Vintage 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe Woody Wagon, All-Original Factory Features

Vintage 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe Woody WagonWith All-Original Factory Features! Offered at auction is this stunning 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe Woody pageant and parade car. The vehicle is in excellent running and driving condition. The gorgeous interior and exterior wood paneling is also in fine condition. This well-preserved. mostly non-altered Woody features the historically correct original flathead 6 cylinder Plymouth engine. as well as the original 3 speed manual Plymouth transmission. If you’re looking for a historic vehicle that has not been improperly re-done. or one that is without objectionable. non-standard modern modifications. or one that still retains the majority of its factory-original. authentic 1940’s character. you have just found it. A Uniquely Pampered Survivor The car was meticulously refinished just two years ago. The color selected for this gem was English Racing Car Green. It was specifically refinished in this shade to compliment its new role as the star feature and focal point as an indoor display for a well-known upscale clothing retailer in New York City. It has remained indoors for the past two years. out of the weather. no exposure to sun or rain. As you can see by the photos. this particular shade of green is very handsome. and particularly compliments the soothing warm-tones present in the gorgeous natural wood-grain paneling. Prior to this 24-month commission. the previous owner also pampered this historic automotive icon. He drove it only for special occasions. driving it gently. and enjoying it as an attention-getting pageant and parade car. He transported it by trailer to special public events. so as not to rack-up too many miles on the odometer. Now with just 37. 10 miles displayed on the odometer. this stunning. unmolested survivor will not last long at auction. The Woody’s Fascinating History This 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe Woody takes its place in the colorful and fascinating Woody automotive heritage in a most interesting way. For those of you unfamiliar with Plymouth Woody vehicles. I have included a brief history with model year chronology and a description of variants and features offered during the car’s 16-year production run which began in 1934. and ended in 1950. 1934-1937 The first Woody was produced by Plymouth in 1934. The factory then shipped the assembled chassis to the U. S. Body & Forging Company plant at Tell City. Indiana. where they installed a station wagon body on the Deluxe PE chassis. The handcrafted wood body was constructed of cottonwood panels. Only 35 were built. and unfortunately. none survive today. The price was $820 FOB. and the only color offered was black. The same configuration was also used in 1935 and 1936. Here is an interesting bit of trivia: they were called 'station wagons' because they were employed primarily around train depots as taxicabs. The modified back ends of the Woodies were found to be ideal for hauling large amounts of luggage. During this period. they were also often referred to as “Depot Hacks. “Carryalls. or “Suburbans. ” 1938-1942 1938 was another year of big change for the Plymouth wagons. The body moved back to the passenger car chassis. and the wheelbase was reduced to 112 inches. Production fell slightly to 555 units. which was still not bad considering that the recession of 1938 reduced total Plymouth vehicle production by nearly 50 percent. The Woody model price hike to $880 per unit was also a factor in reducing the sales numbers at that time. The spare tire which had normally ridden in the front fenders was moved to the tailgate in 1936. when the car was mounted on a truck chassis. The next year they Side mount fenders on the passenger car line ceased with production in 1936. The car was returned to a passenger car chassis the following year. and remained a P6 chassis from then on. Wagon production surged in 1939. despite a price hike. The rest of the Plymouth lineup saw a price reduction that same year. The Westchester model commanded a whopping $970 when equipped with glass windows all around. and $940 for the side curtain version. In all. 1. 80 were built on the Deluxe P8 chassis. while another 97 were assembled for export on the P7 Road King chassis. Throughout the sales year. the wagon was promoted with a great deal of advertising. often in combination with the convertible coupe and convertible sedan models. such as the new “Plymouth Sportsman. " The Sportsman name was used only by the advertising agencies. The name never appeared on the cars themselves. Once again. the spare tire returned to the front fenders on both the station wagon and sedan models. The wheelbase measured 114 inches. and was increased to 117 inches with the 1940 P10 Deluxe models. while the price remained the same as the 1939 version. Production totaled 3. 26 units on the P10 chassis. while another 80 were also built for export on the P9 Road King chassis. This year. the spare tire found a home on the inside. mounted in the center of the front seat back. while glass windows also became standard equipment. As in years past. the wagon had three seats. with the two rear sets removable. One set of seats was narrower than the other. allowing for an aisle along the right side of the vehicle for rear access to aft riding positions; though seat mounting hardware allowed either seat to be interchanged. as desired. The car offered for sale in this eBay auction is a 1941 model. Please note that a major change came with the wagon offerings of 1941. For the very first time. the buyer had his/her choice of finishes to the outer woodwork. The frame was constructed of white ash. but the decorative woodwork panels could be finished in either white maple or Honduras mahogany to suit the discerning buyer’s distinctive taste. The war-shortened 1942 model year saw only 1. 36 wagons built at a price tag of $1. 45 each. Once again. the buyer had a choice of wood finish. and a full-length piece of chrome trim now adorned the elaborate. handcrafted body. The wheelbase remained 117 inches. and was maintained at that length until the end of the P15 production after the war ended. The wheelbase also remained the same for the "warmed over" post-war models till 1948. 