Plymouth

US, 1928 to date

Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, Mich.

The 4-cylinder 21hp Plymouth car appeared in 1928 at a list price of $725 for a sedan. This Plymouth car replaced the earlier 4-cylinder Chryslers and represented a serious challenge for Ford and Chevrolet in their lowest price class. The Plymouth car had side valves, internal-expanding hydraulic brakes and ribbon-type radiator and gave the Plymouth car a close resemblance to the 1928 Chryslers and De Sotos, and Plymouth cars sold over 100.000 in its first year, even improving its sales position in the bleak economic climate of 1932. Plymouth cars adhered to four cylinders until 1933, when the Plymouth PD-series 6-cylinder was listed at less than $600. 1934 de luxe models of Plymouth cars had independent front suspension, but this was dropped after a year and did not reappear for some time on Plymouth cars. The standard engine in the later 1930 Plymouth cars had a capacity of 3.3-litres, rather smaller than that used in comparable Chevrolets and Fords: a small-bore 2.8-litre version Plymouth car was made for export up to 1939, but the name Plymouth was not usually found on Plymouth cars sold in England, which were nominally Chrysler Kew and Wimbledon sixes. After World War 2 evolution followed that of other Chrysler Corporation cars closely, the old-fashioned styling losing the Plymouth car division its long-held third place in American sales to Buick. Further, Plymouth cars retained the L-head six as its staple power unit right up to 1955, when Flight Sweep versions were introduced with over-square ohv V8 engines on accepted American lines in a variety of powers from 157 to 177bhp. The capacity of these Plymouth cars had 4.3-litres, while the six, now of 3.8-litres, remained available. These 1955 Plymouth cars were lower and longer than their predecessors and could be obtained with synchromesh, overdrive or automatic gearboxes.

The Plymouth Fury models of the ensuing decade represented a breakaway from the traditional Plymouth stolid family car, while the Plymouth Car Division was also responsible for Chrysler’s contribution to the compacts, the Plymouth Valiant launched for 1960. This Plymouth car had rather more European styling than its competitors, with a dummy spare-wheel moulding on the tail; interesting items of specification were the unitary construction of the Plymouth car, alternator ignition, and inclined in-line 2.8-litre ohv 6-cylinder engine. The influence of the Plymouth GT car on America resulted in the Plymouth Barracuda of 1965, a fastback coupé using the Valiant’s 8ft 10in wheelbase and a 4½-litre V8 power unit. Plymouth cars, like Ford and Chevrolet, was aiming at comprehensive coverage of the low and medium price market in 1966, with the compact Plymouth Valiant, the sports-compact Plymouth Barracuda, the medium-sized Plymouth Belvedere, the full-size Plymouth Fury, and the luxurious ‘VIP’ 4-door hardtop Plymouth car, offered only with a 5.2-litre V8 engine and selling for $2.930. An increasing emphasis on sporting Plymouth cars was detectable by 1968, when in addition to the established Barracuda there were two other sports coupés Plymouth car, the Plymouth GTX and the Plymouth Road Runner. All three Plymouth cars were available with 4-speed manual gearboxes and the 6.981cc 425bhp hemi-head V8 also used by Dodge. In 1970, when Valiant prices started at a low $2.172, there was also a Valiant sports coupé, the Plymouth Duster.

In 1971 Plymouth car company added a sub-compact to their Plymouth car range when they offered the 1½-litre Hillman Avenger as the Plymouth Cricket. The 1972 range of Plymouth cars embraced the Valiant on a 9ft wheelbase, the Barracudas and Satellites, and the full-size Furys with V8 engines and automatic transmission as standard. Engines in the Plymouth cars ranged from the Valiant’s 3.2-litre and 3.7-litre sixes up to the largest Chrysler unit, a V8 of 7.210cc. Electronic ignition was offered on the costliest Barracuda model. Casualties of new Federal regulations were the hemi-head engine and convertibles, and the same range Plymouth cars with minor improvements, among them manually-operated sun roofs, was offerd in 1973.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Salmson

