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September 21,1959 – Plymouth Valiant starts rolling off the line
21Sep By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

September 21,1959 – Plymouth Valiant starts rolling off the line

1960 Plymouth Valiant. By Emdx - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 It could have been the Falcon, given its code name during development, but Henry Ford II called dips on the bird. So, Chrysler settled on Valiant for its all new entry into the compact car market dominated by the VW Beetle at the end of the 1950s. As headlights illuminated the end of days for tail fins and excess chrome, Chrysler produced its first Valiant on this day in 1959. It would debut as a stand alone model for 1960, before receiving Plymouth script for 1961. In '62 and '63 it returned to lone wolf status, but it's Plymouth badge became permanent the next year. It would survive for four generations, with Plymouth Valiant production ending in 1976.
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August 4, 1928 – DeSoto is founded
4Aug By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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August 4, 1928 – DeSoto is founded

1929 DeSoto On this day in 1928, Walter Chrysler founded DeSoto, which provided Chrysler Corporation a vehicle line aimed at the mid priced auto market. The plan was to pit the brand against Oldsmobile, Willys, Studebaker and other similarly valued automobiles. However, Chrysler acquired Dodge Brothers soon after DeSoto made its 1929 model year debut, giving Chrysler two mid priced brands. Additionally, Chrysler had just announced Plymouth about a month prior, which was to be Chrysler’s entry level vehicle. Chrysler was soon trying different juggling acts to make their entire line up profitable. DeSoto had a strong first year, selling 81,065 cars in 1929. This broke a record for the most vehicles sold for a new model of car in 365 days. Chrysler priced Dodge slightly above DeSoto at...
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January 24, 1957 – The 10,000,000th Plymouth
24Jan By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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January 24, 1957 – The 10,000,000th Plymouth

If you wanted a cheap car in 1928, you had quite a few options. Ford's first all new car since 1908, the Model A, could be had that year for around $500. A similar sized Chevrolet could be parked in your driveway for less than $100 more. Or, if you wanted something your neighbor didn't have, you could drive off in a Plymouth for around $675. Chrysler launched Plymouth, one of the first engineered brands, in July of 1928 to compete directly with low priced Fords and Chevys. Though about $175 more than a Ford (roughly $2,500 in 2021), Plymouths did have features its competition didn't, such as hydraulic brakes. Are you sold yet? Above: 1928 Plymouth Model Q. By DougW. Top: The 10 millionth Plymouth When the Great Depression began the next year, it would be Plymouth that would ensu...
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January 23, 1980 – Automotive designer Giovanni Michelotti dies
23Jan By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

January 23, 1980 – Automotive designer Giovanni Michelotti dies

Giovanni Michelotti, a most accomplished automotive designer, passed away on this day in 1980. Born in Turin, Italy in 1921, Giovanni would eventually make incredible contributions to the European sports car market. His career began at coachbuilders such as Stabilimenti Farina, Vignale and Carrozzeria Allemano. In 1959 he opened his own design house. This allowed him ultimate freedom of expression while working with brands such as Ferrari, Maserati, and Triumph.  Above: 1971 Triumph GT6. By Riley, cc2.0. Top: Cover: Michelotti at right, with Enrico Nardi and the 1960 Plymouth Silver Ray. A one off car built in 1960 on a Nardi chassis that Michelotti designed and had power from a Plymouth Golden Commando V8. Throughout his career he brought an astounding portfolio of cars to the ...
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January 5, 1924 – The first Chrysler car debuts
5Jan By Brian CoreyNo Comments
This Day

January 5, 1924 – The first Chrysler car debuts

Visitors to the lobby of the Commodore Hotel in New York City on this day in automotive history in 1924 may have been treated to the public unveiling of the first Chrysler car to use the trademarked name. Released under Maxwell as the Chrysler Six during the New York Motor Show, the car had only began rolling off the assembly line on December 20, a few weeks prior. Getting to this point was no easy task for proprietor Walter Chrysler. Maxwell-Chalmers hired Chrysler to head the ailing automobile brand just a year before. They had high hopes that Chrysler could save the company, as he had recent success revitalizing Willys-Overland. Among the first steps Chrysler took to get MC out of the hole: shutting down production of Chalmers in 1923. This left Maxwell on its own. To give the c...
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December 15, 1969 – The last Plymouth Superbird
15Dec By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features, This Day

