Plymouth Diecast Model Cars

Historic Highs and Languishing Lows

In the 1920s, Chrysler had a void to fill: it had no entry-level models like its competitors Chevrolet and Ford. In July, 1927, the car company filled that space with the Plymouth, a low priced car that offered upscale standard features not available on competing models. The logo for the car was, appropriately, a view of the Mayflower ship as it landed at Plymouth Rock.

This price point and styling of the Plymouth served it well during the long years of the Great Depression. By 1931, it was among the nation's top three best sellers. Then, the brilliance of Walter Chrysler kicked in again. He opened up the sale of Plymouths to any and all dealers. Almost immediately, there were more than 7,000 potential outlets for Plymo ...more

Historic Highs and Languishing Lows

In the 1920s, Chrysler had a void to fill: it had no entry-level models like its competitors Chevrolet and Ford. In July, 1927, the car company filled that space with the Plymouth, a low priced car that offered upscale standard features not available on competing models. The logo for the car was, appropriately, a view of the Mayflower ship as it landed at Plymouth Rock.

This price point and styling of the Plymouth served it well during the long years of the Great Depression. By 1931, it was among the nation's top three best sellers. Then, the brilliance of Walter Chrysler kicked in again. He opened up the sale of Plymouths to any and all dealers. Almost immediately, there were more than 7,000 potential outlets for Plymouths and sales soared, even as the country's economy languished. Die cast model cars from this era of Plymouth's history are highly prized by collectors.

But by mid-century, Plymouth was no longer a strong brand name and many other cars had been brought to market to compete in the same niche. Ironically, its biggest blow came from another Chrysler division, Dodge. In 1960, the company brought the full-sized Dodge Dart to the market and Plymouth began its steady decline that finally led to its demise.

The company made an effort to recover in the 1980s with the Reliant and Voyager, but both models competed with similar Dodge offerings and it was hard for consumers to distinguish between the makers. In the late 1990s, Chrysler merged with Daimler-Benz AG and plans to make Plymouth a "retro" line were scrapped. Instead, the PT Cruiser and Prowler were branded as Chrysler. The company finally announced its intention to cease production of Plymouth in 2001. The last model was its second- generation Neon that, along with the rest of the Plymouth family, became a long chapter in American automotive history. ...less