1932 Plymouth Series PB

In the summer of 1928, Walter Chrysler released his low-priced Plymouth. Henry Ford reportedly told him that he would go broke with his new endeavor, believing that he and Chevrolet had the market already sewn up. Chrysler, nonetheless, forged ahead. The first two years were rather successful and at one point, Plymouth and the recent Dodge acquisition were carrying the company.

The Chrysler Plymouth made its debut in 1928 at the Madison Square Garden, with Amelia Earhart (who had just become the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic) behind the wheel. It was billed as 'A New Zenith of Low Priced Car-Luxury and Performance.' The name Plymouth was chosen as a symbol of 'the endurance and strength, the rugged honesty, enterprise, and determination of achievement and freedom from old limitations of the Pilgrim band who were the first American colonists,' at Plymouth Rock, MA.

These 'economy' cars, with a base price of $670, featured such expensive-car features as 4-wheel hydraulic brakes, full-pressure engine lubrication, aluminum alloy pistons, and an independent hand brake.

The 1932 Plymouth PB was the first Plymouth to be publically identified with a specific year. For the first time, advertising clearly identified it as a 1932 model, and it was also the last four-cylinder Plymouth produced until 1971.

In 1932, Plymouth was the only car in the depression-shaken industry to improve sales over the year before. Part of its success was due to its 'Floating Power.' It was the solution to the tooth-jarring, previously unavoidable vibration common to four-cylinder cars. Plymouth insulated the powerplant from the frame by lining the front and rear mounts with heavy rubber. This gave the engine the ability to 'float' from side-to-side on its rubber mounts, which kept vibration to a minimum.

The 1932 Plymouth was offered in a vast array of body styles including the business roadster, phaeton, sport roadster, convertible sedan, and convertible coupe. They had beautifully proportioned styling and the PB looked upmarket compared to most other four-cylinder cars of the era. The engine had high-compression cylinder heads offering abundant performance. The radiator shell and headlights had a chromed finish.

From 1931 to 1954, Plymouth was third in auto sales, which saved Chrysler in the 1930s

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2016