Just to get it out of the way first, Powell referred to both their pickup and station wagon as “Sport Wagon“. They are about as unique and rare as it gets and they seldom come onto the market, at least in usable condition. This one can be found here on eBay in Eagle Point, Oregon and there is an unmet opening bid of $7,500. Thanks to Kyle K. for submitting this tip! Wait, that Kyle K?!
The Powell brothers, Channing and Hayward, manufactured radios and then scooters before helping with the WWII effort in 1942. After the war, they went back to scooters and then small motorcycles but yet another war got in the way, this time in Korea. After that war, the company abandoned scooters and got into vehicle production with the Sport Wagon pickup and also a sport utility vehicle Station Wagon. The seller shows this pickup next to a Station Wagon and they mention wanting to sell the truck in order to concentrate on the much rarer wagon restoration.
The seller says that this is the 83rd truck made for 1955 and typically, early models had wood bumpers but this one has steel front and rear. According to Hemmings, an option on the higher-end Deluxe models were a diamond plate rear bumper and tailgate, but being a 1955 model and not a Deluxe, I’m not sure if this is original or what’s going on. But, it was a company that used parts as they were available, especially drivetrains, so maybe it’s normal to have inconsistencies.
This is the only interior photo. You can already tell that there is a lot of work to do on this rare truck and this one has been slightly modified on the interior and under the hood. These vehicles were made beginning in 1954 for the 1955 model year and continued until early-1957. By mid-1957 the company was bankrupt. They came back in the 1960s with small trail motorcycle production and a year after Hayward Powell passed away in 1978, they closed shop forever in early-1979.
Powells were unit-body pickups – as in, the cab and bed are integrated – or station wagons that were typically built onto a 1941 Plymouth chassis with a Plymouth or sometimes Dodge drivetrain. The seller says that this one is all Plymouth, other than the engine which is a 230 cubic-inch flathead Dodge. There appears to have been a lot of work done on the engine and also lots of brake work has been done. If a person was looking for arguably the most unique and rarest pickup around, it would be hard to go wrong here.
“Pow, Pow, Powell makes a powerful car” ( one of my favorite Simpsons) Rare indeed. I thought Powell had slide out trays above the tail lights, like the wagon. Someone cobbled the back. It looks like it was built in a garage, about as generic as you can get. You can have your 5 figure VW buses, but this is probably the rarest US vehicle made. Great find.
Unless you’re seeing something I’m not,That “Cobbled Back” is the way they were built. They have a group on FB, and a registry website. Most if not all, had that plate steel back end.
Yep, owner here…the trucks that had no diamond plate, no side trim, no grill trim were Fleet Trucks. This one is original in the back. The rear bumper on this one is all integrated diamond plate to back and tail gate is also diamond plate. No tube on this one but we had one made when my wife wanted it. Later we bought the truck as seen on My Classic Car with the tube.Grey one is my truck now!
Here is one!
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/384595769465541/
Sad example, the nose is molded into the fenders and over chromed, missing side trim, never came in black. But on the other hand there’s only 3 driving examples, the remaining 8 are unknown condition.
I thought the Powell had the “extended storage box” in the rear passenger fender? It had a round cover with a pull handle; located above the passenger tail light. Was that just an option?
The seller states that this doesn’t have the “optional fishing pole tube”. For those who like oddball vehicles, this is about as good as it gets.
That dash is as plan as they get. At least it would be easy to work on. I’d like to crawl under the truck and see what’s what…
Correctumundo Guys, this is as good as it gets. Such a Spartan build. In such great shape aways. I’m sure it does well on the road with the mopar mill. Good luck to the new owner. The quirkiness and one off stuff makes it worth the starting bid.
Stay safe and wash your hands
Cheers
GPC
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of these. I almost forgot they exist. They were outdated when they were new, but still found some buyers. One rear ended my brothers 55 Ford pickup. The Ford was built on a rake design so the rear bumper connected with the grill of the Powell spewing antifreeze all over the street. A pretty girl walking on the side walk was the cause of the accident.
God bless America
I think I read, the brothers used pre-war Dodge and Plymouth car chassis’. After the war, they were hard to come by, and like you say, nobody wanted them anyway.
