I sent this work in progress to Robert Whitman, in answer to his question about
export DeSotos. He liked it enough that he suggested that I pass it on to the
rest of the list, which I guess was all the encouragement I needed.
---- Robert Whitman wrote:
> Hi, Mike:
> WOW! A lot of great information, I noticed you did not send this to
> the rest of the mailing list, you should. I am sure others would love
> to learn from your research. Plus, I bet a few of them may have
> additional info to assist you since many of them are in Canada or
> Overseas. Thanks a lot!, Robert
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mopar2ya@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [SMTP:mopar2ya@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Monday, December 07, 1998 10:22 PM
> To: Robert Whitman
> Subject: Fwd: A Plymouth By Any Other Name: Export Chryslers, DeSotos
> and Dodges
>
> Robert: This is the beginning of a piece I am writing for All-Par
> (formerly Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge Central) which I intend to cover
> export MoPar variations such as the DeSoto Diplomats. Check the site
> out at <http://z.simplenet.com>. See also my writings, and notes and
> corrections from Canadian enthusiasts, on Canadian Valiants (which
> were half-Valiant and half-Dart during much of the mid-'60s) at
> <www.valiant.org>.
>
> I hope this helps somewhat. I'm probably as familiar with the postwar
> Canadian Dodges as any American who has not lived in Canada, but I've
> only seen one Dodge Kingsway and two DeSoto Diplomats in real life
> (closest market for these was Mexico, although they may have been sold
> in Puerto Rico and pre-statehood Hawaii and Alaska as well). I've
> seen pictures, and I'm familiar with the Plymouths on which they are
> based, but I'm the first to admit to gaps in my knowledge.
>
> Mike Sealey
>
> ********************************
>
> As far as I can tell, the practice of marketing Plymouths in foreign
> countries under other MoPar make names began in 1932, when Chrysler
> Canada introduced the Dodge models DQ and DP, which were Plymouths
> with Dodge nameplates and ornamentation, starting a practice which
> would last in the Canadian and many overseas markets until the end of
> the 1959 model year. This practice provided entry-level MoPars to
> dealers who would not otherwise have them to sell. It also served to
> market Plymouths to foreign markets where the senior MoPar make names
> might have had more meaning or prestige.
>
> The Canadian and export market also saw a '32 Dodge DM, which was said
> to be similar to the U. S. Dodge lines in most respects except for the
> substitution of a Plymouth 4-cylinder for the Dodge Six. Only 12 DMs
> were built, and these were the last 4-cylinder Dodges built in North
> America until the introduction of the Omni in late 1977. Prewar
> Plymouth-based Dodges included a '39 4-door convertible sedan, which
> was a Plymouth exclusive in the U. S. At least one of these was sold
> new in Hawaii, and still exists today.
>
> Dodge-badged Plymouths continued under the "Kingsway" name after World
> War II in markets outside North America up to 1959, when they were
> replaced by the original (full-size) Dodge Dart. The Canadian market
> offered a similar "Plodge" line with different model names. (See
> comparison chart at bottom.)
>
> 1959 was not the end of the story in Canada, however, where Dodges
> continued to be marketed with Plymouth dashboards and drivetrains
> until the '67 model year.
>
> It is unclear exactly when DeSoto started marketing rebadged Plymouths
> as well. I believe this would've taken place in 1939 at the latest,
> since that was the year DeSoto dealers outside North America started
> selling rebadged Dodge trucks under the DeSoto name, but it could have
> started earlier. This practice also continued through the end of the
> '59 model year, followed by two years of full-size Dodge Darts (and,
> in South Africa, compact Dodge Lancers) marketed as DeSotos overseas.
>
> Plymouths rebadged as Chryslers are not as well known, but are known
> to have existed in the Thirties, particularly in England. The
> original 1928 Plymouth 30-U was a direct descendant of the previous
> 4-cylinder Chrysler, which was itself a direct descendant of the
> pre-Chrysler Maxwell. It is possible that what we knew as Plymouths
> were seen as continuations of the Chrysler Four line under the
> Chrysler name, but I do not know that for sure. I do not know when
> this practice ended, but there appear to have been no Chrysler-badged
> Plymouths after World War II, unless one counts the 1957-64 Australian
> Chrysler Royal, which was basically a '53-'54 Plymouth with a series
> of heavy facelifts. Canadian and overseas Chrysler dealers also sold
> the Dodge truck line under the "Fargo" name from 1936-72 (longer in
> some markets).
>
> PLYMOUTH-BASED DODGES/DeSOTOS (Corrections Welcomed!)
>
> Plymouth Dodge(exp) Dodge(CDN) DeSoto
> ==================================================
>
> DeLuxe ('46-'50) Kings DeL Kingsway Diplo DeL
>
> Special
> DeLuxe ('46-'50) Kings SDeL Regent Diplo SDeL
>
> Concord('51-'52) Kingsway Kingsway Diplomat
>
> Cambridge Kings DeL Crusader Diplo DeL
> ('51-'53)
>
> Cranbrook Kings SDeL Regent Diplo SDeL
> ('51-'53)
>
> Belvedere Kings Cstm Mayfair Diplo Cstm
> ('51-'58)
>
> Savoy ('54-'58) Kings DeL Regent Diplo DeL
>
> Plaza ('54-'58) Kingsway Crusader Diplomat
>
> Fury ('59 only) Kings Cstm Viscount Diplo Cstm
>
> Sport Fury Kingsway n/a Diplomat
> ('59 only) Lancer Adventurer
>
> Belvedere ('59) Kings DeL Mayfair Diplo DeL
>
> Savoy ('59) Kingsway Regent Diplomat
>
> DODGE-BASED DeSOTOS:
>
> Dart Seneca ('60-'61) Diplomat
>
> Dart Pioneer ('60-'61) Diplomat DeLuxe
>
> Dart Phoenix ('60-'61) Diplomat Custom
>
> Dodge Lancer ('61) DeSoto Rebel
> (Rebel believed only
> offered in South Africa)
P. S.: This chart covers the basics, but there are some exceptions. For
example, Crestline's "The Dodge Story" shows both a '56 Regent (Savoy) and '56
Mayfair (Belvedere) with Belvedere Sportone trim installed. I seem to recall
the implication that the '56 Regent was equivalent to a Belvedere 6, while the
'56 Mayfair was the V-8 version of the same car.
Dodge-badged cars appear to have used Plymouth front clips with Dodge emblems
and grilles until '51, which
*appears from the illustration* to be a Dodge front clip grafted onto a Plymouth
body. '51-'54 actually could probably have gone either way. '55-'59 was
definitely a Dodge front clip on the Plymouth body.
Diplomats kept the Plymouth front clip with DeSoto grillwork until '57, when the
introduction of the Dodge-based DeSoto Firesweep finally created a DeSoto front
clip which would fit the Plymouth body. This continued through '59, when the
Firesweep got front fenders which looked more like those of the senior DeSotos.
'59 is therefore the only year where Diplomats and senior DeSotos shared the
same frontal appearance...
> *****more to come, but I don't know how soon*****
>
> I tried to write this so it could stand in its entirety until I could
> add something to it.
>
> Mike
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