With a complete redesign at Plymouth for 1940, there was a new emphasis on style, interior room, and ride comfort.
When the Chrysler Corporation overhauled its product lines for 1939, the work was focused on Dodge, DeSoto, and Chrysler, while Plymouth was left behind. That created some unusual glitches in the model lines that year: For example, only Plymouth offered a convertible in 1939 (see our feature here). But for 1940 Plymouth was caught up with the other Chrysler brands, and the result was a significantly improved car with a superior ride and increased interior room. The top line of Plymouth’s marketing campaign that year was “The Low-Priced Beauty With the Luxury Ride.”
The wheelbase was increased from 114 inches to 117 inches, while the body shell, shared with Dodge, was now three inches wider. To improve passenger comfort even further, the engine was moved forward in the chassis four inches, while the rear axle was shifted 7.6 inches to the rear. Now the occupants were cradled within the wheelbase rather than perched over it, improving ride quality, while the overall balance was better, too. But in the repackaging, overall length remained at 194.5 inches.
While the new exterior look remained unmistakably Plymouth, no body panels were shared with the previous model. Under the direction of chief stylist Robert Cadwallader, the glass area was increased 18 percent while a new one-piece backlite gave the driver 23 percent greater viewing area, Plymouth claimed. Running boards were disappearing, and the station wagon now had real roll-up windows.
Rumble-seat models were discontinued, replaced by a four-place Club Coupe that brought the two extra passengers inside. The center divider in the windshield was slimmed down and the wipers were relocated from the windshield header into the cowl, an industry trend at the time. Sealed-beam headlamps also arrived in 1940, an important advance that is underrated today—they made nighttime driving far more pleasant and practical.
With the repackaging of the body and chassis, interior volume was increased 10 cubic feet and the trunk volume was now 21.6 cubic feet. The basic Roadking trim level was intended mainly for fleets and salesmen, while the Deluxe (above) offered finer fabrics and a woodgrained finish on the steel instrument panel and glass surrounds. But all Plymouths were powered by a 201.3 CID version of the familiar L-head six with 84 hp. The only available transmission was a three-speed manual, but with the shift lever moved up to the steering column for 1940 to improve front seat comfort. Fluid Drive was then coming online at the Chrysler Corporation, though it wouldn’t be offered by Plymouth until years later.
In a sideways year overall for the Motor City’s carmakers, Plymouth’s volume didn’t improve much in 1940: 423,000 vs. 417,000 in 1939, despite the complete overhaul. However, Plymouth had clearly improved its game in offering improved style, ride, and passenger comfort to buyers in the low-priced field. With a 1942 styling makeover, this same basic platform would remain in production into early 1949, selling more than 1.2 million cars.
