If you wanted a sensible car back in 1950, this Plymouth may have been on your shopping list. It had a lot of features, but was affordable and economical. That may not make for an exciting collector car today, but the more you look at this one, the more you will fall in love. This particular Plymouth came from a collection in Norther California and although it’s not really a survivor, it is very original. Find it here on eBay where bidding is really starting to heat up with only a few days left.
The marketing department at Plymouth came up with some great names to tout their special features. Safety-Rim wheels had a lip that was supposed to keep things together if one of your Super-Cushion tires suffered a blowout. All the while, you will be riding in comfort on the Air Pillow Ride seats. The cushion foam was filled with tiny air pockets to soak up the bumps. Plymouths even came with Ignition Key Starting which was basically an automatic choke and starter key.
All those “special features” sound pretty simple today, but they must of helped Plymouth sell a lot of cars. One thing that wasn’t just hype though was Chrysler’s six cylinder engine. It was very reliable and fuel-efficient for the time. Some of these cars were even used in long distance races with some success. In 1950 Plymouth entered the Mobil Gas Economy Run took home second! You can read more about what made these cars special here on Allpar.
So, it’s efficient, reliable, and I must say, handsome! Those are all good qualities to have in your daily driver, but what about your classic? I wasn’t didn’t get very excited when I first laid eye upon this Plymouth, but now I’m convinced that this would look pretty good sitting in my garage. It’s subtle and sensible. This one isn’t perfect. The underside is pretty grimy and based off the blue paint in the trunk, I’m guessing this is a color change. It does look like a great driver quality though and that’s perfect because sensible people would rather drive their classic rather then let it sit!
The trunk color is correct..
Chrysler did not paint the trunks to match.. they were all this color.
I owned a 50 4 door sedan just like this one, same colors!
Thanks for pointing that out Bill. I stand corrected about the color change and have made note of that in the story. Thanks!
I have a 51 dodge Mayfair Canadian exclusive, dodge cornet Plymouth Belvidere would be the comparable car. My car is painted sea foam green, so is the trunk, engine bay, and door jams, it is wearing original paint so I disagree with this they’re all painted the same statement unless it’s a US thing. As for the car that is posted these are fantastic cars the engines are so reliable that they were used well beyond their service in cars which ended in 1959. They went on to power forklifts, welders, compressors, and combines to name a few. They were the preferred cars of taxi companies for many years the only difference between this and mine is mine is a hard top.
They were durable. As a matter of fact one won the first Darlington NASCAR race in the day by Johnny Mantz. His secret was putting on heavy duty tires. & while all the straight 8s & V8s were blowing tires left & right, he kept purring along, not at a terribly fast speed, but because the others had to stop & change tires, he pretty much lapped the field.
The eBay as states 38xxx actual miles and the detailing on the top end is delectable. I think it’s a keeper.
That engine layout is a joy! My ’39 is so similar it’s scary. But look at the ease of service and how the cooling system naturally flows by convection. The coolant flows even if the water pump fails. Speedy, ah no… but they are super reliable. Really comfortable ride, they just float along. This one is a great example. Truly will outlast the owner.
Can a 66 year old car look any better? That flathead 6 will not go anywhere fast, but it will surely get you there and back.
This is one NICE car! And I’m not as partial to the ’49+ Chrysler products as the ’48 and older; the newer ones are somewhat slab-sided. But then, show me a ’51-’52 Plymouth Suburban wagon and I’m a fan all over again. Too bad my better half doesn’t like station wagons but she loves panel deliveries (?). These cars are really gaining in popularity and showing up at more and more shows.
I believe they also used the similar engine in many inboard boats. The only fault was the two piece hood. When it rained the water would settle around the plugs and sometime short out the firing. My friend had one and if it quit when it was wet outside, he would crumple up a Kleenex and put it in the upside down distributor cap and light it and when it burned out, the cap was dry and would start right up.
The seam on the hood was a pita on mine I had in the’50s. I kept the plug wires cleaned with coal oil and carried a rag for dipping out spark plug depressions. It was durable and only used a quart of oil every 75 miles which I added it without checking. Good memories.