1941 Plymouth Other for sale $14,900

• Recently restored with nice trim and chrome
• Art Deco styling
• New Charlotte Ivory exterior and restored dark green interior
• Original 201 CID flathead inline six-cylinder engine
• Three-speed manual transmission
• Factory center high-mounted stop light (CHMSL) in rear
• Batterymoved from under driverandrsquo;s seat to engine bay

In the days before Pearl Harbor, Plymouth rode high, placing third in the annual sales race behind Ford and Chevrolet. Here at MotoeXotica Classic Cars, we have one of those 1941 Plymouths, a P12 Coupe and an echo of the Big Band Era.

Advertised as the One For andrsquo;41, Plymouth marketed three distinct series for the first time since 1935. At the bottom of the totem pole was the P11 Plymouth, followed by the upgraded P11D, which now took the name of Deluxe, since theRoadkingname had been discontinued. At the top of the line was the P12 Special Deluxe. Special Deluxe came in two- or four-door sedans, business coupes, auxiliary seat coupes, convertible coupes withfullrearseats(but the passengers had better have been friendly!), station wagons and two long-wheelbase sedans, in seven-passenger and limousine form.

Dressed in Charlotte Ivory, the paint is in great shape, even and the clean color stands out even among other classic cars. Amazingly, this car has a factory center high-mounted stop light in the back, 45 years before all US vehicles had to have them. The Plymouthandrsquo;s tinted glass panels are crack-free and clear and the vehicleandrsquo;s lights are in similar good order. Car rides on Coker Classic whitewall tires, size 6.70-15. All of the body panels are straight, including the black running boards, and the shiny bumpers complete the exterior. The engine bay is tidy, the battery looks new and the trunk is clean.

The 1941 Plymouths wore an adroit facelift featuring a simple, almost heart-shaped grille and modest bright-metal side accents. Six cheap standard-trim models were added, Roadking became DeLuxe and the old DeLuxe was now Special DeLuxe.

Nineteen forty-one would mark the last year for the 201-cubic-inch flathead inline six-cylinder engine. A front opening, alligator-type hood replaced the butterfly type of years past, and at long last thebattery was moved underneath the hood from its position under the driverandrsquo;s seat. A counter-balanced deck lid was a much-appreciated change for the better. While no speedway threat, the Plymouth six still provided reliable cruising at over 65 mph, and was well-known for economy. A notable manufacturing advance was Chrysler Superfinish, a special process of giving certain internal engine parts a mirror-smooth surface for reduced friction and decreased wear.

Inside, the carandrsquo;s dark green interior is an eye-catching contrast to the ivory outside. The bench seats are in excellent shape, with the matching carpet, headliner, dashboard, three-spoke steering wheel and door skins all in similar condition. The mirrors and shift lever are in good order and the car has the radio delete option.

The slow-selling limousine was axed after just 24 were built. Other andrsquo;41 rarities were the DeLuxe club coupe (204) and the standard club coupe (994), utility sedan (468) and Suburban (217). All models boasted another Chrysler engineering first: the Safety-Rim wheel, with a beaded circumference to prevent tire loss in a blowout. The battery moved under the hood for the first time and Plymouth offered PowerMatic shift, a andshy;vacuum-transmission assist but not a fully automatic transmission like General Motors offered in its Oldsmobiles.

To the casual observer, the andrsquo;41 was a mildly restyled andrsquo;40andmdash;with a chrome-plated bib or heart. Underneath, there was also little mechanical difference except for a re-geared transmission. The only major change was adoption of safety rim wheels, designed to