Depression Era Plymouths

In 1928 Chrysler decided that they needed something of an entry level brand to better compete with offerings from Ford and Chevrolet. And so they rolled out Plymouth. 1928, as it turned out, was not a good year to start a company, especially one that created products that cost as much as automobiles. But the move not only worked for Chrysler, it may well have saved it from having to close its doors.

When the Great Depression hit near the end of 1929, just about every business in America suffered. Plymouth was just about the perfect car for these troubled times. It benefited from the advanced engineering that made Chrysler and its other two lines, DeSoto and Dodge, very durable and reliable cars. In addition, it was priced at the bottom of the company's sales ladder which meant that more people could afford it. They could and it was reflected in sales.

Having three distinct dealership selling Plymouths helps as well. People could walk into any Chrysler, DeSoto or Dodge dealer and find a Plymouth. It may not have been what they were looking for but for many, it was what they drove away in. In fact, by 1931 Plymouth had vaulted into the number three slot in overall sales.

Originally Plymouths PC model was powered by a four cylinder engine but in 1933 that was upped to a 190 cubic inch flathead six. At the same time the wheel base was shortened from 112 inches to 107. This hurt sales and Chrysler soon put a version of Dodge's 112 inch wheel base under the body of the PC. At this time they also rebadged the model the PD.

By the end of the decade Plymouth was making a serious push to overtake Ford as the number two seller of automobiles in America. This sales surge, of course, was interrupted by the onset of World War II. With it came the use of automobile factories to aid in the war effort. While this saw huge amounts of money flow to each of the Big Three Detroit automakers, it was Plymouth that essentially kept Chrysler afloat during the 1930s.

The two cars featured here are a 1936 PD and a 1938 PD.