It’s time for another visit to a defunct marque, back to a time when its products had much life. We’re talking about Plymouths, and on this occasion, we’re featuring their products from the ’50s and ’60s.
The images cover their functional, untrendy early ’50s designs to a few of their bold, Space-Age ’57-’58 models. Trends shifted quickly to sobriety in the ’60s, and though it was briefly its own marque, an early Valiant is included. After all, they became part of the family, didn’t they?
Cool looking trailer park in the first pic. If that really is Wisconsin like his license plate says, the people that live in those up there will freeze in the winter. Those didn’t have much insulation in them tin walls.
They’d have hauled their trailers to Florida by then. 🙂
Seriously, these are actual trailers, and quite mobile. There was a subset of folks back then that liked to be mobile; it was a popular lifestyle.
Boy, I was hoping I’d see some young 20’s male standing next to his brand new 68 Roadrunner at the end.
I’m not quite sure I can picture that sartorial looking fellow in sweater and hip round sunglasses, next to the Valiant. Although that Valiant is showing the tin worm working it’s way all the way down the car along the rocker panel, door, and fender arches. Didn’t take long did it?
He’s an early hipster, right down to his choice of car.
With that cardigan and nicely tied necktie, I picture him as a high school teacher, driving a sensible car. Too bad about the corrosion however.
Thank God you didn’t show a 62 Belvedere! My parents passed up chances to Trade out 55 DeSoto for a 59 ADVENTURER and 61 DeSoto, only to buy a 62 Belvedere. 🤮 IMO one of the ugliest cars ever built.
Opinions, like your gas mileage, may vary.
In the 7th pic down, that scooter on the right appears to be the Sears Allstate version of Vespa. I wonder if Sears sold more Vespa scooters in the States than Vespa did through their dealers?
Do I spy a liquor bottle on Grandpa’s hood? 😉
Regarding PRNDL’s remark. Here is my take: 1955 Plymouth, home in the burbs, bottle of booze – How much more could any man want? Great photos. I miss the marque.
I am calling it a 56 Plymouth, as I detect a possible fin out back. He’s as proud of his Plymouth as the Chevy and Ford owners are of theirs, across the street. Neighbourhood of bungalows, sensible car purchases. Looks like a blue 64 Chev Bel Air or Biscayne.
Rick W many want to skip reading my entry here?
By far my Father’s all time favorite car of the many he owned was his 1962 Plymouth Savoy, optioned with the “Golden Commando” 361 V8 engine.
An oddly optioned car (361 4-BBL V8 engine, factory A/C. “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission, manual steering but power brakes), bought on impulse (HIGHLY unusual for my careful, frugal, pragmatic “Great Depression Baby” Father!) off the showroom floor, when Dad stopped by the dealer for an oil filter for our two year old V-200 Valiant. Dad said he was “taking a short cut” to the parts department thru the showroom, laid eyes on the Savoy and froze in his tracks.
Dad said that the first time he floored it in second gear to merge onto the highly congested expressway, “It felt like an Atlas booster rocket kicking in compared to that Slant Six Valiant!” He ruefully said that he was a “Gone Pecan” from that moment on.
Mom was not at thrilled at the loss of “her” paid for Valiant, but after riding around in the hot & humid New Orleans Summer the first year of ownership, with the freezing c-c-cold factory air conditioner on, she mollified her attitude towards Dad’s surprise of the unplanned for new car.
Dad and I talked about this car the day he passed away, 35 years later, in 1997. Even racked with pain from the whole-body cancer and warped out on morphine, he spoke lucidly about this automotive love. Mom, hearing our conversation, just shook her head at us.
Here is the only picture I can find of the car (most of my parent’s photo albums got flooded and turned into pulp when hurricane Katrina “visited” New Orleans and the faulty levies of the U. S. Corps of Engineers failed & flooded most of the city) and me, Christmas eve 1961, the only time the car got snow on it, at my Grandparent’s home in southeast Oklahoma.
Really like the look of the ’66 Satellite. Always did. Clean lines, and the roof pillar seals the deal for me.