For 1949, Dodge rolled out a spartan base model called the Wayfarer, featuring an abbreviated product line that included a genuine roadster.

Nineteen-forty-nine was a big year for the Motor City. Ford and Chevrolet both introduced their first new postwar cars that season, among others. And so did Dodge, too, but not until April of 1949, several months later than the competition. As a result of the late rollout, there were two different Dodge products that year, known as First and Second Series. The First Series cars were ’48 carryovers, while the Second Series featured the new postwar styling.

There was one more twist in the April introduction: The Dodge lineup now included cars  in two distinct sizes and price ranges. The Meadowbrook and Coronet held the traditional Dodge market slot, somewhere above the low-priced three, but now they were joined by a smaller, more spartan, and less expensive model called the Wayfarer.

While the big Dodge was based on a 123.5-in wheelbase platform, the Wayfarer rode on a similar but shorter 115-in chassis. Prices ranged from $1,611 to $1,727, undercutting the standard Dodges by a few hundred dollars. However, the Wayfarer did share the same 230 cubic-inch L-head six rated at 103 hp as the big cars. Standard equipment was the bare minimum, while body styles were limited to three: a three-passenger Coupe, a two-door, six-passenger Sedan, and a three-passenger Roadster.

It was the Roadster that drew the most attention in 1949, just as it does today. “Dodge brings back the roadster!” the company exclaimed. Here was “a three-passenger ‘honey’ for young people of all ages.” And a real roadster it was, according to the standard definition, with no rear seat, a lightweight, manually folding top with aluminum bows, and drop-in plastic side curtains instead of roll-up glass. The throwback body style hadn’t been seen from Detroit in more than a decade.

However, the classic roadster feature, side curtains, didn’t last for long. Roadster production began in May of ’49, but starting in September, conventional window regulators and rollup door glass were introduced (above.) The side curtains were an objection for some buyers, reportedly, and besides, with the curtains in place there was no way to hand-signal a turn, a legal necessity in some states. For that reason, we could guess, the Roadster was renamed the Sportabout for 1950.

Otherwise, the Wayfarer line continued on much as before in 1950, with a dash more side chrome and the same three basic body styles: Coupe, Sedan, and Sportabout nee Roadster. In ’49, the big Dodges took around 75 percent of the division’s total volume. But it’s interesting to note that in that same year, the Wayfarer Roadster outsold the conventional Coronet Convertible ($2,329) by a five-to-one margin. But overall, Wayfarer sales steadily declined in ’50 and ’51, and it was dropped from the Dodge lineup for 1952.