The Plymouth Savoy made its debut in 1951, as a sub-model of the Concord; it was a premium version of the popular Suburban wagon. 1951 was the first year of unique and distinct car names for every Plymouth, including Concord, Cambridge, and Cranbrook, vs the prior alphanumeric codes and Deluxe / Special Deluxe schemes. Yet, all Plymouths were essentially the same car with different levels of trim; they even shared a single engine.
The basic design of the car was conventional; the welded steel body sat on an arc-welded frame with double-channel box-section side rails and five crossmembers, with the convertible having an X-member design. The floor pan was channeled and ribbed, and box-section reinforcements were provided around window and door openings. A baked enamel finish completed the package, with the final car tipping the scales at around 3,300 pounds.
The suspension used springs, similar to the Ford and General Motors vehicles of the time, while the rear sat on leaf-springs. Steering used a worm and ball bearing roller gear, with symmetric idler arm linkage and rubber-isolated pivots; ball-joint steering knuckles aided handling.
The Savoy’s first engine was the Powermaster-6, which carried over largely unchanged from 1950. Features of the dressier Savoy version of the Concord wagon model included chrome trim around the windshield and on the window divider strip. Additional brightwork was applied to the beltline areas, front and rear, on the sides, as well as rear fender stone shields (stainless steel) and tailgate hinges. The dress-up package was rounded out by a set of full wheel covers and whitewall tires, but due to Korean War time restrictions (which hit chrome especially hard), not all options were available at times.
The cost of the 1951 Concord Savoy was a hefty $2,182, and the vehicle tipped the scales at 3,184 pounds. Though the model was called the Concord Savoy, it used the Suburban model body and seating layout.
For a complete history of the Plymouth Savoy click here.
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