France, 1921 – 1957

Société des Moteurs Salmson, Billancourt, Seine

Salmson was renowned for their water-cooled (and later air-cooled) radial aero engines, and Salmson entered the car industry by taking out a manufacturing licence for the GN in 1919. 3.000 of these Salmson cars were turned out in two years. The first Salmson cars proper appeared in 1921. These Emile Petit designs had flimsy cyclecar-type chassis with shaft drive and differential-less back axles, with a St. Andrew’s Cross motif on the radiator. The standard engine of the Salmson cars was an odd 1.100cc monobloc four with a single push-rod per cylinder, which also operated the inlet valves as a pull-rod on the Salmson cars. Ignition was by Salmson cars own type of magneto and cooling was by thermos-syphon. This ohv unit worked reasonably well on the Salmson cars at low speeds, gave 45mph and 45mpg, and a two-seater Salmson cars could be bought in England for £265, the price dropping steadily to £158 by 1926. At the same time Petit produced something a far more advanced Salmson cars for the Cyclecar Grand Prix in the shape of a twin-ohc unit of similar capacity with dual magneto ignition and 2-bearing crankshaft: with one of these Salmson cars Lombard won the race, as well as taking 2nd place (behind a GN) in the 200 Mile Race at Brooklands. This was followed by 1st and 2nd places in both these events in 1922 with a Salmson cars, class wins in both the Cyclecar Grand Prix and the first Le Mans 24 Hour Race in 1923, at San Sebastian in 1925, and in both Le Mans and the Targa Florio in 1926. 1927 marked the peak of Salmson cars competition career, with 2nd and 3rd places in general classification at Le Mans (as well as Class and Biennial Cup wins of a Salmson cars), and a 2nd place in the Coupe de la Commission Sportive run under consumption rules.

The Salmson cars firm also built a 750cc engine for the 1923 Cyclecar Grand Prix – the Salmson car won its class but this Salmson car was never produced commercially. Nothing came, either, of Petit’s ingenious 1927 1.100cc twin-blown twin-ohc straight-8 Salmson car with desmodromic valves, said to give 140bhp at 8.000rpm.

Touring Salmson cars progressed to twin overhead camshafts with the advent of the 1.2-litre 10hp in 1922; there was still no differential or front wheel brakes on the Salmson car (though the latter had appeared on the racers), but a starter was standard and quarter-elliptic springs had given way to semi-elliptics. From 1925 onwards the twin-cam 1.100cc sports Salmson cars came into their own, and by 1926 the adoption of a cowled radiator completed the Salmson cars classic outline. There were variations of specification, but all the sports models Salmson cars came with front-wheel brakes, balloon tyres, and differential-less back axles, and ranged from the 3-speed Grand Prix Salmson cars with splash lubrication and 2-bearing crank at £265, giving over 70mph, to the GP Special, which Salmson car had full-pressure lubrication and 4 forward speeds, available in Cozette-blown form at £475. Meanwhile the 10/15 Salmson car had acquired front-wheel brakes, and at the end of 1926 the differential arrived on a bigger 12/24 Salmson car with dynamotor, V-radiator, and a 9ft 4in wheelbase giving room for more commodious coachwork.

The vogue for small French sports cars vanished as quickly as it had come, though Salmson cars once more collected the Biennial Cup at Le Mans in 1928, and the twin-cam sports models Salmson car were still listed in Britain as late as 1931. The arrival of the MG Midget killed what sales there were of the Salmson car, and Salmson, like Amilcar, tried their hand at small luxury machines; a twin-cam 1.6-litre six-cyl Salmson car for 1929 never went into production, but its successor, the Salmson S4, had a longer run. This Salmson car retained the twin-cam engine and 3-bearing crank, magneto ignition, gravity feed, and 3-speed gearbox, but it usually wore saloon bodywork, and the Salmson car was not notably fast for a price of £325. The Salmson car had grown up by 1933 into the 4-speed 1½-litre Salmson S4C with rear tank, which formed the basis for the 12hp British Salmson cars made at Raynes Park from 1934 onward. The 1.6-litre Salmson S4D of 1935 still had a magneto, but featured transverse independent front suspension and a 4-speed Cotal electrically-selected gearbox, and twin-ohc saloon cars in two engine sizes were listed in 1939. The bigger of these Salmson cars beasted 2.3-litres and 70bhp, and had hydraulic brakes. The English price for the Salmson car was £495. The same models Salmson cars reappeared in 1946, when a few 90bhp competition Salmson cars were made with 2.3-litre engine. Over a thousand Salmson cars found customers in 1950, but thereafter the decline was rapid.

A new 2.2-litre Salmson Randonnée model with a light alloy engine and Cotal gearbox came out in 1951, and 1953 produced the Salmson 2300 aerodynamic coupé with half-elliptic instead of cantilever rear springing, wire wheels, and a tuned version of the twin-cam engine giving the Salmson car 105bhp and over 100mph. This Salmson car was made in small numbers until 1957, but a year previously the had been heralded when Renault acquired the factory site. Last of the Salmson cars was a long-wheelbase version of the Salmson 2300 with 4-door saloon bodywork.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com