivered a gentle but steady dose of torque, right from idle speed (max. 175 lb·ft @ 1200 rpm). The advertised horsepower was 97 gross @ 3600 rpm—maybe 85 horses in today’s net rating. Just the ticket for chugging around town or cruising on the highway at 55 or 60. They didn’t really like being pushed much faster than that, but that’s not to say that they couldn’t be hopped-up; quite a few were, with sometimes remarkable success (I’ve got a vintage article coming about that).
These were not only taller than the exciting new ’49 Chevy and Ford, but shorter too, by some 5-6″. But they gave up nothing in interior accommodations, and the trunk was pretty roomy too.
Who else would put an old man with a hat on in the back seat to brag about the headroom? I’m sold!
William Garrett shot this in Sunnyvale, CA. Looks like the owner has another similar vintage car in the garage.
I’ll let you nail down the exact year and brand.
Our original next door neighbors in Towson were 2 old ladies who had the 4 door version of the ’49 Plymouth in gray green, and my Grandparents had a maroon ’50 Dodge Meadowbrook with that odd GyroMatic transmission. Grandpa died in ’60 and Grandma drove it for 5 more years. I remember it, and all Mopars of this era, as just good, practical, and comfortable, if unexciting, cars, Plymouth and Dodge had both versions of that old 218/ 230 flathead 6 that was good enough to be used from 1933 right up to 1959. I wish someone still made big, sturdy, inexpensive, simple, durable and comfortable cars like this.
I AGREE! My parents purchaded their first new car, a 1949 Second Series Special Deluxe 4 door P18 sedan, produced from February – December 1949 just months before I was born in August 1949. The M. S. R. P. base price was $1,629.00 to which they added an AM 5 tube radio, a heater/defroster/fresh air ventilation system, full flow pressure lubrication oil pump AND filter were standard since inception in 1928 (NOT AVAILABLE on any Chevrolet or FORD until 1955), inside hood release and key start ignition were newly standard on the Plymouth ONLY (NOT AVAILABLE on any Chevrolet or Ford until 1973), fog lights, exterior sun-shade visor, wide white sidewall rayon 6.00 x 16 tires, full chrome wheel covers, and a locking gas cap. The
118.5 inch wheelbase on the P18 model, over the 111 inch wheelbase on the P11 base model gave a much more comfortable ride. Only one engine available was the 217.8 CID, 93 HP, 160 lb. ft. of torque L-head Six; manual 3 speed column shift transmission, 4.30:1 rear axle ratio. The 3,050 pound car had sufficient power. Top speed was 85 MPH. Even with the ultra-low/numerically high rear axle ratio, the car stiil got 18.5 MPG (city)/22.0 MPG (highway on a trip from Boston to Washington D. C — remember there was NO Interstate highway system until construction began in 1956! It was a solid, very dependable, trouble free, economical, loved member of the family for 9 years! When it was damaged while parked in front of our house in 1958 by a inexperienced 16 year old girl not paying attention, my parents upgraded purchasing a new 1958 Dodge Coronet 4 door sedan, which was a NIGHTMARE! All Xhrysler cars 1957 – 1959 were LEMONS to the point that Chrysler Corporation nearly went bankrupt. The factory and dealerships could not find the problem. After a full year of too many problems to memtion, my uncle Arthur, a professional mechanic, fixed the car. At 27,000 miles all the bearings in the 230 CID, 138 HP, L-head Six FAILED! After that, soured on Chrysler Corporation FOREVER, the family converted to buying 2 Chevrolets, 2 Fords, 1 Oldsmobile, and 1 Toyota – all of which
were very reliable. My parents only bought brand new cars because my father knew nothing at all about cars!
My dad had a 49 4 door, in black. Think it was called a Special Deluxe? I was pretty young then so don’t remember much about it.
My brothers cut down and ran the crap out of two 49 dodges in the fields… Pic of my dad’s Chrysler with my middle brother next to it on communion day…
I’m commenting too much lately . . .
Anyway, believe it or not when I was growing up, circa early 1980s, there were TWO of these ’40s Mopars just a couple houses down from each other: One was a ’46 Dodge 2-door in black. It was slightly customized, having what looked like a ’55 Chevy grille grafted in to replace the original grille. Stock otherwise. Car sat outside. The owner took me for a ride once; couldn’t believe how smooth it was!
