"Hispano-Plymouth?"

[Guest Space Cowboy]

Hi, folks, I've never posted here, but I'm hoping you might help me in a minor research effort. I was reading the Desert Magazine, October 1941 issue. There's an ad on page 41, right-hand side, that I'm sure is supposed to look like a regular column titled "In Other Words, by John Clinton", for Union Oil. The ad makes mention of Clinton's 'Hispano-Plymouth". I've never heard of such a thing, its probably something made up, but I figured you all might know if it ever existed. Quick check, the ad appears in many publications of the time, and they all mention Clinton's Hispano-Plymouth. Here's a link:

194110 Desert Magazine 1941 October

All help greatly appreciated,

Space Cowboy

[Rusty_OToole]

I'll bet it never existed. Just a figment of an ad man's imagination.

Hispano-Plymouth could be interpreted 2 ways. It literally means Spanish Plymouth and could refer to a Plymouth that he has used extensively in Mexico, or bought in Mexico, or has some other Spanish connection.

The second meaning could be a play on "Hispano Suiza" an exotic luxury car from Spain that had a vogue in Hollywood in the 20s. Like calling his car a "Rolls Plymouth" for a joke.

[Guest Space Cowboy]

Rusty,

Thanks for the in-put. I'm figuring you're right. In the context of the time, months before the beginning of WWII, almost all vehicles used to recreate in the desert were referred to as 'jalopies'. Even though some appear in pictures in Desert Magazine articles as mostly Model A's and T's, some defy my limited ability to identify, and some of them in fact do look European or at least 'foreign' to my uneducated eye, so seeing an ad mentioning an unknown make or model circa 1941 piqued my curiosity.

How about the old truck in the third picture down in this article: Desert Queen Ranch Tour - DesertUSA

The article tells the location and context of this old truck being there, and its in a whole lot better shape than most vehicles I find in my desert travels.

Also, the last picture in this same article. I was guessing. Not a Plymouth, but still, anybody have a guess?

[Rusty_OToole]

If I had to guess I would say that is a WW2 American army truck. Some had a canted rad with a grille like a venetian blind made out of steel plates. This was for protection from bullets.

Sold as war surplus in the late 40s or early 50s and used in the desert.

By the way the Jeep is not prewar civilian production. There was no prewar civilian production. The Jeep was developed specifically for use in WW2 and the first ones were made in 1941. All were sold to the government. No civilian models until after the war. The one in the picture is probably war surplus, thousands were sold off after the war. They are valuable collector's items today.