The elegant styling of the PE DeLuxe was a hallmark of Plymouth design. See more classic car pictures.
On August 8, 1934, Walter P. Chrysler drove the one-millionth Plymouth off a Detroit assembly line. It was a 1934 Plymouth PE DeLuxe four-door sedan, much like the one pictured here. It was then exhibited at the Century of Progress exposition in Chicago.
Introduced on July 11, 1928, Plymouth zoomed from nowhere to become the nation's third best-selling make by 1931. Hydraulic brakes were standard right from the beginning. "Floating Power" engine mounts, giving the four-cylinder car "the smoothness of an eight" came on line for 1932. Plymouth's first six appeared with the all-new 1933 models, while independent front suspension bowed a year later.
The dash of the PE DeLuxe featured all the modern amenities of the day.
By 1934 the Depression had loosened its stranglehold on the economy a bit, and Plymouth sales rose 37 percent. A good product helped too, Plymouth urging buyers to "Look at All Three." What they saw was a 22-model lineup starting at $485, compared to Chevrolet's $465 and Ford's $505.
The 2,848-pound 1934 Plymouth PE DeLuxe helped bring the automaker out of the Depression.
The L-head inline six was enlarged to 201.3 cubic inches, and horsepower increased 10 percent to 77. Wheelbase grew two inches on the PE series to 114 inches, two more than Chevrolet or Ford.
The 1934 Plymouth PE DeLuxe was powered by a 201.3-cubic-inch L-head inline six engine.
Some two-thirds of all Plymouths sold for 1934 were DeLuxes, with the five-passenger, 2,848-pound, four-door sedan the most popular by far. A bargain at $660, it took 108,407 of 321,171 total sales.
The luxury and comfort of the 1934 PE DeLuxe inspired some 108,407 customers to drive one home.
This totally restored Palm Beach Gray beauty with taupe interior sports a Gabriel form-fit trunk, automatic clutch, and freewheeling. Walter P. Chrysler would be proud of it.