Then there was a ’48 Plymouth down the street; I only saw the back of it when the garage door was opened. Both these cars remained for many years. Also a janitor at the office building behind my house commuted in a ’51 Dodge.
So that’s three within a quarter mile. But try to find a Forward Look 1955-61 Dodge or Plymouth? None to be seen!
1946 Dodge looked like this (except for grille):
Same. I had a statistics prof in college (probably around 1979 or so) whose daily driver was a 46-47 DeSoto sedan. It was no show car, with dull medium blue paint and a decent amount of rust on it, but it started and ran every day. There were also a couple of old ladies who I occasionally saw piloting an absolutely immaculate 46-48 Chrysler sedan. It looked like one of them had bought it new. On the other hand, My 59 Fury was on campus at the time, and it was absolutely the only post-1954 but pre-1960 Mopar I could remember seeing during that time.
Slight correction: I now believe that the Plymouth I saw was a ’49 because it had those little finlet tail lights:
You are CORRECT! The photo is of a 1949 Second Series P18 Plymouth Deluxe or Special Deluxe (note the stainless steel (front and) rear strip, of which over 64,500 were produced from Feruary – December 1949. The First Series were warmed over 1948 models produced from September – December 1948. All cars from the Big Three (Chrysler, Ford, and GM) were just rebadged 1942 models with
slight changes to the grilles and/or taillights, 1946 – 1948. There was such a demand for cars new (and used) after World War II, that there was a 2 year waiting list to even get a brand new car. Even Cadillacs through 1948 were delivered to the customer with wooden 2″ x 4″s bolted to the cars instead of front and rear bumpers due to the lack of copper, nickel, and chrome to coat the steel bumpers. It was necessary to wait an additional 6 – 8 months to have them delivered and installed!
Paul, your comments are kind and true. The depicted model had the optional deluxe heater and defroster. No doubt, the same heater was on the model that kept you so toasty warm on a trip through snow. Our 1950 Dodge Wayfarer also had this option. I also see the Deluxe Horn Rim in lieu of the standard calm-colored horn button. Indeed, these cars are comfortable riders. One member of our church bought a 1952 Dodge two-door coupe. He would not give up that car. He liked it so much. Fifteen years later, he was still putt-putting around in it. Ours was equipped with Fluid Drive. Mom liked that feature as she shifted from Neutral to Second, and then when the rev’s were adequate, she shifted to Third.
Wondering when the “post-war” cars ended and the more modern era started, but my Grandfather had a ’51 Chrysler Windsor with the flathead 6 and fluid drive…it was his only car, bought new, and the one my Mother learned to drive on (guess he did as well)…Uncle inherited it upon Grandfather’s passing and only after 4 years of undergraduate studies it blew a head gasket and he had no time to deal with it so he junked it in ’69.
My Dad’s first car was a ’56 Plymouth Plaza also with the flathead 6….because he bought it before he met my Mother, it was a 3 on the column…though my Mom learned on semi-automatic she was never comfortable with other than full automatic, and he eventually traded the Plymouth on a ’61 Rambler Classic Wagon with the 6 and automatic. Mom just stopped driving 2 years ago…but I still have my manual Golf (gave her refresher course when she went to Poland with my Uncle, she wanted to be able to back him up as odd things tend to happen to him on his travels).
That’s a really nice Plymouth! There’s a guy in the East Bay who has one, drives it around all the time. Flathead six, he loves it. He sometimes wears a hat while driving it!
Wow, the darker brown top adds a rakish quality… almost gives it visual proportions of a ’00s Chrylser 300. The blue one in the garage is also a Plymouth, a 1950 (same age as me!). I prefer the ’49 grille though. It’s more subtle and rather winninig. I hope you have the famous stock car racing story up your sleeve…
My first car, a ’49 Business coupe.Changed the oil once a year if needed or not.Bought 4 retreads once a year, 2 snow, 2 regular.Never missed a Penn State winter start thouch you could count the revs as it turned over.Just took abuse without question.A very well made car.
