The seller’s photos were in a long and low format; my apologies for the composite photos. Without that, it would have cut off the ends of this beautiful 1950 Plymouth Special DeLuxe sedan, and that would have been a crying shame. The seller has this survivor posted here on craigslist in Somers, Montana, in the far northwest part of the Big Sky State, and they’re asking $6,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Curvette for the tip!
If I didn’t do these composite images, both ends would have been cut off in order to fit the format here, and that would be a shame for such a nice car as this 1950 Plymouth Special DeLuxe sedan. In case you ever see photos with fuzzy edges here on Barn Finds, that’s the reason; it’s the original format of the seller’s photos. Another thing you’re probably wondering about: yes, this car has some sort of “shine juice” on it to give the original patina some gloss. This particular car also has slightly taller tires, giving a nicer highway ride.
A lot of the Shore Green paint has gently worn off this hat-friendly Plymouth sedan, and many small dings are visible. I’d tone down the shine a bit, but that’s just me. I might keep it original, at least on the exterior. In case you were wondering, yes, those wide whitewall tires would have been the original look for Plymouth’s high-zoot trim-level car for this series, the Special Deluxe, code-named the P-20 in this case, which meant a 118.5-inch wheelbase. The Special DeLuxe came in a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, and a four-door station wagon. A lot of us would prefer a two-door, three-passenger Business Coupe without a rear seat, which wouldn’t have been available in the Special DeLuxe trim. Here’s what the trunk compartment looks like, nice and clean. Here’s a two-page brochure showing the different models for 1950.
The interior is a bit rugged in this car, unfortunately. At least the fabrics, door panels, kick panels, and things like that. Thankfully, those are all fairly easily repairable. The seller doesn’t mention the rust situation at all, but they say this car had been sitting for years and was recently gone through to bring it back to life again. I’d for sure want to redo the interior, as I mentioned already (sorry), and make sure it’s mechanically perfect, and I’d drive the H (heck) out of this beauty. I may even wear a hat while driving, as the President of Chrysler, K.T. Keller, intended for their high-roof cars of this era.
Here’s a Barn Finds article about a 1949 New Yorker from 2019 where I chatted about that a bit. The seat covers here are said to be NOS, but they’re pretty loosey-goosey. They would work until new upholstery could be sourced and installed. They say that everything works but the radio and the horn. Speaking of the horn, a tell-tale sign of a Special DeLuxe is a horn ring rather than just a horn button. The pistol-grip emergency brake handle is pretty cool.
The engine was easy to choose, as buyers didn’t have a choice at all. This is Plymouth’s 217.8-cu.in. L-head inline-six with just under 100 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque when new. Power passes through a column-shifted three-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels, and the seller says this one has plenty of power, starts right up, doesn’t turn oil, runs cool, and runs like a sewing machine. The wheel bearings were repacked, and it had a tune-up, new fluids, new brakes, and more. 1950s cars are a hard sell these days, especially when they have “too many doors,” but this is a car I’d be proud to own and drive. How about you?
Yes I would too – own and drive – regularly, even daily – and tone down the shine.
Nice and honest Plymouth, thanks for sharing.
SHOW AS A STEADFAST TRANSPORTATION THAT WILL LAST THROUGH AN EMP.
Excellent entry to the vintage car hobby. Could be enjoyed as-is for a long time and work on the details as you go. Great find.
A very nice Plymouth indeed! There was a man that my wife worked with at KAL bus line named Kenny Lancaster who drove a Plymouth the same year
as this one. His car was a bottle
green with a taupe mohair interior. And yes, he DID drive it daily! If any of you are as old as I
am, (72) I’ll bet that you recall seeing these everywhere when you were a kid. And there were a lot of them roaming the streets of
Bloomington Illinois in the late ’50s on up to and including the early ’80s. And you saw them in
conditions ranging from pristine
down to rambling wreck status but they always ran and got their
owners where they wanted to go.
