America was crawling out of the Great Depression by the late 1930s, and automakers were finally venturing to their sketchpads to produce new designs. Dodge chose to abandon its one-year-only D8 to cater to a more modern aesthetic, launching the Luxury Liner series in 1939. The new model incorporated sealed-beam headlamps into the fenders, shifted to a flowing hoodline, and moved the gear lever off the floor to the column. The Luxury Liner was offered in two trim levels – the Deluxe D14 and the Special D17. Both sat on a 119.5″ wheelbase and shared Chrysler’s inline six cylinder. Here on eBay is a 1940 Dodge coupe in project condition, with an asking price of $4000. It is located in Murphys, California, and it’s been in non-operational status for years, so there is no title and no registration. The seller also notes that the car, while it rolls, doesn’t drive, and is located in an area that cannot accommodate a large transporter. The buyer will need a single-car hauler to bring it home.
This car belonged to the seller’s brother, who spent years working on it, rebuilding the 87 hp 217.8 cu. in. flathead engine and repairing or replacing most of the car’s other mechanical components. The engine ran about a year ago, and since then, the original radiator has been re-cored, the brakes, starter and alternator were rebuilt, and the battery was replaced. The car still sits on very elderly bias plys, but they do hold air. The underside is adorned with cobwebs, but it’s otherwise clean. On the other hand, the tinworm has been at work on the inner fender wells and apparently around the trunk lid in a minor way.
The seat upholstery is new, and most of the interior components are still present. The steering wheel is not original. Dodge’s “Safety Light” speedometer lit up across the speed gradient – green below 30 mph, yellow from there to 50 mph, and red beyond that to remind the driver he was in the danger zone! The trunk is full of spare parts still in boxes, and several manuals are included with the sale.
The coupe body styles from the 1940s have a panache that can’t be beat. While this Dodge is cosmetically challenged, the right buyer will look past that and maybe even live with it. We could talk about a resto-mod here, but if this were my car, I would straighten up the mechanicals and electricals, fix the few nits and nats that don’t work, replace the tires, and drive the pants off this thing. How about you – how far would you go to refurbish this coupe?
Here’s another for my “war” chronicles,,,anchors aweigh. I only speculate that because our dads( and a couple moms) gave up a heck of a lot, and we can’t forget that. We don’t get a timeline from the 1st brother that found it where it “sat for decades”. Couple amazing things here, being California, how it escaped becoming a Gasser says it was well hidden. Dodge wasn’t the most popular car for drag racing, but any car like this was fair game. Also, Powell cars of Cal. used 1940 Plymouths drivetrains, and I imagine Dodges for their cars, and this somehow escaped that as well. Sorry, all the optimists in the world won’t keep this original, got resto-mod all over it, and that’s okay. Like this, it will sit for more decades. An amazing find.
Michelle….. When you said, “The coupe body styles from the 1940s have a panache that can’t be beat.” You hit the nail right on the head. Whether it’s a Dodge coupe like this, or a business coupe, I don’t think any manufacturer, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Studebaker, Nash, Packard, etc had a bad looking car in coupe form. These are all very good looking cars. I would personally not hot rod it. If that Flat Six was rebuilt recently it should come back to life, rumor has it, they’re very robust engines. I sure hope this Dodge gets saved, you don’t see a lot of them. Great find, and write up as always too Michelle. I always look forward to my day off, drinking a cup of coffee and seeing what surprises you write up . Thank you!!!