A late 1940s Plymouth styling exercise

[Dosmo]

I have seen somewhere that this obviously Hudson-inspired model was used as a study subject for the second series 1949 Plymouth.  I'm sure someone in the forum knows more about it.  Hoping a knowledgeable person will add some input about the car.

[Rusty_OToole]

I don't know about Hudson inspired, I think I have seen the same photo before, identified as being a styling exercise made during or before WW2. Several years before the Hudson debuted. The "upside down bathtub" look was in vogue at the time, seen not only in the 1948 Hudson but the 1949 Packard, 1949 Mercury and Lincoln, 1946 Kaiser and Frazer.

 

Chrysler explored a similar sleek sided theme with the Thunderbolt show car in 1941, but even more radical.

 

 

They kept moving forward past the 'upside down bathtub' motif to the more modern 'three box' styling which they used throughout the Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler lines for 1949.

 

 

 

 

They did do something like the clay model with the cheaper Concord line. It was a fastback 2 door sedan.

 

 

Edited December 7, 2016 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[D Yaros]

Looks like a Hudson to me?

 

Found this -

http://www.classiccarstodayonline.com/article-guide-by-pictures/1949-plymouth-concept-car-from-1946/

[misterc9]

I believe the step  down Hudson was designed before WW II .Due to the war the project was set aside to do defense work .  Immediately  after the war they built the carry over pre war model to quickly get into production. Then they built the "new" stepdown as a 48 model.

[Rusty_OToole]

Compare it to this slab sided beauty shown by Ford in 1941.

 

 

The Hudson prototype spent the war years on the roof of the Hudson headquarters building. Car companies did not let outsiders see upcoming new models before they were introduced. I severely doubt the Hudson had any influence over the Plymouth. As I pointed out before, several car makers were pursuing the same line of development at the time including Kaiser,Lincoln,  Mercury and Packard as well as Hudson. Chrysler considered making similar cars but rejected the idea.

Edited December 10, 2016 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)