Automobiles carry as many special thoughts and memories as there are vehicle owners. This very nice and enjoyable 1950 Plymouth Special DeLuxe Club Coupe is a wonderful example of this idea, acquired by the current owner and his wife in 2007 in commemoration of their arrival as young immigrants to Canada in 1950.
According to the owners, the Plymouth came from Alberta to Ontario via a long-distance transport driver, who spotted it there and realized it was a very sound classic car, worthy of a light restoration and continued use and enjoyment. One of its major highlights was its solid, rust-free body, thanks to Alberta’s salt-free roads and highways since road salt is rendered ineffective by the extreme cold temperatures in the spacious Canadian prairie province.
A new professional paint finish was subsequently applied, and the seats were reupholstered. The plush split-back front bench seat is trimmed with proper square-weave cloth upholstery and the spacious rear bench includes an arm rest to each side for added comfort. The dash and steering wheel feature Plymouth’s postwar Art Deco styling theme and retain their factory appearance nicely with the dash looking quite good, contrasting the steering wheel with some age-appropriate cracks and paint rub-through to the rim surfaces. A factory AM radio with chrome-accented central speaker, stylized chrome “Plymouth” script, and external antenna supply additional entertainment. Factory emblems, badges, and scripts are in their respective places inside and out, along with twin chrome outside mirrors and Plymouth’s signature “Mayflower” ship emblem to the dashboard.
Power is delivered by Plymouth’s simple and trusty 218 CID L-head inline-6 cylinder engine, factory-rated at 97 BHP at 3,600 RPM and a 3-speed manual transmission with column shifter. The underbody is not detailed, but tidy and solid, and the frame and suspension appear sound upon inspection with proper factory type components in place. Despite some surface rust found to the driveline and suspension parts, these areas could certainly be cleaned, detailed, and refinished as desired by the next owner.
Included with the Plymouth are a metal outside sun visor that can be installed as desired, plus an original 1946-54 Plymouth Service Manual and a “Fix Your Plymouth” maintenance guidebook.
The 1950 Plymouths delivered reliability, comfort, and operating economy, helping the Chrysler Corporation division continue to hold its third-place sales ranking with a solid 15.9 per cent market share for 1950. This handsome and nicely preserved and presented 1950 Plymouth Special DeLuxe 6-Passenger Club Coupe is a wonderful example that is ready to enjoy with friends and family, providing an affordable and relatively uncommon postwar classic choice. Obviously, it will also provide an ideal entry to any pre-1964 classic car show, including Rockton, Ontario’s very fun Jalopy Jam-Up.
Values for the 1950 Plymouth Special DeLuxe 2-door Coupe are a bit challenging to confirm, but a recent listing on Bring A Trailer for a comparable car in all respects, save for our subject car’s reupholstered seats. The Bring A trailer car apparently did not sell, but it did reach a high bid of $12,050 US dollars, which equates to about $16,650 Canadian at today’s (Oct 22, 2024’s) online exchange rates. The seller’s asking price is a bit higher, but could surely be negotiated a bit, notwithstanding the high cost anybody incurs when they have a classic or special-interest car repainted and reupholstered at today’s rates. If you like earlier postwar classic cars and want to sip fuel while doing so, this 1950 Plymouth Special DeLuxe Club Coupe will certainly provide a lot of fun with your friends and family.
If it’s still for sale, you’ll find it HERE in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada for a CAD $22,000 asking price.
Here is a chart showing sale prices and high bids for various 1950 Plymouth models for the past 5 years, courtesy of the folks at CLASSIC.COM:
Leave a Reply