$3,600 1952 Plymouth Cambridge Club Coupe

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Get out your hat for this one, and not a ball cap but a real hat, a hat-hat, the type of hat that men wore back when men were men and they wore hats.. This 1952 Plymouth Cambridge is listed on Hemmings with an asking price of $3,600 or best offer and it’s located in beautiful Lexington, Kentucky. What a great looking car!

“Bolt upright”, that’s how K.T. Keller, Chrysler’s president at the time, wanted men to sit in this car – with a hat on. That dictum didn’t create the most sleek design and the 1949-1953 Plymouths were and are known as being a bit stodgy and not as modern as other cars of the era were. The Cambridge was a mid-level model made for the 1951-1953 model years, it was above the Concord and below the Cranbrook in trim. This is it for exterior photos of this car, unfortunately. There isn’t one photo of the driver’s side at all which always makes me wince and worry. Hopefully they just didn’t want to move it to take photos in the sun on that side, or they didn’t want to take shady photos of the driver’s side. A quick message to the seller will hopefully get any serious buyers a few additional photos.

For anyone wondering why all of the vintage cars are so expensive, here ya go. I know that the 1950s era isn’t for everyone but $3,600 or offer for a car like this, and a two-door Club Coupe no less, sure seems like a bargain to me. It would be a fun car to restore as you use it regularly. This Cambridge has a manual transmission but a “Hy-Drive” semi-automatic was an option as was one with overdrive. You can see that there is a bit of work to do inside, too, but hopefully it’s more cosmetic than structural.

This is Plymouth’s 218 cubic-inch flathead-six which had just a shade under 100 hp in 1952. This car has had a ton of work and maintenance done on it, including, “new brakes, new starter, new flywheel. Alternator replaced in 2013. Service has been performed to differential, transmission with tune up. New ignition wire set; new head lamp; rebuilt master cylinder; new rear brake shoes; new rear wheel cylinders; new hoses, new fuel pump and compression test.” The big question is rust for me, as always, but it sure looks like a solid car. I think that this car would be a fantastic car for a person jumping into the old car hobby for very little money given the amount of work that has been done already.

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Comments

  1. Beatnik Bedouin

    My first question is, “Why is it so (relatively) cheap..???” Is there something serious lurking under that blue paint?

    If it’s solid, this would be a damned good deal for someone.

    Like 11
  2. jw454

    I don’t think the Hy Drive was available in the 1952 Plymouth models. It wasn’t used till spring of 1953.

    https://www.allpar.com/mopar/hydrive.html

    Nice car. Seems like the price is a little low considering the condition.

    Like 5
  3. Canadian Mark S. Eh!

    The one to have is the Belvidere it’s a 2 door hardtop, which has better roof lines. Plymouth used a 217 cid engine dodge Canada had the 218 cid. The way to tell them apart is the 218 is 25″ long and the 217 is only 23″ long. The 218 was a Chrysler Canada built engine the 217 was US built. After doing more research I believe that the US dodge lineup used a 230 cid engine and was found in the cornet hard top. This car should be selling for about 5k so it is a bit of a bargain. These were some of the best built most reliable cars of there time styling was there down fall but I still like their look.

    Like 5
  4. joeinthousandoaks

    Beware the dripping wet photos.

    Like 3
  5. DolphinMember

    What terrific photos, even if they are just clickbait. They look like they were done by a pro, but the asking is rock bottom. Maybe the seller has tried to get more than the current ask, but no go.

    These were pretty much an entry level car back then, altho that sun visor looks upscale-sharp. I like that kind of visor—it screams late ’40s/early ’50s.

    This car takes me back to when I was just starting to be aware of cars, and what I remember is that these Plymouth coupes were entry-level. It wasn’t until the mid/late ’60s when the Barracuda came out that people started to think that Plymouth had some style going. And it wasn’t until the late ’60s/ early ’70s that people started to think that Plymouth could be a high performance car.

    But it’s still good to see one of these looking so good now, these many decades later. This car probably has lots of memories for someone…..

    Like 3
  6. Wayne

    Isn’t that a two door sedan?

    Like 4
  7. Dick Johnson

    We’d pull into a campground following the lead of a pink 1959 Rambler, truly a sight for upscale campers to witness. Our Cranbrook packed to the gills, the pink Rambler with it’s fold down seats. School teachers discovering that camping was cheaper than staying home during the summer. Kids don’t eat as much when they are swimming and hiking all day long.