1946-1948: Following the war. automobile production accelerated. However. for some time. the buyer still had to contend with car shortages. strikes. and a seller-favorable markets. In 1946. the P15 station wagon listed for $1539. if you were lucky enough to find a dealer who had one. These Woody Wagons were very rare cars even in their time! By 1948. the same wagon sold for $2. 68. The two-tone wood treatment option was still offered. but the application of chrome trim was now seen only on the hood and cowl. 1949-1950: By this time. the high cost. labor-intensive production of the wooden bodies. plus the constant upkeep required to keep the varnish finish watertight. were beginning to be seen in the market as a disadvantage. In those days. wood varnish was a lot more primitive than today’s modern marine spar finishes and urethanes. Today’s products are fortified with tung oil and UV inhibitors. so refinishing work is required less often on Woodies still survive. During these years. the all-steel body was becoming recognized as stronger. safer. and was perceived to require less painstaking upkeep by the owner. Moreover. the all-steel body was cheaper to build. So why not apply those principles to the station wagon? This was certainly a good idea. So the production people at Plymouth made the move. In 1949. they introduced the industry's first all steel station wagon. They called it simply the Suburban. By 1950. these metal-bodied station wagons were outselling the Woodies by a factor of ten-to-one—the new rage! 1950 was the last year the Woody was built. These cars were essentially the same as the previous year’s offering. with a wheelbase of 118 inches. and a price tag of $2. 72. Only 2. 57 were built. Clearly. a most enchanted era of automotive history ended when the last Woody model rolled off the production line. Progress and technology had now marched ahead by several steps. and the Woody wagon could no longer compete effectively in the market place. Alas. these amazingly rare fine cars were now just too expensive to build. and they were also too labor intensive to maintain at that time. Maintenance. or the lack of it. is probably the reason why so few Woody wagons survive today. The factory actually recommended refinishing the woodwork yearly. and for the vast majority of Woody owners. that annual service procedure was simply ignored. Dry rot. termites. fire—they all took their toll on the handcrafted wooden bodies. And. if you were unlucky enough to have a collision in your Woody. most body shops did not want to get involved with repairs on a handcrafted wooden body—the end of a beautiful era. indeed… Today. the Woody is a Star! The Woody’s popularity has not only survived the test of time. but has become one of the most collectible vintage cars of all time. In one word. you might describe it as "cute. " However. these unique pieces of Americana also exude an enchanting. regal charm. which is really all their own. Today. this unique Woody character trait has evolved into a much sought-after and highly coveted feature among vintage car enthusiasts worldwide. The Woody’s exclusive appeal has now far superseded the car’s original. mostly utilitarian design and its modest. workhorse-targeted marketing niche. And. even in their day. although they were originally designed and marketed as practical. quasi-commercial. luggage-toting. utilitarian passenger vehicles. they were also frequently seen in all the best places. In fact. Woodies were often seen in the driveway and garages of Movie Stars and celebrities. When you view Classic black and white films. such as DARK VICTORY. it’s impossible to miss seeing a woody appear throughout the film. They starred in many 30s. 40s. and 50s films. Their successors—the all-steel wagons—have not reached the WOODY Celebrity Status. and most likely never will. Terms of Sale The Pennsylvania title to this vehicle is valid and clear. The vehicle is currently housed in the town of Heflin. Alabama. USA. We recommend that you purchase your own insurance prior to shipping or taking delivery of the car. We reserve the right to end the auction early if the car sells locally. However. nationwide and international buyers are welcome. and our agent in Heflin. Alabama. USA. will gladly assist your shipper with picking up the vehicle and keys at his location. For a buyer traveling to the area to take personal delivery. the nearest airports are Birmingham. Alabama and Atlanta. Georgia. If you are the lucky winner. we will work diligently with you to coordinate and assist you with convenient pick-up of your new/old treasure at our location. A $1. 00 deposit is required via PayPal or via certified check within 48 hours of auction close. with the balance to be paid in cash. certified check. or wire transfer within seven days following the auction close. All funds must be paid in full in $USD prior to release the signed (interest release) title and vehicle. All certified checks and wire transfers must be verified. cleared. and funded by the issuing bank prior to the release of the signed title and vehicle. The cost of shipping. if applicable. is the responsibility of the buyer. If you are shipping the vehicle. we will Express Mail the signed title to you after all funds have cleared. and we will assist you with arrangements for domestic or international shipping. Otherwise we will deliver the signed title to you in person when you take delivery of the vehicle. This vehicle is being sold as-is. where-is. and without warranty. The buyer assumes all safety and financial risk in purchasing and using this vehicle. This sale is final. Thank You for Looking This auction represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the most attractive and interesting pieces of Americana available anywhere—a true automotive icon from the past. and one that has not been done-over with improper or non-original materials. We have included a screen shot in this eBay listing which shows the recent sale price of a 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe Woody Wagon at $110. 00. We have set the reserve price in this auction at just a fraction of that amount. so don’t miss the chance to own this unique. historically correct piece of automotive history. We invite your email questions and comments and will respond promptly. Good luck and happy bidding!