There was a young married couple in our church who had one
and I used to service it on some
Saturday mornings when the ladies cleaned the church. And even though they bought a new
’68 Chevelle SS 396, they still hung onto and drove that old Plymouth for many years after I
started playing music on the road
and cut down on going to church
til I came home in the fall to go back to school. And I was sad to
hear that they had to junk the Plymouth after the engine went away at 285K miles. Now THAT was a great car!
These were the bread and butter cars. You saw them everywhere but not so much now. Collectors did not want them so most were not saved.
In 1965 My Uncle had a brand new Mercury and a 1950 Plymouth like this one but grey , more times the not he would be driving the old Plymouth so I ask him why , his reply was that old Plymouth is my Good Old Girl shes just so smooth and comfy to drive ,go figure ! so this car must be one of these G O G s !!!!
I agree with Innkeeper!! This survivor car is an excellent vehicle to enter the classic car hobby with. Since the rest of the car has not been detailed, I must assume that is a fresh coat of linseed oil on it to protect the primer from burn thru into surface rust. Other than some little things like tightening up / replacing the seat cover this car should be left AS IS!!!
good looking find. looks solid and priced fairly as well.
There’s something attractive in these old Plymouths and Dodges. Nothing sexy, just purposeful. I know a guy who used to have a 2-door version of this. Roomy inside and effortless to drive. Pretty neat old ride.
EXCELLENT write-up, Scotty !! I think that YOU must really like/want this old Plymouth because of all the COOL extra brochures and extras included in this write-up ! Whenever I see this era of Chrysler product, I think of my family’s 1958 vacation trip from Chicago to L.A. in a 1949 DeSoto 4-door sedan: no a/c, the canvas water bag hanging outside the front of it (for the overheating), and my first trip to Disneyland !! Thanks for the memories !
I would ONLY want a four-door such as this!!! I have always preferred foor door sedans, most especially in highly practical cars such as this one. When they lowered cars, they lost something important: it became style over substance. Too bad this one is all the way out in Montana! And yes, these ran practically forever and still were a common sight in the 1980s, when most other cars of their time had long since bit the dust and had that final funereal trip to the crusher. Early 1950s Chrysler cars kept on going and going (as did 1948 Dodges, for some reason). I wish this one were in Vermont or Massachusetts someplace! I don’t wear hats, but I’d don a fedora to drive THIS car!!! Affordable and practical: what could be better?
Nice car. At my age I’d just get the horn fixed, the seat cover replaced with a cool-in-summer/warm-in winter cloth version and drive. I don’t need a radio unless it could be easily and cheaply fixed.
You know I like this car since I am the owner of a 1952 Plymouth Cambridge Club Coupe. Same color too. The two of us went to a big car show yesterday. Fifty miles each way. There were 649 cars on display ranging from Model Ts to late 1990s. The place was packed. Lots of people liked the Plymouth in fact it got all the compliments. I’m just the caretaker. The car for sale here is a good deal. Especially for those in the know about them. GLWTS.
Looks to be a decent #4 condition driver with better chrome, so if you can live with the exterior paint, the engine compartment could be detailed to look better for not much more than labor. These engines are good runners, as Ken states. I had a 51 Plymouth and a 46 Dodge 1 ton truck with these flat 6’s.
Welcome to Montana.
Nice Plymouth! I’d daily it. Just so simple and clean. Love it’s survivor status. If running as well as described, which there’s no reason to believe otherwise, wow. Price seems reasonable. Wouldn’t even want to hot rod it other than rid the white walls and open up the breathing a bit for the motor.
So far away though. Time for a road trip?
Robt, I would keep the whitewalls, since the Special Deluxe had them originally, and I would duplicate the original interior, so the experience inside of the car wouldn’t be so shabby. And I would restore the radio and the clock.
I would rid the white walls too –
Listing update: the seller lowered the asking price to $5,450!