PB 300 new page 15-16-17.indd - Plymouth Club

Unlike most of the station wagons available
at the time, the Plainsman was a
two-door model and featured a wide Bpillar,
decorated with a hand-crafted
steer’s head badge which provided a
focal point for the southwestern theme of
the interior. There was comfortable seating
for up to eight. An upholstery combination
of leather bolsters with genuine
unborn baby calf-skin inserts helped
carry the motif throughout the vehicle. Up to six
adults could sit comfortably on the front and center
bench seats, while a rear-facing power seat
was accessible from the fold-down power
tailgate. This trendsetting seat could accommodate
a pair of youngsters in what would
later be known as the “Spectator Seats.”
As stunning as this dream car was to
behold, it was still a test bed for proposed production
details that would eventually find their
ways onto the station wagons offered by
Plymouth, DeSoto, Dodge and Chrysler.
In addition to the rear-facing seats,
another innovation first seen on the
Plainsman was the unique storage of the
spare tire, which was concealed under a
flip-panel that comprised the lower portion
of the right rear quarter panel and
blended in with the design of the car.
A functional and utilitarian vehicle,
the Plainsman offered over 106 cubic
feet of load space with the tailgate lowered
and the center and rear seats folded
down. With the tailgate down, it provided
just over seven feet of depth for storage
and a width of five feet. All told,
there was plenty of room for sports
equipment, picnic gear, groceries, gardening
supplies and more.
The effect was magnificent and the
buying public was in love. The western-style Plainsman won
rave reviews wherever it was shown, but as so often happens
with one-of-a-kind vehicles of this type, it had to be retired
from the limelight. Unlike a number of show cars that were
destroyed after their show life was over, the Plainsman was
more fortunate. Due to the fact that its body had been crafted
in Italy by Ghia, Chrysler was told by US Customs that the
car would have to either leave the country or they would have
to pay the duty within 18 months of importation. Thus, in
1957, the car was shipped to Cuba where it was loaned to the
president of the Cuban bank who used it as a family wagon.
The wagon was eventually purchased by the Chrysler Export
Manager who was living in Cuba. This gentleman was later
forced to escape Cuba in order to avoid being arrested by
Castro’s government, and he took the Plainsman with him.
In the 1960s, he was assigned to Australia, and while
there he had several modifications made to the wagon. First,
in order to comply with local laws, the Plainsman was converted
to right-hand-drive. While it had originally been pow-
-33-
ered by what was described as a
“Chrysler Special V8,” a modern 440
cubic inch V8 was installed with plenty
of power. For many years, the legend of
the Plainsman circulated around
Australia. It came back to the United
States when this export manager retired. 2
It was enjoyed for nearly 20 years
as a family car, driven on many occasions
in the United States. A private collector
eventually acquired the car and converted it
back to left-hand drive. Even in its unrestored
and “as-found” condition, this car is a tribute to
the skill and craftsmanship of a bygone era of
show cars. The details of its remarkable history
and escape from Cuba have been obtained
from conversations by the owner with the
export manager’s family. It retains the 440cubic-inch
V8 engine and automatic transmission
and continues to be very driveable and street legal,
although it is in need of a complete cosmetic
restoration.
This is a remarkable, trendsetting
and one-off station wagon in the grand
tradition of the American West.
-- Reprinted with permission from RM
Auctions: www.rmauctions.com
extensive article written by Leon
An Dixon on the Plainsman first
appeared in the February, 1980, issue of
Special Interest Autos, and was reprinted
in PLYMOUTH BULLETIN 198. The article
can now be found on the plymouthbulletin.com
website. The information in
the following footnotes was taken from
Dixon’s article. (Another reference to the
Plainsman, including a picture of it as an
RHD vehicle, appears in BULLETIN 205,
page 11.) -- LDK
1Although the Plainsman was created while Virgil Exner was corporate
vice-president of styling, he had little to do with its development.
The car was designed in total by David Scott, a young designer
in the Plymouth studios. Thus, as many critics have suspected,
the vehicle, lacking many of Exner’s styling cues, is not of his
design. Exner’s one contribution was to encourage Scott to take his
original design, which was for a cabriolet, and make it into that of a
sporty station wagon.
2Following its Cuban sojourn, the Plainsman spent time in Mexico
and New York before being driven cross-country to San Francisco to
be shipped to Australia. Years later, it spent time in Japan before
returning to the United States. After being driven around southern
California for some time, the Plainsman’s original 260 V8 gave out.
The 4900-pound vehicle, sorely underpowered with the small V8,
finally had adequate power with the newly-installed 440. A true
restoration would dictate a return to original power. However, the
Plainsman’s actual 260 engine, with correct numbers, is likely long
gone.
PHOTOS BY DARIN SCHNABEL / RM AUCTIONS