<strong>Plymouth</strong> MiniaturesMiniature tire kickingMaybe it is because only one ofmy two daughters is a certifiedcar freak like Dad (wellalmost; I wouldn’t heap that plague onher with all the intensity that it affectsme). Or maybe it is due to the fact thatmy grandson is still too little to go carhunting, although there is hope in hiscase as he already plays with little carsmore than even Granddad did at his age.“Can’tcha just see” that big smile creepingover my face? Still, let’s give him afew more years before we call him an“extreme car freak.”What I am saying is that the practice(or could I call it the hobby?) of used carhunting or collector car buying just isn'tquite the fun it once was in the‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s when I wasgrowing up and when, I guess,a great number of my<strong>Plymouth</strong> Miniatures columnreaders were also “growingtheir wheels” so to speak.My father, bless his heart(even when his ticker wasn’tinto car hunting), would stopat any used car lot at any timeand any place, for me to take a look.Much of that happened long before I wasold enough to drive, but it happenedafterwards as well. “Hey, Dad, check outthat ‘48 Dodge convertible sitting in theback row of Elmer’s Used Cars!” We’dalready passed the lot and my dad had todouble back on a busy four-lane highwayat rush hour in Pittsburgh traffic, obligingme, as always, for a closer look. Iwasn't going to buy the car, as it wasalready pretty decrepit with a leaky, tornroof, but already in 1955, at age 11, Iknew it was rare machine and I justwanted a closer look. When it wasn’t a‘48 Dodge ragtop, it was a ‘50Studebaker convertible or a ‘51<strong>Plymouth</strong> hardtop (what a car!) or a ‘53Hudson Hornet hardtop with dual carbs.I even remember stopping to get a lookat a rare Kaiser Darrin roadster. It wasgorgeous but way beyond my scantmeans.I wasn't into foreign cars then, oreven now, but occasionally I asked Dadto stop for a better view of one of thosetoo; they were really rare back then. Itjust seemed like every used car lot andeven those belonging to new car dealershad an abundance of used cars that, evenby the standards of the ‘50s and up to the‘70s, were considered rare or collectible(though the latter term had not yet comeinto fashion among car folk).That’s just not the case anymore norhas it been, in my opinion, since the‘80s. Today's modern vehicles, whethermade in North America or overseas, allpractically look alike and pretty muchhave the same options and even similarpaint and interior finishes. Likewise,there are few, if any, rare body stylessuch as ragtops, two-door hardtops oreven pure coupes. Sure there is an occasionalMopar K-car convertible withwood trim, a big block Mustang, a ‘96Impala SS, an ‘03 Mercury Marauderand a few more, but the list is limited.We’ve seen a few more late model “rareones” on the field at Carlisle and otherold car events, but “nuttin’ like it wasback in the good times.” As to the bigtimecar auctions in Scottsdale and carcorrals at places like Hershey, most ofthe truly fine collectible vehicles arepriced way out of the average collector’srange or, when checked over carefully,are found to not really be worth theinvestment. Yet, the long-time collectorand car lover… yeah, we still do enjoytire kicking better than most other activities.We like to complain, but the funjust isn’t quite the same. I need not saymore.BUT WE' RE DOING THIS COLUMN tohave fun, so let’s forget the sour note on-42-all those current used cars resemblingbaked potatoes and pretend we can stillshop for a nice used <strong>Plymouth</strong>. Now asyou go to the pictures, you start to smile.Right, that’s a ‘62 Belvedere two-doorsedan you’re gawking at. It’s for sale--on this day in 1978--down at Solomon’sChevrolet in Smalltown, USA, sitting inthe second row, behind a line of newerChevys. I have seen the ad myself in thenewspaper and have to wonder who inhis right mind would trade a <strong>Plymouth</strong>for a bow tie Chevy? Well, it’s quitepossible that the styling of the ‘62<strong>Plymouth</strong> didn’t please its former owner,for we know that ‘62 was not necessarilya eye-catching year for <strong>Plymouth</strong> stylists.(Yet with the passage of time that stylingdoes grow on you; it has with me and I,for one, didn't like the car when it cameout. Remember, too, the thrust of our littleexercise: we’re searchingfor rare and different usedvehicles at a time when theywere still abundant.) This‘62 sports its original factorypale yellow finish with a redinterior. The hood opens(right...it is a model so thatshould not be a surprise!) andthe motor is also detailed infactory shades.Actually, this 1/64 scale model<strong>Plymouth</strong> was made by JohnnyLightning in ‘08 as part of an eight-carseries called “MOPAR or No Car.” Wecan all agree with that title.Looks like a creampuff to me, butChevy dealers always seem to ask toomuch for their trade-ins, even the non-Chevys, so maybe I'll just tire-kick a bitand dream on.As to the Johnny Lightning model, Ipicked it up at a toy show for $2.00. Itcame with no packaging, but it’s a realsteal for one on a tight budget, especiallyfor a <strong>Plymouth</strong> model seldom seen inminiature form.THERE WEREN'T MANY vintage carauctions or even Carlisle-style eventswhen I was a kid, but I am sure Dadwould have taken me for a look-see if Ihad begged him.Pretending again--and this is a longway to come from Solomon’s A-1 Used
Cars--let’s head out toArizona and a Barrett-Jackson auction and imaginethat this event is not just aget-together of high rollingspeculators but one where wecould actually bid a fair priceand drive away in our dreammachine. We’ve just spotted a‘64 <strong>Plymouth</strong> Fury two-doorhardtop equipped with dual four-barrelcarbs--quite likely an original Hemi car--going across the auction block. It stillwears its factory solid brown paint witha gold interior and full disc wheel covers.It looks showroom fresh all theway. The price? Affordable today at‘60s-‘70s prices, but we all know thatfew of us stand a chance at the real auction,especially when the object of ourdesire is an original <strong>Plymouth</strong> Hemi car.No problem, though, becauseGreenlight in ‘07, together with theBarrett-Jackson folks (they know how tomake money on the miniature scaletoo!) have produced this little <strong>Plymouth</strong>treasure in mini form. I found mine atthe same toy show mentioned above fora similar $2.00 (no packaging). It’s akeeper. It won’t make us forget that wedon’t own a real one, but itjust might help us all rememberthe days when used carhunting or car auctions werefun activities filled withmany an unexpected fourwheelsurprise.There just might behope for me, at least on theinspiration side, when thatgrandson gets a bit bigger and asks tosee some cars with Granddad. Whoknows what we'll find together? Maybewe’ll find a newer model Fiat with anold MOPAR badge stuck on it somewhere…or an older model Fiat withnewer MOPAR emblem!-- Bill Brisbanewilliamb@helicon.netBill Wheeler’s s ‘64 BelvederesWillard (Bill) Wheeler of Upland, California, isthe owner of a 1964 Belvedere hardtop coupe.Consequently, he has built a 1/25th-scale version ofhis car based on a model of Richard Petty’s firstDaytona winner. He then went on to turn another kitinto a convertible and yet another into a stock brownBelvedere as well as building up a Petty race car asthe kit creators intended. For the latter two, Bill createdthe Belvedere’s distinctive “shepherd’s crook”side trim which is missing in the race car kit.-43-
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