Why numbers and not names?

[Tired iron]

So this question will show how much of a newbie I am! But here it is...

Ive noticed on this forum, as well as others, that you guys refer to your cars by the model numbers...p-15, d-24, etc. instead of by model names, wayfarer, coronet, etc. Why is this?

 

Ive just begun working on my 1950 Dodge Meadowbrook and so far Ive been using that label when I pose questions here (i sure appreciate all the good advice I've gotten). Should I just be calling it a D-34?

 

I did some digging about this, and I see that for very early models the number code was the "name" but what about later cars? Like my Meadowbrook vs the Coronet? Arent they both D-34s?

 

I'd sure appreciate some schoolin about all this. Thanks!

[Bryan]

Don't know. Maybe the number designation is the basic model, with the names for the fancy trims.  Mine is a d-24 that comes in Deluxe and Custom.

[Young Ed]

1 minute ago, Bryan said:

Don't know. Maybe the number designation is the basic model, with the names for the fancy trims.  Mine is a d-24 that comes in Deluxe and Custom.

Ya the earlier cars didn't have much in the way of names. Deluxe and special deluxe for my 48. Keep referring as you are. It works.

[Sniper]

Just to really confuse things, P-23 covers 51 and 52 Plymouths.

[Bryan]

Just imagine how you would have to name the site...?

[desoto1939]

Also the early cars had the following designations

 

Chrysler had C prefix

Dodge had D prefix

Plymouth had P prefix

Desoto had S Prefix becasue the  D refered to Dodge

 

So I have a 1939 DeSoto and the official model identification is an S6 in the parts books.

 

So now when you look at Older MoPar parts you will see the DPCD stamped onthe parts to tell you it is an official MoPar part and sold by the MoPar dealers when the parts were new.  Some of the cars did have Deluxe and Custom Name badges and some did not. My 39 Desoto came in both version but they did not put any identifying name tag onthe body.  The only difference is that the base model had Mohair interior and the upscale model had the Broadcloth interior that was either in Blue or Tan.  So that ands to the confusion also.

 

Rich HArtung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Racer-X-]

The numbers are sometimes more specific than the names, sometimes less specific.   To positively identify the car, the year and the name, or the model number designation and the name are needed, or sometimes all three designations.

 

Some of the names carried forward to later platforms, and some were reused much later to mean entirely different kinds of cars. For example, the Coronet was discontinued as a full size car after 1959, but the name emerged again in 1965 for a mid sized car on a different platform, and continued until 1976 or so.

[keithb7]

The number is the engineering code. It specifically records the configuration of the car I guess. 
 

An example I know of: A couple of 1938 Plymouths. The P5 was a roadking. A little more stripped down. Black fenders. Cheaper. Less features. The P6 was a Deluxe. All fenders painted to match body. More features. Both could be 4 door sedans. Or 2 door coupes. 

[TodFitch]

5 hours ago, Racer-X- said:

The numbers are sometimes more specific than the names, sometimes less specific.   To positively identify the car, the year and the name, or the model number designation and the name are needed, or sometimes all three designations.

 

Some of the names carried forward to later platforms, and some were reused much later to mean entirely different kinds of cars. For example, the Coronet was discontinued as a full size car after 1959, but the name emerged again in 1965 for a mid sized car on a different platform, and continued until 1976 or so.

Just read an article this week where Chrysler has revived/registered the old “Airflow” name for use on a possible EV crossover utility vehicle. Talk about reusing names on entirely different kinds of cars.

[Eneto-55]

The idea behind designations like "P15" & "D24" is to identify a particular "model run" that is generally based on the same body design.  A modern example of this is the Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge minivan designations by "generation".  For instance, our first Chrysler Town & Country was a 93 model, which made it a "2nd Gen", while my current daily driver, a 2010 Dodge Caravan, is a "5th Gen".  This site was originally "limited" to vehicles manufactured between 1946 to early 49, so in other words, the P15s and the D24s (and then also including the DeSotos and Chryslers of the same period).  This period is also called the "Post-War Period", but some how some people think that "Post-War" means everything after "the War" - WWII.  It is meant to refer to the period during which the auto manufacturers were churning out vehicles as fast as they could to meet the built up demand, without making any major changes to the body design (and in some cases, virtually none at all).

[MarcDeSoto]

One reason we refer to our cars by the model number is what if I say I have a Deluxe.  What car is that? It could be many cars over many years.  But if I say I have an S-11, that identifies it as a 46-48 DeSoto.  True, I could say I have a 1948 DeSoto Deluxe, and that's OK to call it that.  Also not all makes used those cute names to identify them.  When you say you have a Meadowbrook, I know you have a 49-52 Dodge, but it doesn't tell me what year.  I think the Meadowbrook is a basic 4 door sedan, a bit less fancy than a Coronet, but just as big, and a Wayfarer is the smaller, cheaper Dodge that came in a two door sedan, a 3 window coupe, and a roadster.  Whereas if you say you have a D-29, I know you have a 1949 smaller, cheaper Dodge.  

[OUTFXD]

I call mine Jacquiline...