December 15, 1969 – The last Plymouth Superbird

The story of the Plymouth Superbird and its development is fairly well-known, so we won't get into heavy details. In brief, it had one job, to dominate NASCAR along with its older sibling, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. While Dodge only had to build 500 Daytonas to be eligible for the 1969 NASCAR season, the sanctioning body changed the rules for 1970 to combat purpose built race cars. For Plymouth, that meant at least 1,920 Superbirds needed to end up on dealer lots to qualify for the track. With a target set, the assembly line churned. Before long workers hit their mark and the last Plymouth Superbird rolled off the assembly line on this day in 1969. Check out the green car below. An ad for a 1970 Plymouth Superbird When all's said and done, somewhere between 1,969 and 1,982 ...
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December 5, 1977 – Chrysler Corp debuts FWD compacts Omni & Horizon
5Dec By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

December 5, 1977 – Chrysler Corp debuts FWD compacts Omni & Horizon

The first mass produced front wheel drive cars from the Chrysler Corporation debuted on this day in 1977. The subcompact Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon would help save the company. They became a popular alternative to economical imports at a time when Chrysler was losing major money. Aside from being the first FWD cars from Chrysler, they're among the first from any American automaker. Previous domestic FWD cars include the Cord 810/812, introduced for 1936, followed by the Oldsmobile Toronado, first offered in 1966, and the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. The cars remained in production for eleven years with few changes. Some 2,500,000 Omnis and Horizons left the factory by the end of their run in 1990.
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November 2, 1983 – The first minivans from Chrysler leave the assembly line
2Nov By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

November 2, 1983 – The first minivans from Chrysler leave the assembly line

Lee Iacocca with the first Plymouth Voyager A few years before automotive executives Lee Iacocca and his Mustang sidekick Hal Sperlich found themselves kicked to the curb outside of Ford headquarters, the two spearheaded a new concept car known as the Carousel. Henry Ford II, who often butt heads with Iacocca, was less than impressed. It's design was radical, unlike anything else on the road. The Edsel fiasco also weighed heavy on Hank's shoulders, reducing his will to take a chance on a new vehicle. In the late 1970s, Iacocca and Sperlich both ended up fired from Ford and then hired by the struggling Chrysler Corporation. With Iacocca as president (later chairman and CEO), the two brought their concept back to life. Renamed the Magic Wagon during development, the project would res...
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June 28, 2001 – The final Plymouth
28Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

June 28, 2001 – The final Plymouth

Chrysler introduced Plymouth in July of 1928 as its entry into the low cost auto market. It was an immediate success thanks to its affordability, a trait that allowed the company to carry Chrysler, Dodge and DeSoto through the Great Depression. By 1931 the brand peaked as the number three best selling car in the United States.  Above: 1928 Plymouth, the first year of productionTop: The final Plymouth, a Neon Following World War II, the low priced automobile and its Chrysler siblings spent $90 million to update designs. Marketing efforts for 1949's "Great New Plymouth" reveal a primary goal, make sure men can comfortably wear their hats. Ads read, “The American motorist is tired of having his hat knocked off every time he gets in or out of a car." Fastforwarding through a decade ...
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Aging hot rod -1946 Plymouth – $8,500
4Apr By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Cheap Classic Cars, Classifieds, Dusty & Rusty

Aging hot rod -1946 Plymouth – $8,500

As with all major automakers, Plymouth returned to automobile production following World War II using pre-war designs. The 1946 models were the first post war Mopars to hit the market. Chrysler Corporation, as with most other automakers, wouldn't release an all new vehicle until 1949. This car comes from that hazy post-war period of auto production, and being a 1946, it's an early edition. Originally equipped with a 218 straight six and a three on the tree, somewhere down the line this old hot rod received a Chevy 350/350 transplant. Though someone put a lot of work into this car, it's now showing its age. Listed on Craigslist near Missoula, Montana for $8,500, this car offers a chance to drive as is, or are you looking to give it some love to light a new fire under (or on) its hood? F...
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This Day in Automotive History is a transportation history, car history and general automotive history website dedicated to providing informative and entertaining content. Our goal is to enlighten our readers by producing and publishing automotive content on a wide range of topics, including famous cars, important automotive inventors and engineers and other historic automobile related events, places and people. We encourage you to share our page and connect with us on Facebook or sign up for our automotive history newsletter at the top of this page. If you have any questions about the content we publish, including our car videos and car history pictures and text and the use of them, please don’t hesitate to contact us using the below email address. On occasion we post classic cars for sale from Craigslist, Facebook and other online marketplaces. We utilize imagery from those ads in a fair use fashion. This includes barn finds for sale, muscle cars for sale, vans for sale, station wagons for sale, trucks for sale and other affordable old cars for sale. If you’d like your car featured, reach out to us!

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