Plymouth appeared in 1928 and with its four-cylinder engine and $670 pricetag was aimed squarely at the low-price end of the market. It was initially called the Chrysler Plymouth to ensure that it would benefit from the parent company’s name and sold just over 66,000 examples in its first model year
Plymouth Thrives In Depression, Prewar Years
The competition was already long established when the Plymouth arrived, but by 1933, there was little doubt that new car would survive. A six-cylinder flathead replaced the original four and sales reached 60,000 units that year; the figure was down from 1929’s 108,000, but was respectable in light of the very difficult economy and so Plymouth went on.
As World War II approached, Plymouth’s look was brought up to date in 1942. Smooth, clean and one evolutionary step above the 1940-41 body, it was lower and hid its runningboards under sheet metal. They were there when the doors opened, but were otherwise invisible. Under the hood was the familiar six, which had grown to 217.8 cubic inches and 95 horsepower from 189.8 cubic inches and 70 horsepower nine years earlier. Attractive as it was, Plymouth refocused with the rest of the American automobile industry as war cut production short in January of 1942.
Subtle Changes Create The 1946 Plymouth
The Big Three and the independents welcomed peace by picking up just about where they’d stopped. The long interruption ended with 1942 cars returning to production after a small amount – in most instances, a very small amount – of updating and change made them into 1946 models. In Plymouth’s case, a new grille appeared, the rear wheelwells were reconfigured to show less of the tires and the front bumper was restyled to provide additional protection to the corners of the fenders. The big mechanical difference was that 1942’s vacuum-assisted shifter was not available.
The 1946 Plymouth isn’t identical to the 1942 version, but it might appear that way to a casual observer as it takes a sharp eye to pick out many of the differences. The 1947 Plymouth, though, actually is identical to the 1946 version, right down to the prewar 95-horsepower engine.
Oddly enough, Plymouths of the time were low-priced cars and in theory appealed to economy-minded drivers, but they lacked fuel-saving overdrive, a common option in that segment of the market. The fact that Plymouth then offered only a conventional three-speed manual transmission is curious in a different way; other Chrysler Corporation cars used some form of Fluid Drive with a manual or semi-automatic transmission.
The 1948 Plymouth And First-Series 1949 Plymouth Remain Uncomplicated
Plymouth finally got around to adding overdrive as an option in 1952 and offered a semi-automatic three-speed transmission in 1953, but its immediate postwar cars were extremely simple with no frills. Despite their being several inches shorter than the smallest Chryslers, they bore a clear resemblance to those upscale models and in fact, to contemporary DeSotos and Dodges as well. Plymouth was the sole Chrysler Corporation car of the postwar period to lack an extended-wheelbase version, but unlike the other divisions, it did offer a wood-bodied station wagon.
It was also the only one whose fender line didn’t flow into the front door, but that fit with its generally straightforward styling and practical personality. In convertible form, the Plymouth’s smaller size and lack of extended fenders works especially well.
Plymouth remained resolutely pragmatic until 1955, when it introduced its first V-8. Just one year later came the Fury, Plymouth’s entry in what would later be referred to as the horsepower race.
