Lot 211

Hershey 2023

1932 Plymouth PB Sports Roadster by Kercheval

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$37,400 USD | Sold

United States | Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Chassis No.
1744385
Engine No.
PB69568
Documents
Canadian Registration
  • One of 2,163 PB Sports Roadsters built; the last of Plymouth’s pre-war roadsters
  • Largely known ownership history beginning in 1957; Chrysler Historical Collection documentation
  • Highly optioned; retains numbers-matching engine
  • Plymouth Owner’s Club 2008 National First Place winner
  • Proceeds of the sale to benefit the Rotary Club of Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada

Produced for only one year, the Model PB was introduced in 1932 and represents the pinnacle of Plymouth’s four-cylinder car production, making it among the most collectable of its type from the marque. While styling was all-new, it was still characteristically Plymouth in appearance. The PB was the first Plymouth that did not have headlamps mounted on a tie-bar and the first to feature one-piece fenders that also curved a bit more towards the front bumper. The curvature of the PB grille, increasing at the bottom, was a distinctive touch.

The Sports Roadster version included a folding front windshield and rumble seat in its $595 base price, while side-mounted spare tires were optional at extra cost. Powered by a 196-cubic-inch four-cylinder engine rated at 65 horsepower, the PB offered brisk performance for its day, delivering its power smoothly, thanks to two-point, rubber, floating engine mounts, and achieving more than 70 mph in top gear, according to period Plymouth advertisements. Four-wheel hydraulic brakes provided stopping power approaching that of more modern cars. Plymouth built 2,163 PB Sports Roadsters. All were 1932 models, and they would be the last roadsters Plymouth produced in the U.S. market until the 1997 Prowler.

Chrysler Historical Collection build records show this PB Sports Roadster with its Kercheval body to have been shipped from Detroit to the Simon Stewart Agency in New York City on 23 June 1932. According to the consignor, the first known owner was Jim Ladd of Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania from 1957 to 1963. The car is believed to have then passed to noted Chrysler collector Paul Stern of Manheim, Pennsylvania, who arguably had the most desired cars Chrysler offered in his vast collection. It appeared in a Las Vegas collection beginning in 1978 and still later with Dallas Gravenor of Salisbury, Maryland from 1988 to 1996, after which the current owner took possession.

Despite having been restored by Ladd in 1960 and being the recipient of an Antique Automobile Club of America award that year, the current owner elected to commission another complete restoration in 2000. Those efforts earned a first-place prize in the 1928–1932 Class 1 at the Plymouth Owners Club 2008 Grand National Meet in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Beautifully presented in black over red leather, well maintained, and reportedly driven sparingly since its most recent restoration, this outstanding PB Sports Roadster is highly optioned and retains its numbers-matching engine, further adding to its inherent appeal. It is now offered with a history file that includes a copy of the original build card, parts and repair receipts dating back to 1999, and photos from the most recent restoration. Proceeds from the sale are being donated to the Rotary Club of Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada.