Plywood's (very) distant cousin

[Robin (UK)]

I found these pictures of a woodie in Australia.

The workmanship looks good but it's clearly not a factory wagon.

I wonder if it was built 'back in the day'?

Do any of our Aussie friends know anything about this car?

[Don Coatney]

As there was never a steel P-15 wagon this one may be authentic. But the body builder may be someone other than Briggs. The wheels are not standard and the wood hood trim in interesting. The doors appear to be all wood. Wonder what is under the bonnet as this car has dual exhaust.

 

Here is a Briggs bodied woody for comparison.

 

[Young Ed]

Look again the curved part of the door at the botton is metal. It does look like the metal and wood meet rather than the wood being an overlay.

[Andydodge]

That's a strange one........looks like an Oz style front windscreen, we used the same basic sedan body shell 1939-1948, see the attached pic of my 1940 Dodge which seems to have the same style windscreen profile.....as for the rest of it.....I have never seen a pic of it in any Oz magazine or in person, the number plate looks like Victoria......also check the wheels........anyone know what they are from and yep theres 2 exhausts.......a mystery....how did you find the pic Robin?......as for being built back when, that's possible as a mate had a 1940 Ford woodie yrs ago that was Oz homebuilt but an exact copy of the genuine article except for a few internal parts which gave it away.....was a much better job that this Plymouth but this still isn't bad......lol.....andyd

[Niel Hoback]

I really like those wheels.

[Robin (UK)]

The wheels are probably 1930s Plymouth or Dodge items.

The windshield frame is definitely more like the steel-topped cars, not the shorter flat-topped version that is used for the the genuine P15 woodies and convertibles.
The doors are not as wide as the factory woodie but do seem to be framed and constructed in wood, retaining the original steel door bottoms.

I noticed that there are no front quarter windows. The rear bumper is the standard part. Not the woodie rear bumper.

I have no idea what the rear lights are from - but the original trunk light is there. mounted low.

I found the pictures in an auction listing from many years ago.

Looks like the car sold for Aus$50k.

I'd love to know more about it.

[Robin (UK)]

I just searched this again and found some very interesting information...

 

Thought to have started life as a consular vehicle in Indonesia, this Plymouth was worked over using Jaguar front and rear suspension, brakes and diff, with a Chevrolet 327 cubic inch V8 and Turbo 400 automatic transmission. In the 1980s, surfer Dick Ash used the Woody to promote his Okanui brand and Shannons' Tiny Hansen says it was driven by Midget Farrelly, Nat Young and Bob McTavish. Should you buy the car, mention Prestige Motoring and Tiny will throw in the GOSURF number plates for free.

 

And here are a couple of links:

 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/executive-living/driving-in-france-is-out-of-this-world/story-e6frg9zx-1225865375300

 

http://www.shannons.com.au/auctions/2010-shannons-melbourne-winter-classic-auction/plymouth-woody-station-wagon-rhd-1/#.VQnyVWSsVfZ

[Robin (UK)]

And more:

 

http://www.okanui.com/history/okanui-woodies/p/13

 

http://www.autoweb.com.au/cms/A_107343/title_A-Woody-but-A-Goodie/newsarticle.html

Edited March 18, 2015 by Robin (UK)

[Young Ed]

Anyone know why it appears to have 2 power brake setups?

[T120]

...I agree with Niel - the wheels look okay.  

[61farnham]

Nice find.

 

Going by the doors looks like it started life as a 4dr sedan, probably converted by a local coach builder. 

[Andydodge]

Probably 30 yrs ago now Oz's Restored Cars magazine ran a feature on a pair of 1941 Plymouth Woodies that were owned by a father & son that supposedly lived about 30 kms from where I live now......I moved here from Sydney in 1992 and have asked around over the yrs about these 2 1941 Plymouth woodies, both green in colour and obviously woodies........to this day no one knows who,where, when these two cars existed in this area, the article was sometime in the 1980's, way before photoshop or anything like that yet they were there and a much better looking woodies being factory built............anyway, Robin thanks for the info, pics and link......good to learn something every day..............andyd 

[BobT-47P15]

This second cousin, built by a fellow from Kansas, used a 4 door sedan -- has a V8.  He said he discovered the Plymouth has a stronger

frame than Fords and Chevys. 

 

  

 

 

[BobT-47P15]

Just as an aside -- they made add-on wood kits for other cars like this Chevy.