1947 Plymouth Special Deluxe P15C Woody Station Wagon
Just into the 20th century, furniture makers began making "woodies" as a sideline to their businesses. They would purchase an automobile without a body and build a body from wood. These custom vehicles were often set up like small buses and were commonly used by resorts to transport guests to and from railroad depots. They weren't called woodies back then. Rather, they were known as "depot hacks". In the horse-drawn days, a "hack" was a wagon.
1947 was an eventful year. The sound barrier was broken, a UFO allegedly landed, the transistor was invented, and the Spruce Goose took off on its first and only flight. Speaking of wood, a talented coach builder named Raymond Dietrich put pen to paper and imagined the sleek Art Deco designed P10 Winchester which then went to the U.S. Body and Forge Co. in Buffalo, New York to be fitted with the material that gave it the name Woody. So for consignment, a multiple time AACA winning P15C Woody wagon from 1947. Purchased from the original owner in 1993, a full on restoration began and now we have a car that will give you wood!
Exterior
Originally a nursery delivery vehicle, the car was bought and an immaculate restoration that has left no stone unturned, began. The car has a perfect deep Battalion Beige paint on the Plymouth front bulbous V shaped hood and fenders. The chrome bumpers and brite-work, grille, rocker covers, and badging,are all in excellent condition. White ash and Honduran mahogany have been painstakingly cut, restored and assembled to fashion the remainder of the car, and make up most of the structure along with the wood tailgate, steel hinges, window surrounds, and door hinge hardware. The varnished finish appears in very fine condition on the exterior and a Mayflower multi-masted and sailing ship embellishments are on the center of the moon hubcaps. 16-inch wide white sidewall tires compliment the look. This perfection is all topped by a new vinyl roof in darker beige which covers the interior exposed slats and makes up the roofline.
Interior
Inside, between the wood paneled door inserts there are three saddle colored vinyl covered bench seats, and the rear two come with one wider than the other. These are removable to accommodate passenger and cargo needs. These are all overstuffed and stitched and are mounted in tubular tan painted steel frames. The spare tire is seen behind the drivers bench and is covered. A large faux woodgrain painted metal dash fronts the driver's bench and is loaded with Art Deco styled chrome gauges, speaker ribs, radio and climate controls all just beautifully polished. This Art Deco styled gauge cluster features square and rectangular black face gauges. A few warm cream bakelite knobs are also seen on the dash lower. A 3 on the tree manual transmission and the original steering wheel is in excellent condition. The interior roof is wood lath strips with structural arches, in all wood and all varnished. Just beautiful.
Drivetrain
Under that bulbous V hood sits a fully restored 217.8ci L-head inline 6 cylinder engine. It has a 1-barrel carburetor under an oil bath air cleaner to feed it and on the back is a 3-speed manual transmission coupled with a 3.90 rear axle. All is looking very clean and like new silver castings are all over this engine.
Undercarriage
This quality and painstakingly precise restoration also includes a complete overhaul of the undercarriage. Perfectly clean and rust free structural parts are all painted black and show nary any road dirt or splatter. Battleship gray coats the floorboards and steel seat pans underneath. The car rides on front independent coil springs, and rear large leaf springs. Drum brakes are on all 4 corners and are also fully restored.
Drive-Ability
The car fired right up and one could barely hear it idle, its that smooth. Out on the test track the acceleration and steering with surprisingly good for such a heavy car. Braking is absolutely bias free, and all functions are working as they should, even the radio.
A true collector car with the restoration already complete, and done really well. It looks great, drives smoothly, and shifts beautifully. If someone gets a bit too close, it has a dual horn system that rivals an oncoming train! "Wood" you be tempted to take a closer look at Classic Auto Mall? AACA Jr and Sr. wins to boot.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
