Established in 1928 and shut down in 2001, Plymouth is one of America’s most iconic automakers. The brand is also responsible for a series of famous nameplates, including the Belvedere, Road Runner, and Barracuda. But did you know that Plymouth also made pickup trucks?
The company was never known for haulers, and it doesn’t come as a surprise. Some of you may remember the short-lived Trail Duster SUV (1974-1981), but Chrysler’s entry-level division also had a brief venture in the pickup business. It happened in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Plymouth was still a relatively new company.
Just like Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet did at the time, Plymouth developed its early trucks from full-size cars. It joined the pickup truck market with half- and one-ton haulers in 1937. They wore PT-50 badges and were replaced by the PT-57 in 1938. These were followed by the PT-81 in 1939 and PT-105 in 1940. Plymouth then produced the PT-125 in 1941 and abandoned the market in 1942.
Come 2023, the PT series is quite a rare sight. Plymouth made only a few thousand units each model year, and most of these trucks were abandoned or scrapped in the following decades. As a result, they’re pretty difficult to find in one piece, and replacement parts are very scarce. And needless to say, unmolested survivors are rarer than hen’s teeth.
Fortunately enough, though, a few of these haulers have soldiered on for almost a century to tell the PT story, thanks to diehard Plymouth enthusiasts. The 1939 PT-81 you see here is one of the lucky ones. And it’s not a restomod like many of late-1930s siblings. This Mopar was restored to its original specifications.
Spotted at a local cars and coffee event in Englewood, Florida, this PT-81 was once a rust bucket sitting in a field. And now it’s a museum-grade classic sporting its factory-correct red and black livery, matching interior, and period-correct badges front and rear. It shines like new, and it’s drop-dead gorgeous.
There’s a catch, though: the original engine is no longer under the hood. Initially powered by a 201-cubic-inch L-head inline-six, the hauler now packs a newer, 1954-model-year 218-cubic-inch lump. But don’t let the 15-year gap fool you; these engines were based on the same block, so they’re not radically different.
There’s no info on which car donated the powerplant, but the 218 was a common offering in Plymouth vehicles from 1946 through early 1954. It was rated at 95 to 100 horsepower, which is notably more than the truck’s original 70-horsepower 201 straight-six.
But even though it may not have an original engine atop the front axle, this truck remains a rare sight and a vintage pickup worth checking out. It’s quite valuable, too, as Plymouth haulers in similar condition tend to cost more than $50,000 at public auctions.