1940 Plymouth Deluxe Four-door Touring Sedan Rotisserie Restored

1940 Plymouth Deluxe Four-door Touring Sedan Rotisserie Restored

Some cars are hard to let go and some inspire boundless family loyalty. This is one such car, a 1940 Plymouth Deluxe Four-door Touring Sedan, currently at MotoeXotica Classic Cars. It has been owned by the original purchased Oregon family from new until 2007! Currently the Plymouth is still titled on its original 1940 Oregon license plates "14-852" and was purchased by the families close neighbor who restored the Plymouth in 2008 (documented) and who was also vice president of the Cascade Pacific Plymouth Club.

The Plymouth was treated to a correctfactory specification, no expense spared, rotisserie frame off nut and bolt restoration. After restoration the Plymouth was a2016 Forest Grove Oregon Concourse Winner 2016. The cherry on top for this stunning post war sedan is the included documentation such as binder of 1940 Plymouth information, before and after photos, multiple advertisements, service and operation schedule, brochures, a question-and-answer booklet, paint chips, a repair and tune-up manual, restoration receipts and full historic written story by the original owner's granddaughter Charlene Weber.

This concourse winning Plymouth was originally made in Chrysler's Los Angeles, California factory in late summer or early fall of 1939 (it was just the 148th vehicle built there that year) and shipped to the Tarola Motor Car Company in Portland, Oregon. On October 9, 1939, the original owner, named Sadie C., traded in a used Chevrolet sedan (year not recorded) for the Plymouth. Her husband used the Plymouth to drive to his job at the shipyards.

Finished in an outstanding blue metallic, the car's paint and trim are in overall excellent order. The windows, lights and bodywork are all in similar fantastic condition. Note the driver's side only reverse light perched above the back bumper. The engine bay is extremely tidy and the trunk looks great, too, with its spare tire, wheel and wheel cover plus a jack. The car's chrome bumpers and grill trim shine brilliantly.

This Plymouth rolls on Goodyear Deluxe All-Weather wide whitewalls, size 6.00-16 at all four corners. Each tire is mounted around correct body-colored beauty rings with factory center caps. The tires are in very good order while the wheels are in excellent order.

Under the hood is the original matching numbers 201 CID flathead six-cylinder engine bolted to a three-speed manual transmission with auto-mesh. The engine had familiar "L" head while the compression ratio remained at 6.7 to 1, the highest figure in the low-priced field. Again, four piston rings were used and the engine had full pressure oil lubrication. The crankshaft used four main bearings. Cooling system capacity was 3.5 gallons while a 17-gallon fuel tank was fitted.

The new transmission introduced for 1940 also allowed the engineers to lower the front floor hump and all models were treated to the column shift lever. With the emergency brake lever located on the left side under dash by the steering column the front seat was obstruction free and could carry three passengers in fair comfort.

An entirely new transmission incorporating a blocker type of synchronizer to prevent gear clashing was used in both models. The transmission cover was moved to the side of the case and an extent ion at the rear of the transmission provided the use of the '39's short drive shaft despite the increased wheelbase of the '40 models. The transmission gears were helical cut for quieter operation. The ventilated clutch used a 9-½" dry plate. The rear end has a 4.1:1 ratio.

Inside, the cavernous tan interior is in excellent condition, including the front and rear bench seats, the carpet, headliner and three-spoke steering wheel. The instrument panel, with its full instrumentation and Safety Signal speedometer, and the inner door panels, are in similar excellent condition. Even the window sills are wooden and complement the rest of the interior well. A vertically-mounted factory AM radio completes the interior. When viewing this Plymouth, the interior and dash are really a grand piece of art!

With a three-inch longer wheelbase over the comparable 1939 models, the engine moved forward four inches and the rear axle aftward 7.5-inches yielded 10 cubic feet of additional interior space.

The car's second owner, Bill C., requested a history of the vehicle from the family that owned it before him and Charlene W., complied. Her maternal grandparents bought the Plymouth new and eventually passed it on to Charlene's parents. In fact, when Bill bought the car, Charlene's Beaverton High School sticker was still visible in one of the rear wing windows.

At some point, the Plymouth ceased being the family's "only" car, but they never let it go and Charlene's father hoped his grandson would someday be able to restore the old car. That didn't happen but one day, while the Charlene and her husband were at lunch with their former neighbor, Bill C., he handed them a business card that had a picture of a blue 1940 Plymouth Special Deluxe Sedan on it. Long story short, the car eventually came home with Bill; it is restored now and Charlene visits "her Plymouth" occasionally at Bill's.

In 2015, Bill sold this car to Doug M., who joined Cascade Pacific Plymouth Club. Old Blue had an illustrious career, including a Best of Class trophy at the 2016 Forest Grove Concours and a write-up in the National Plymouth Club Bulletin.

Paul Woudenberg, author of "Ford in the Thirties, "? wrote, "The 1940 Plymouth was all new easily the best Plymouth to appear in the short history of the marque. The Chrysler Corporation had finally come up with a new style which was handsome, albeit boxy, and in keeping with the latest trends.”

Documentation includes binder of information, photos, multiple advertisements, service and operation schedule, brochures, a question-and-answer booklet, paint chips, a repair and tune-up manual, invoices and more.

Competition to this Plymouth in 1940 included Chevrolet's Special Deluxe sedan, Ford's Deluxe Sedan, Nash's Ambassador Six sedan, Oldsmobile's Special Sedan, Packard's 110 Sedan and Pontiac's Torpedo Sedan.

If you've ever sought a "a concourse winning pre war Plymouth Deluxe Sedan, "? your search could end here at MotoeXotica Classic Cars. Stop by today to see this brilliant Plymouth today.

VIN: 3245649

This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 79,488 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt Oregon title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!

Note: Please see full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.

Click to View the 1940 Plymouth Deluxe Video