    Our ’52 had a ’58 six installed several years earlier while my dad was an engineer at Chrysler. I never did find any family records showing the cost of the engine. Dad died later that year, and mom became a school teacher after getting her masters degree.

    The ’52 was a welcome sight in a mosquito infested camp site, I’m sure. Lots of burned non-detergent oil spewing out of the exhaust. That’s why the pink Rambler led the caravan. A year later we had a ’59 Plymouth Suburban. This time with a 318 V8! We led the pack after that purchase. $38 per month car payment for a teacher bringing home 161USD per month. We made it somehow.

    Like 2
  8. chad

    remember when it didn’t matter if the family car had 2 or 4 doors? They were so big it was easy to get in the back even if only 2 door…
    Car’s my age
    8^ 0

    Like 5
    • dweezilaz

      The rear seats on two doors were livable and had windows that would actually roll down as well.

      Like 0
  9. Fred W.

    Price is really cheap. In high school in the 60’s and 70’s, if this were your car, I pity the fool.

    Like 3
    • Dick Johnson

      Nawwwww…. I had a ’60 Corvair coupe. Switched to motorcycles to redeem myself. Didn’t work. Too many rich kids to compete with. Best friend had a ’49 Packard. Woof.

      Like 2
  10. Dirk

    Nice car, appears undervalued but ’50s Plyms often are I think because they generally have a sort of dowdy appearance from this era but they are good quality, solid, well-built cars. Spot-on comment regarding the hats. Real men still wear hats and not those silly little beany-hats that are so common these days, those things are an insult to a man’s head.

    Like 1
  11. Ben T. Spanner

    My Father had a 1946 Dodge 4 dr, 1948 Desoto Convertible, 1951 Dodge Wayfarer convertible, and a 1951 Dodge Diplomat 2 Dr hardtop. Yes he did wear a hat and smoke a cigar. I believe plymouth and the Wayfare Dodge line had a shorter wheelbase. The backseat in the Diplomat was much larger.

    Like 1
  12. Denis Flaherty

    I had the twin in high school, only dark green. Went everywhere…great car. Also had a 2 dr ht, and most recently a dark blue ’50 2 dr. They are a cheap way to get into the hobby as they are undervalued. Quite a nice 55 mph driver. 49-52s were much nicer than the homely-ass ’53/54

    Like 0
  13. EHide Behind

    On year earlier one found fluid drive. On Dodges. Never seen on earlier Plymouth but could of been.
    Changing earlier from fluid to manual one needs change to manual bell housing, clutch assembly as well.
    I was one of those oh well guys who drove 51 Dodge, that I paid 102U$D for.
    While others in rural, darn remote, high school drove mom and dad’s auto I worked to earn bucks.
    NOT ever did I hear a one of classmates complain when school dances, sports practice dates, or a fun time to next town, 50 miles, was offered.
    Good days, a time one could be dirt poor, and still lead a rich life.
    In town put my auto down, was met by put up or shut the F up. And ready on my part to back it up.
    Shaved head, two Bri carb split dual exhaust, cam ( JC Whitney was my go to parts store), and an am radio blowing out tubes and condensers blasting early rock
    and roll out of in dash speaker.
    GIRLS wore either poodle skirts or wispy free flowing dresses that outline what only a teenager could imagine.
    DAMN IT! If I get this I will buy me a real wool Fedora Hat.

    Like 2
  14. MORTYBOY

    FRONT BADGE DENOTES 1951 MODEL
    ’52s WERE ROUND, ALSO TRUNK LPLATE LIGHT HOLDER DIFFERS.

    MY DAD HAD A ’51…………

    Like 1
    • EHide Behind

      SHHHHH- A dickering point!

      Like 0
  15. Meetoo

    Wasn’t it JFK that marked the death of hats. I know a inauguration photo of him wearing a top hat looked rather silly. I suppose it was that, more steel needed, and better aerodynamics that did hats in.

    Like 0
  16. Uncle Nelson

    I had a ’52 4-Door. Was a good car. The only trouble with these or any ’50’s i that, if you use it a daily driver (as I did) They seem to get bigger and bigger everything you drive it, so in any event, it turned into driving a tank

    Like 0
  17. Bob C.

    It seems that these were the cars they used the most in films during this era. Chevy s and Fords saw screen time, but Plymouths were more common.

    Like 0
  18. Bruce Pettinger

    I have a 4 door 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook and always liked the rarer club coupe. My parents had a 1951Dodge Regent club coupe, basically a Plymouth Cranbrook with Dodge badging and grille. It lasted us well but lacked a decent heater for winter driving.

    Like 0

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