Shortly after Walter P. Chrysler created his new automobile company in 1925, he replicated Alfred P. Sloan’s new business concept, stair-step marketing, which had proven a success at General Motors. 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, and it had 18 percent more glass, internal door hinges, twin taillights, a synchronized transmission, sealed-beam headlamps, and a host of other advances.

One of only 3,126 “woodie” station wagons produced on the 1940 DeLuxe chassis, the car offered here has recently benefitted from a cosmetic restoration, including a refinish of the body in the attractive shade of Regal Maroon. The woodwork has been freshly varnished and overall remains in superb condition, following a complete restoration in which new timber was properly installed some 20 years ago. Clearly, the car has been well maintained since, as the doors still fit well, and the wood has not shrunken or dried. The owner has taken pride in sorting the car properly and has fitted it with new radial tires.

How many of the 1940 wagons have survived is not known, but this is the first that RM Sotheby’s has offered, and it would certainly be a rare treat for any Plymouth collector’s stable.