A sedanette is a two-door sedan with a fastback style roof. The term generally applies to Cadillacs and Buicks, but we think it’s appropriate here too. This 1950 Plymouth De Luxe was purchased from the original owner who took it off the road in 1979 with just 53k miles for some new paint. They got the hood prepped and removed the fenders, but that is far as they got. Now it needs a new owner to finish the job. Find it here on eBay out of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania with a starting bid of $1,000 and a BIN of $3,500.
Plymouth offered many bodies styles to choose from in 1950. You could get a coupe, a club coupe, a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, a convertible, a steel wagon, a wood-clad wagon… You get the idea, lots of options. Here’s a brochure where you can browse the differences. A woodie would be nice, but we like the lines of this short-wheelbase fastback.
Even with all the exterior options, there was only one engine to choose from. A flathead six-cylinder. This one is not seized up so it can most likely be made to run again. Sourcing replacement parts may be difficult though, so you had better start lurking over at the P15-D24 forums. We have also heard that Roberts is a good source for some stuff.
The seller states that this car needs a full restoration, but we would be tempted to just put it back together. There is some rust to treat, but nothing major that we can see. The paint is claimed to be original too so we wouldn’t want to mess with that if we didn’t have to. Find a good paint shop to spray the hood and then start going through the mechanicals.The end result will not win any awards, but it will retain much of its originality while costing you a whole lot less than a full blown restoration.
I don’t know about the rust…I’ve seen cars that have looked much better than this one that have rotted out floors. One had 36k miles and no place for the driver to put his feet! It’s a sharp body style though. Hope it does not get street-rodded…
Ha, my aunt & uncle had this exact car in gray, when I was a kid, I have been watching ebay just to see if I see one , they are rare.
The 1950 Southern 500 winning model…that’s one to try to keep as original as possible.
Yep, one of these also ran the Mobil Gas Economy Run and placed 2nd behind Ford. Here is a link with more history: http://www.allpar.com/history/plymouth/1946-1959/plymouth-1950.html
So much for having new tires the look like they have been setting out in the weather and flat all those years! I would be worried about rust and wiring problems!
yes, put it back together, get it running and drive it. but, looking at the side view in the first photo, you could also put some numbers on it and do vintage dirt track racing.
I had a 1950 Dodge Meadowbrook with a three-speed manual Fluid Drive transmission, and the same engine. These cars were tanks, and not to worry about the wiring system as they were all six-volt and the wiring in those cars is rugged… heavy-duty by today’s standards. The vacuum wipers acted like all vacuum wipers do: they stop under a load, and go 90 mph when the throttle is released. Fun cars, with couch-sized front and rear seats.
Thanks for mentioning Robert’s, hadn’t known of them for sourcing parts. I’ve also had decent luck dealing with Andy Birnbaum in MA while doing a bunch of mechanical revival work on a 1954 Chrysler. Just a thought for anyone seriously looking for old Mopar pieces… http://www.oldmoparts.com/parts-service-brakes.aspx
“get thou behind me, Satan”
oh my gosh! here it is, one of the cars on my short list of “I wannas”.
and the Bite-it-Now price is VERY tempting, and it’s an easy trailer trip from home.
but I will be strong, knowing that it would never get completed by us, regardless of the good intentions.
whether it is re-assembled and driven as is or given new paint and interior, this is a GREAT car!
best wishes to the next owner……..
Think the owner needs to get realistic with price I would pay a grand tops not to mention flatbed fee, restore’n cost… If it was 3 window coupe maybe 3800 in this shape but not a deluxe.
Roy, it’s all a matter of personal style preference.
I would 10 times rather have this Sedanette than any 3-window Coupe.
thank God it’s not just a grand or I might not be able to resist :-)
Back in the late ’50s, I had a ’48 four door Plymouth sedan and it really was a tank. But it could also move. It had a horizontal speedometer which would change colour as you went faster. We were young and, of course, wanted to see how man colours there were, We got an idicated 100mph but I don’t know how fast it was actually going. Sure felt solid.
I think the seller would have a better chance if the parts were simply bolted back on. It is very hard to get a shipper to pick up a car with a ton of extra parts let alone one that is non op. The car would sure look better.
I like it. The sale ended with no bids. So i left a message-If its still for sale I will make a resonable offer. Shipping will hurt, but if the fugires come out to make it worth it im a buyer. so i will see what happens. I love stuff like this.
Any luck?
You may want to get your shipping quotes FIRST. Nothing can throw a project before you start into a tailspin quicker then unknown costs. Beware of dealing with brokers. They will offer a cheap price while waiting to find a driver. Could take weeks.Try and deal with the guy doing the work. http://www.yesterdaystractors.com is a great site. It is an antique tractor site that is a must see. Go to hauling schedule to post a free ad. Someone hauling a tractor may need a backhaul.
you can try uship.com and see what you get for bids too.
Nice design this one!
Although I’ll be taking a lot of abuse, I took a quick glance at the side view and Lancia Aurelia V6 popped into my head. Must have been the fastback.
abuse?
yup.
I’d slap you upside your head if you considered putting a foreign engine in this venerable old Plymouth….
I think he meant that it looks similar to the Lancia.