Plymouth styling leapt out of the Depression-era doldrums in 1939 with an across-the-board revamping by Raymond Dietrich, the great coach builder who then headed Chrysler styling. 1940 Plymouth's changed again, with new “speed line” fenders, smoother proportions, horizontal bar grilles and sealed beam headlights. Trunk back sedans became a thing of the past, replaced by fastbacks that offered more luggage capacity. At 137 inches, the long-wheelbase P10 models provided a versatile platform for a number of different body styles ranging from a 5-window coupe to a 7-passenger limousine. The P10 woody station wagon offered high style and functionality for buyers whose driving spanned both town and country. Low sales figures meant relatively few were sold, making examples like this P10 Deluxe is very rare. The result of a older frame-off restoration on a solid car, it is one of only 3,146 P10 woody wagons produced in 1940 at an original retail price of $970. A structural feature as well as cosmetic, the original wood has been retained and presents beautifully, its steam bent roof bows and warm-toned paneling matched by matching interior upholstery. The Red exterior finish is accented with red painted wheels wearing Firestone wide Whitewalls and Plymouth hub caps, a nice Black vinyl roof and Black running boards providing sharp contrast. Plymouth’s economical 210 CI flathead 6 cylinder uses a single downdraft carburetor and mates to a column-shifted 3-speed manual transmission. Rear access is by an upper and lower tailgate, with the spare tire mounted behind the back seat.
