1941 Plymouth P12 Special DeLuxe

Plymouth was first introduced as a separate model line in 1929, offering entry-level and inexpensively priced vehicles within the Chrysler Corporation and played a significant role in the company's survival during the difficult years of the Great Depression, ultimately rising to the number three position in overall sales by 1931. It was a stylish and innovative vehicle that offered features like hydraulic brakes on all four wheels and all-steel construction before either of its two main rivals in Ford and Chevrolet. In 1933, it switched to a six-cylinder engine that resulted in a considerable increase in sales, as did independent front suspension the following year.

The 1935 Plymouth rested on a new X-braced frame with boxed side rail members, and the 'Unit Frame & Body Construction' method of bolting the body at numerous points to the frame, thus making the frame an integral part of the body structure, and vis-versa.

As the 1930s were coming to a close, the styling had entered the art-deco age of streamlining, highlighted by the Chrysler and DeSoto Airflow, and the Lincoln Zephyr. For Plymouth, aerodynamic design cues included skirted fenders and curved radiator surround when its all-new body was released for the 1940 model year. The following year, the model lineup consisted of two distinct lines that included the entry-level Model P11 and the better equipped P11 Deluxe, augmented by the upmarket Model P12 Special Deluxe.

The standard engine was a 201.3 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine with four main bearings, solid valve lifters, and delivering 87 horsepower at 3,800 RPM. An optional version of this engine with higher compression and an aluminum cylinder head brought horsepower to 92 bhp. The engines were backed by a three-speed sliding gear transmission with a single disc, dry 9.25-inch clutch, and column shift controls. Stopping power was by hydraulic brakes at all four corners concealed by 6.00 x 16 steel disc wheels.

The Model P11 was priced from $685 to the high-$700s, and the P11 Deluxe was priced from the low-$700s to the $800s. Additional chrome and exterior brightwork adorned the P11 Deluxe, including the grille, around the windshield and side windows, and the word 'Deluxe' on the hood side panels.

The P12 Special Deluxe was offered in a variety of body styles including a Business Coupe, Club Coupe, two-door sedan, two-door utility sedan, two- and four-door sedan, seven-passenger sedan, limousine, convertible coupe, and station wagon. A bare chassis was also available and 323 examples were sold. Prices on the P12 Special Deluxe ranged from $760 to $1,120.

The Plymouth P12 Special Deluxe models were distinguished by a higher level of upholstery finished and two-tone exterior paint schemes. The P11, Deluxe P11, and P12 Special Deluxe rested on a 117-inch wheelbase platform, with the seven-passenger P12 models using a larger 137.5-inch platform.

Plymouth first began offering its woody wagon just six years after the brand was created by Walter P. Chrysler in 1928. Built by the U.S. Body and Forging Company in Tell City, Indiana, those early wagons came solely in black with drafty side curtains. It was not long before the company began using side glass windows, as well as three different tailgate designs and a wider swath of paint options. The Plymouth's woody wagons body styles soon grew in popularity in the years leading up to World War II, with production going from 555 Westchester wagons in 1938 to 5,811 station wagons in 1941. The company had used the 1940 new car brochure to tout Plymouth's budget-oriented 'luxury ride' quality overall and the engine, driveline and suspension technological innovations found on woody wagons, which carried over to the 1941 release.

A small but respectable percentage of woody wagons were built on the top-of-the-line P12 Special Deluxe series, accounting for 5,594 examples sold. The most popular body style was the four-door sedan with 190,513 examples produced, followed by 84,810 of the two-door sedan. 37,352 examples were club coupes and 23,851 were business coupes. Only twenty-four were seven-passenger Limousines priced at the range-topping $1,120.

The total 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe production made up approximately 68-percent of Dodge's total production that year.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2020