I had always understood Powell Crossley invented this vehicle after his namesake Crossley car venture failed.
These were built in California by brothers, Hayward and Channing Powell. Crosleys were built in Cinn. Oh.
One L in Powel-Crosley and no relation to Powell PMC.
I want it. If I wasn’t knee deep in another project, I would seriously consider it. I’ve been tossing it around in my head every since it showed up on Ebay. If it was on this side of this country, I would have a much harder time passing it over. I missed the opportunity to buy one in Texas a couple years ago, due to the seller moving the next day. There’s one in Ky, that I’m keeping my eye on, but it’s not nearly as nice as this one. I just love the simplicity.
He advertises it as “perfect for a resto-mod”. I sure hope no one does that! This needs to be restored to original state.
Uniqe find….reminds me of my Tonka trucks in the early 1960’s.
Kyle K. was such a regular on BaT finding all sorts of weird cool stuff. Since BaT is almost exclusively auctions now, I guess he’s helping out on this site. Keep’em coming!
What is it, 3/4 ton? Looks like 8 lug rims, looks like a truck body you stick a good humor ice cream box on the back.
1/4 ton actually. 500 pound payload because of the 1941 car chassis. You could get helper springs to get the full 1/2 ton lol. My wagon has the helper springs.
Looks like a toy truck you might’ve played
with as a kid, but these are full size and
drivable. Well, at least it would be easy
to restore the drivetrain since it is Dodge
powered. Don’t know about the body parts though. These could be easily remade if you’re a fabricator as there aren’t too many of these coming up for
sale as donor trucks. If a shell did come up for sale, I’d go with a 318 V-8 paired with a 727 Torqueflite tranny for a drive line and build the rest to suit my
tastes. I would definitely like to see
some videos of this truck in action. Must
have been a unique driving experience.
One of our members put one on a chevy s10. I have 3 vids posted on YouTube, Maybe i can get my wife to hold the camera while i drive, gets up to speed well but not so exciting after that
Ken, I made a driving video, you probably would have like a factory video. Mine is not very interesting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebmXZhnHrVs&t=14s
There is ,or was,one in the Auto Museum in Sacramento,or Hays Truck Town in Davis.
$7500 is a ton for such a particular weird looking thing.
BUT Im sure there is somebody out there who wants to throw some cash at it BUT in my humble opinion the resale is very questionable!
Good luck with this odd ball.
It’ll be the star at any meet. We’ve seen the cookie-cutter cars to boredom.
I dont think that’s very much for this uneik of a vehicle. You should have seen there camp mobile ( motor home they made. ?
I,d stop and have a good look at this one anyday. You don,t see many of them. Its the first one I have seen and I like it. Thinking how easy it would be to tinker on. Beats looking at the same familiar mustang–comarao any day. I can,nt see how they demand such high prices as many of them you see every day. Its like going to the same place on vacation year after year. I hope someone restores it. . Like the Diamod T pick-up. Beats the looks out of any new truck on the road today. In my opinion plus easier to fix if it quits.
Rare one of a kind vehicle , in my opinion the Powell Brothers were ahead of their time – these came out before a Ranchero or El Camino. The 1955 Powell pickup seems similar to a 70’s International pickup. Possibly the only ” green ” vehicle : 1941 frame and running gear on a new for it’s time 1955 body, and I hear they were able to sell these as new vehicles at dealerships ! A pickup truck which rode like a car / fiberglass front nose / simple utilitarian design. American ingenuity !
Utiltarian wise, IMHO the diamond plate job on the back seems like a great idea for a utility truck. No frills and simplicity are evident here, like pickup trucks used to be. Very difficult to buy a no frills work truck these days. Since the dealers make money on the options, you are screwed. Someone told me if you go to Maine, you can order or purchase a work truck off the line. MY 98 chevy c-2500 has almost 300k on it, and has crank windows. Came from texas, no rust, and it was maintained religiously by the A/C contractor who owned it. Never let me down. This Powell truck is cool and way ahead of its time.
Stay safe and wash your hands
Cheers
GPC