Earlier this evening, at the behest of Kevin from Junkyard Digs, I sat down and watched the Disney short, “Susie the Little Blue Coupe”, for the first time ever. You can look the video up on YouTube if you haven’t seen it, but the short summary is that you follow the lovable little Susie from the moment she is bought at the dealership forward. The cartoon was made in 1952, but the car, which has strong hints of bullet-nosed Studebaker, looked more post-war 1940s than anything else. I’ve been honest about not really knowing or paying much attention to vehicles made prior to 1955, but there was something about the cartoon that got me thinking. Every car starts out as someone’s new pride and joy. Over the years, they get driven into the dirt, aren’t properly maintained, and usually get used and abused at some point later in their life. But what would a car from the era look like if it had been cared for properly?
This 1948 Plymouth is a time capsule. The body is there, the interior is there, the 218ci flathead six is there. Rowing a three-on-the-tree wouldn’t have been any issue back then, and yes, the suspension is high, because you never knew when you would hit a dirt road or need to haul a few crates of real-deal mountain dew in the trunk. It’s as straightforward as a car gets, and it’s lived it’s seventy years on the planet in a relatively charmed state. There are hints of age visible, but nothing drastic or dramatic.
The little black coupe…this was someone’s best day ever once.
Oh yes! Just crying out for a new-gen Hemi and independent suspension to make the perfect Mopar sleeper.
We need a “report” button for spam-bots.
I’m kind of torn on this car. It would make a wicked gasser style build with a Hilborn injected or Roots blown 392 Hemi. But should it? You don’t need an intact car to make a gasser out of – this one may be better kept as a car that can actually show not just what cars looked like in the ’40s but what it was really like to experience driving one. If this (and enough money for a gasser build) showed up in my driveway, I’d be inclined to keep it the way it is.
I’d keep this one as is, find one in worse shape to modify it.
Sadly, it has the wrong tires. This would have had either blackwalls or wide whites – the narrow whites hadn’t been invented yet (a call to Coker can fix that!). Given that I was born in 1947 I actually remember seeing these running around the streets of SE Michigan and this one sure is a sweetheart.
send the engine to the Montana Dodge Boys …
R10 O/D trans leave it on the tree …
fill the trunk up with mason jars … and look out for the Federal Revenuers
something to be said for leaving them period correct
I have a 1950 Plymouth Business Coupe. It is my goal to leave it original. It runs really strong, and is a blast to drive. The gear ratio is very low, I wish it had an overdrive. I need to find mouldings and other trim parts. Any, and all help would be greatly appreciated.
Best,
Larry Heatwole
I have a 1949 executive business COUPE for sale.