Somebody might get quite a bargain here. You find this classic here on eBay in Williston, Florida that is a very tidy and reportedly running 1946 Dodge business coupe. The paint is faded, but there seems to be little rust and even the interior is mostly there. With a top bid of $3,750, the reserve hasn’t been met.
The car was owned by an elderly couple for more than 40 years, and it was stored indoors. The story according to the owner, Titus Weflen, is that the car was a gift to the husband—who’d always wanted an old business coupe—on his 30th birthday. Now they’re in their 70s. Weflen says the Dodge last ran a year ago and needs only a battery and fresh fuel to be on the road again. What we can see of the overall condition supports this. Weflen said the brakes are fine, and the tires are two to three years old, with only 500 miles on them. The odometer shows 98,000 miles, a lot for a car of this vintage.
The bright red paint is oxidized but looks like it would respond to the clay bar and some elbow grease. There’s no peeling or rust spots, but although Weflen (a retired school teacher who has a fleet of 60 to 80 cars) says the coupe really is entirely rust-free, some shots of the floors and undercarriage would be nice. The seats look good, and they haven’t fallen through said floors. The chrome looks good–dig that toothy grille! All glass is good too.
The interior has that really cool old car look—and it probably smells of old wool and mothballs. It would be criminal to change it at all. Experts on old Dodges would know if those tweed seat covers are original or from the J.C. Whitney catalog. Even if the latter, they’re age appropriate.
Business coupes are long gone, but the idea was to sell them to doctors (who made house calls back then and needed to carry their little black bags) and traveling salesmen with samples to show. Says Street Muscle (which likes it when owners hot rod the body style), “Generally speaking, a business coupe was a ‘no-frills’ basic two-door car with no backseat or a removable backseat. The car manufacturers designed these models for traveling salesmen that carried wares or samples and not passengers.”
The Model T was available as a business coupe, but they probably didn’t call it that back then. The designation thrived through the 1930s and 1940s and some even made it into the late 1950s, but by then they were rare.
What’s offered here appears to be an entry-level Dodge Deluxe, which came in two-door sedan, four-door sedan, and two-door coupe models. No matter which version it was, the engine was a 230-cubic-inch flathead inline six. The buyer could choose a three-speed manual or Fluid Drive. Even basic cars got full instrumentation, a Chrysler tradition.
Weflen said that the couple who owned the car retired to Florida and brought the coupe down with them. If they garaged it and used it on sunny days, then that’s the best of both worlds—no rust, plus an absence of sun baking. The latter typically takes out the upholstery and rubber seals. Calling all traveling salesmen, or just people who appreciate a nice old car. Thanks for the tip, T.J.
Nice find, T.J., and nice write-up, Jim! I have half a mind to buy that just so it doesn’t get turned into a restomod. Or, maybe I just have half a mind, the jury is still out on that.
Nope, Scotty, you’re right on. These are rare and deserve to be preserved as they were intended and this one looks to be a great find. Too much automotive history gets lost to the car butchers.
I call them “me-mobiles.”
Definitely a Low Rider
Please, no.
In 1967 I bought a 1946 Plymouth (Mayflower) business coupe in Denver USAF tech school for $50. It was in as good or better shape than this car and hauled me into the CO mountains. It did remarkably well in winter with chains. The Plymouth business coupe had a five window roof, not three window, and while not as unusual, it had better proportion, roof to trunk. I bought a junk yard back seat out of a Kaiser and wired it in for more passenger space. The trunk was still big enough for contraband during Friday inspections.
There is one the same as yours, but a 1946 Dodge, on BAT at this moment with an offer of $12,500 so far and it’s being described as a Custom Club Coupe.
SoSo, My Plymouth had a slightly smaller roof and rear cargo area, hard to fit in or see out of. It was not appreciated by car guys in 1967. The insurance cost five times the cost of the car; AF pay was meager. My Grand Dad had a 1949 Plymouth business coupe, with three windows and much different styling.
While sitting in the principal’s office (another story) I struck up a conversation with an associate troublemaker about old cars. He mentioned his grandmother had one in the barn and would like it to go away. I picked it up for $25.00 and towed it home. Turned out to be a 1942 (pre-war) Dodge Business coupe. The grandma used to drive the local DCPA Colonel back and forth to the military base. It had a total of 23,000 miles on it and NEVER registered. I, as a 17-year-old, became the original owner of a 1942 automobile. It was in showroom condition and had it running in just a few hours of tinkering. The speedo would change colors as the speed increased. Cool car!!
Classic Excellence
Love these business coupes. I would prefer to have it all black.
Count me in the very interested group. I’m a big business coupe fan. I will be watching this. IMO nobody did business coupes better than Mopar. Thanks Barn Finds.
I like this one the way it is but had a high school buddy that had a black on black stock interior and body but…. He put a 1964 dodge 413 wedge with a 4 speed with original looking shift lever in it and four wheel disc brakes it had wide tires but black rims wit poverty caps. And burned many hot road runners and other muscle cars because it was such a sleeper
Best 46 I have seen in along time. Begging for a 426 and sky the front.
In 1964, a 426 wedge?