84 hp, 201.3 cu. in. L-head six-cylinder engine, three-speed column-shift manual transmission, independent coil spring front suspension with semi-floating rear axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 117 in.

• Just two owners from new

• Sympathetically maintained; largely original

Shortly after Walter P. Chrysler created his new automobile company in 1925, he replicated Alfred P. Sloan’s new business concept, which had proven a success at General Motors—stair-step marketing. The idea was to create a product lineup with little overlap or cross-brand competition, where customers would move up the Chrysler family as they progressed up the economic ladder.

Chrysler’s first step was the introduction of the “low price” Plymouth brand in 1928; it would be complemented by Dodge, DeSoto, and Chrysler. The timing could not have been any better, as Plymouth would carry the other marques through the Depression, and by 1940, it had earned an enviable reputation within the industry as a car of supreme reliability.

Plymouth referred to their all-new 1940 offering as “the low priced beauty with the luxury ride.” The car was lower and wider, it had 18% more glass, internal door hinges, twin taillights, a synchronized transmission, sealed-beam headlamps, and a host of other advances.

This largely original example is painted a lovely maroon with a tan Bedford cord interior. The interior has been recently reupholstered and is in very lovely condition; the dash and instrumentation are attractively worn, as is the wood grained window trim. Items like the glass and running board rubber unabashedly show their age, and it is evident that the engine bay has been maintained to be functional. Interestingly, this example has a pair of accessory lights in the engine bay and also has exterior fog lights and headlight visors to complement the very presentable paint and brightwork. Certainly drivable as-is, its new owner has the option of sympathetically preserving this Plymouth or using its originality as the template for a spectacular restoration.