1939 Chrysler ???????
 

Hi all.
I need some help! I have today viewed a Chrysler for sale and was told it was a 1941 Chrysler Wimbledon. U.K. registered and right hand drive. i have been all over the web tonight and armed with the photos i took of it, it appears to be a 1939 rhd plymouth. It is in a fair condition and has been in the U.K. all its life, or so i am told. Can anyone shed some light on these Chryslers that were built in the U.K.
Thanks
Colin

RE: 1939 Chrysler ???????
 

This is an interesting excerpt from am article on the Chrysler/dodge/plymouth history. I copied it from the allpar site.
Plymouths sold as Chryslers
Plymouths rebadged as Chryslers are not as well known, but are known to have existed in the Thirties, particularly in England. The first model of the Plymouth sold in England was the Q, sold in 1928. The 1930-31 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).
According to information provided me [Jim] by a European researcher/writer, the name Plymouth was not well thought of in England--how accurate that statement is may be open to debate, as other Chrysler models were sold under different names as well as Plymouth.
The English Plymouths were sold as Chryslers--in this case the Chrysler Kew and the Chrysler Wimbledon. (Both suburbs of London by the way). The Kew was fitted with the small bore export engine, while the Wimbledon had the regular U.S. built engine.
Only in 1939 did Plymouth market a car as the "Plymouth"--this an equivalent to the Roadking model in the U.S. It had a floor shift transmission. Next in line was the Kew and then the Wimbledon--available in a 7-passenger body type or as a U.S. based convertible coupe although a Carlton bodied four place convertible victoria was offered.
1939 was the last year for the English built "Chryslers". Incidentally the assembly plant was located on Mortlake Road, in Kew, Surrey, near the world famous Kew Gardens. Even the real Chryslers were renamed--including Richmond--and in one case, the "real" Chrysler Eight was sold as a Dodge!The link for the entire article with pictures is at: http://www.allpar.com/world/plymouth.html