Walter P. Chrysler was a man on the move in the 1920s. After his amazing rise from railroad roundhouse sweeper to president of Buick, he resigned in 1919, fed up with General Motors founder William Durant’s erratic management style.
With his known management expertise, he was hired by the banks to rescue failing Willys-Overland. Successful there, he then did the same for Maxwell-Chalmers, which by 1925 he had turned into Chrysler Corporation. He also established Chrysler Canada.
In a meteoric rise, the young Chrysler Corp. was fourth in industry sales within two years. But it wasn’t finished. In 1928, Walter Chrysler pulled off an audacious move by adding three nameplates: he purchased Dodge Brothers, created the mid-market De Soto and announced the low-priced Plymouth.
The Plymouth (formerly the Chrysler 52) was introduced in Madison Square Garden in July 1928. It reflected Chrysler Corp.’s engineering prowess with features such as full-pressure engine lubrication and hydraulic brakes. Walter Chrysler was confident his Plymouth could challenge Ford and General Motors in the low-priced field.
In spite of the 1929 stock market crash followed by the Depression, Plymouth production reached 1,000 per day and by May 1930 was fourth in industry sales. Chrysler was one of the Big Three.
The 1931 Plymouth introduced “Floating Power” rubber engine mounts, advertising “the economy of a four with the smoothness of a six.” It also got “Free Wheeling,” which disconnected the driveline on coasting, eliminating compression braking. It was hard on brakes and eventually disappeared.
By 1932, Plymouth was third in sales after Chevrolet and Ford. A vacuum-actuated clutch became available, and for 1933 it got a six-cylinder engine.
Plymouth got more rounded styling and all-steel top for 1937, followed by fender-integrated headlights and column shift in 1939, the year the millionth Plymouth was produced. It also had a last and a first: the last American rumble seat and the first power (vacuum) assisted convertible top.
Chrysler Corp.’s new postwar models appeared in mid-1949 with less stylish profiles than rival GM models, dictated by company president K.T. Keller, who believed a man should be able to enter and leave a car while wearing a fedora. In 1949, the popular Plymouth Suburban all-steel station wagon arrived, along with key-turn starting. Both soon swept the industry.
Chrysler Corp.’s styling finally blossomed with the 1955 “Forward Look” and Plymouth got its overhead valve V-8. Push-button operation of the “Power-Flite” two-speed automatic came in 1956, and with the 240 horsepower Fury model, Plymouth joined the performance club.
In 1957 came big “Flite Sweep” fins, torsion bar front suspension, and new three-speed “Torque-Flite” automatic transmission. The venerable side-valve six was finally replaced in 1960 by Chrysler’s famous overhead valve “slant six.” The compact Valiant also arrived, and all corporation cars (except Imperial) adopted unit construction.
Plymouth introduced the radical 1964 Valiant-based “glassback” Barracuda, but it was overshadowed by the sensational new Ford Mustang. The 1966 Fury VIP model competed with top-line Ford LTDs and Chevrolet Caprices, and Plymouth joined the muscle-car craze with its Satellite, Belvedere GTX, Road Runner and high-wing Road Runner Superbird; some were Hemi-powered.
The industry suffered through the 1970s with lower compressions and rising concerns over safety, emissions and fuel economy. Plymouth responded with the 1976 Volare compact.
In 1978, Plymouth (and Dodge) led the American industry with the first American front-drive, cross-engine subcompact Plymouth Horizon (and Dodge Omni).
Chrysler Corp. was financially stressed by the late 1970s when Lee Iacocca, recently fired from Ford, took over as Chrysler chairman in 1978. His personal charisma, government loan guarantees and sturdy front-drive Plymouth Valiant (and Dodge Aries) K-car saved Chrysler.
In 1984, a new type of vehicle called the minivan — the front-drive Plymouth Voyager (and Dodge Caravan) — revolutionized the market. The front-drive Plymouth Acclaim came in 1989 as its family sedan for the next decade. Perhaps ominously, there was no Plymouth among Chrysler’s roomy, front-drive “cab forward” 1993 LH cars (Chrysler Intrepid, et al.).
Since every Plymouth was matched by a Dodge or Chrysler model, the nameplate was growing redundant. Thus it was not surprising when DaimlerChrysler AG, formed through Daimler Benz’s takeover of the Chrysler Corp. in 1998, announced Plymouth’s demise. The last Plymouths before it sailed off into the sunset were the 2001 hot-rod inspired Prowler and subcompact Neon.