Meh, these always seemed dowdy to the very young me compared to similar age GM’s (especially fastbacks) or even ‘49-50 Fords. I guess being a few years younger than you, Paul, the practical virtues of the design escaped me at the time. And by the time I might have appreciated that, they were pretty much gone.
Those club coupes were a typical Chrysler oddity. Normally a coupe belongs in shorter cars. In ’49-52 the proper two-door sedan was a fastback in the Concord compact. The big Plymouth got this clunky club coupe along with the far more popular four-door. The three upper makes had no two-door sedan at all, just a slightly less clunky club coupe.
I remember a blizzard on the PA turnpike with an opposite flavor. I was riding with a coworker in his MGB convertible, returning from a jobsite in Ohio. Snow was coming in from all sides, the British “heater” was doing no good, and the British “wipers” were only creating icicles. He was an expert driver with racetrack experience, but it’s still a memory I’d rather forget.
My brother has a 50 Dodge that he’s heavily customized, drives it everywhere, extremely comfortable and roomy for a 2 door. Love this era of mopars
I remember that the interiors of these 49s were loaded with goodness (for the higher trim cars, at least) and looked far more lush than they should have for a Plymouth. I think the 1950 models simplified the interiors some.
And oh yeah, I am a big fan of these cars (though I would probably prefer the prior generation). These things still turn up on Craigslist in amazing numbers around here, usually a sedan in complete but well-used condition. My wife’s grandfather drove a Dodge of this era right up until he died in 1972.
Not an unusual sight in sixties-seventies Australia, though ours were always the four door sedan. I remember one of these getting around my home town in the early eighties, a bluish-grey four door Dodge. One day I saw it parked at the curb with the roof caved in – it took a power pole falling on it to kill the car!
Amen, oyez, preach on!
Clara Peller drove what looks to be a 1950 Dodge or Plymouth sedan in this zany 1984 Wendy’s “Where’s The Beef” commercial.
An apt choice!
These little cars were all over Indiana when I was growing up in the 50’s. Farmers and thrifty country folks loved them. They turned me off completely because of the dowdy, utilitarian styling. I wanted the Forward Look. It was the Exner 55 Plymouth that made me interested in the brand for the first time. Having said this, my memories are the same as Paul’s. My maternal grandfather had a 49 Plymouth four-door in faded blue and it was comfortable, reliable, and had a toasty heater that folks living in the northern regions greatly appreciated. They were well built cars that lasted a very long time, something that would not be said of later Mopar products.
Not only can you wear a fedora in the back seat, but they also offer extra seat springs for ‘heavier than average people’.
Chrysler moves confidently into the 1950’s with a new slogan “If you’re old and fat, you’ll love the new Plymouth!” 🙂
I HAD A 1949 PLYMOUTH SPECIAL DELUXE IN 1975. THE PAINT COLOR WAS “KITCHENER GREEN.” IT WAS A HAND ME DOWN FROM MY GREAT GRANDFATHER. I’D LOVE TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE.
I too have a soft spot for them. There were still quite a few in 60s Israel where I grew up, mostly as cabs fitted with smokey Perkins diesels but also owned by private individuals who appreciated their robust nature, important in a country where most parts had to be imported from abroad. Their suspension also suited Israel’s then “roads” pretty well. All these flathead 6s were honest, non-nonsense cars and would – with some sensible modifications – work even under modern conditions.
I have a 50 Dodge Wayfarer survivor. She’ll do 70 if I let her, and I just Love her FLUID DRIVE !
Indeed these were fine cars that just kept on going, and going….
New England is cold in Winter, these always started easily and were comfy warm in side .
I too preferred the battered old Chevrolets at that time, funny thing ~ the GM’s & Ford products always needed touching, the Mopars not so much .
For a real thrill, check out the dashboards of this vintage Chryslers .
-Nate
I made 2 lengthy Comments this afternoon regarding detailed, rather obscure, but interesting little known facts regarding the 1949 Plymouth P18 Deluxe and Special Deluxe Second Series cars retooled in the middle of the 1949 production model year.
Both comments failed to appear along with the 24 other Comments. Why is that?
Comments are sometimes held up for moderation, especially by new commenters. They were cleared over half an hour ago and are posted.
I can’t imagine anyone saying these don’t look good .
Especially the Business Coupes .
-Nate