Once Abandoned in a Field, This 1939 Plymouth Pickup Truck Is Now a Gorgeous Classic

The company was never known for haulers, and it doesn't come as a surprise. Some of you may remember the short-lived Trail Duster SUV (1974-1981), but Chrysler's entry-level division also had a brief venture in the pickup business. It happened in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Plymouth was still a relatively new company.

Just like Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet did at the time, Plymouth developed its early trucks from full-size cars. It joined the pickup truck market with half- and one-ton haulers in 1937. They wore PT-50 badges and were replaced by the PT-57 in 1938. These were followed by the PT-81 in 1939 and PT-105 in 1940. Plymouth then produced the PT-125 in 1941 and abandoned the market in 1942.

Come 2023, the PT series is quite a rare sight. Plymouth made only a few thousand units each model year, and most of these trucks were abandoned or scrapped in the following decades. As a result, they're pretty difficult to find in one piece, and replacement parts are very scarce. And needless to say, unmolested survivors are rarer than hen's teeth.

Fortunately enough, though, a few of these haulers have soldiered on for almost a century to tell the PT story, thanks to diehard Plymouth enthusiasts. The 1939 PT-81 you see here is one of the lucky ones. And it's not a restomod like many of late-1930s siblings. This Mopar was restored to its original specifications.

Spotted at a local cars and coffee event in Englewood, Florida, this PT-81 was once a rust bucket sitting in a field. And now it's a museum-grade classic sporting its factory-correct red and black livery, matching interior, and period-correct badges front and rear. It shines like new, and it's drop-dead gorgeous.

There's a catch, though: the original engine is no longer under the hood. Initially powered by a 201-cubic-inch L-head inline-six, the hauler now packs a newer, 1954-model-year 218-cubic-inch lump. But don't let the 15-year gap fool you; these engines were based on the same block, so they're not radically different.

There's no info on which car donated the powerplant, but the 218 was a common offering in Plymouth vehicles from 1946 through early 1954. It was rated at 95 to 100 horsepower, which is notably more than the truck's original 70-horsepower 201 straight-six.

But even though it may not have an original engine atop the front axle, this truck remains a rare sight and a vintage pickup worth checking out. It's quite valuable, too, as Plymouth haulers in similar condition tend to cost more than $50,000 at public auctions.