For Sale: 1940 Plymouth PT105 Pickup in Auburn, Indiana

To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at Auctions America’s Auburn Fall event, September 1-4, 2016.

Chassis No.
8633740

Estimate:
$ 30,000 - $ 40,000 US

Plymouth entered the light-duty truck market in 1937 with four body styles built on a truck chassis shared with Dodge. Labelled the PT series (for Plymouth Truck), body types included the Express (pickup, like this vehicle), a cab-and-chassis (with full-length running boards and rear fenders), Commercial Sedan (sedan delivery), and wood body station wagon. The panel delivery would remain on the truck chassis for two years, the wagon for just one.

The reasons for Plymouth entering the light-duty truck market were simple. Every Plymouth dealer in both the United States and Canada was paired with another product from Chrysler. Dodge/Plymouth dealers had a commercial vehicle, but those dealers paired with DeSoto or Chrysler were left without an alternative to offer prospective buyers. It must have seemed like a perfect solution for little investment; Chrysler Corporation could duplicate the Dodge pickup and sell it under the Plymouth brand.

With a strong economic climate (1937 would be a banner year for Plymouth, setting sales records that stood until 1950), timing was perfect to enter the light-duty truck market.

Minor changes in presentation marked the PT105 series for 1940. New was the addition of sealed beam headlamps. The upper grille shell featured the addition of three horizontal strips. Power of the inline six-cylinder engine was increased from 70- to 79-hp, although bore and stroke figures remained the same as previous years.

In spite of a $10 price increase, sales of the PT105 series increased slightly with sales of 6,879 pickups and 174 cab-and-chassis units. Mechanical changes to the PT105 included a larger 35-amp generator to handle the sealed beam headlamps and the horsepower increase. Not seen, but cursed by many, was the switch to left-hand and right-hand thread wheel bolts.

Presented in red with black fenders and a black interior, this 1940 Plymouth PT105 is reported as restored and features a flathead inline six-cylinder engine that is paired with a floor-shift three-speed manual transmission. The Plymouth also includes a crank-out vee’d windshield with cowl vent, turn signals, new wiring harness, wood bed with stainless steel securing strips, wood bed side extensions, amber foglights, wide whitewalls and dual windshield wipers. This is a very nice example of a very desirable and rather uncommon model from Plymouth.