Minneapolis Street Sighting: Plymouth Deluxe four door sedan

I'm not going to pretend I know everything about cars, because in all honestly I don't. Every so often, I come across a car that stumps me. I knew it was a Plymouth (only by the badging to be honest), and I also knew I don't recall ever seeing anything of this vintage simply parked in a neighborhood-- even in Kansas. If it had one reaction from me, it certainly struck me as rather odd and unusual to vehicle of this age (as well as condition) bumper to bumper with relatively new compacts.
You'd think that being old and from another era would mean this car is likely pretty heavy, right? Wrong. According to www.49plymouth.com, the curb weight for a '49 Plymouth Deluxe sedan is 3,059 pounds for a Deluxe or tack on another 20 pounds for a Special Deluxe. Since the majority of the trim is gone or dilapidated, it's hard to say which model this car is. With the chrome wheel fairing fore of the rear wheels, I'm betting this is a Special Deluxe.
When this car was new (and despite the current condition, it was new at some point), would've cost the buyer a smidgen over $1600. That equates to roughly $15,400 in today's money. Not bad, considering the cheapest Dodge you can buy now costs about $19,000, and putting equivalent options (this Plymouth was not a base model) would push the price to $23,000 or more. Unlike the current cheapest Dodge you can buy, this 62 year old MOPAR has a flathead six under the hood, whereas the Avenger has a four banger. Not quite what I'd call progress to be honest.
The paint and trim on this guy were obviously worn down a bit, and judging by the front license plate, this example is owner by someone who intends to restore it to its former glory. One can only hope he or she gets around to it before the winter sets in. I would hate to see this car become one with Earth. As it sits, it seems like it'd be a fairly good resto project, if not a fun patina'd driver. Would I undertake the resto? Probably not; even though this old Plymouth is undeniably a neat car, it's not quite my cup of tea. It'd be an awesome car for someone, though, I can guarantee that.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Plymouth Volare wagon

This particular sighting kind of bums me out. I don't think I've even seen a Volare wagon before, and quite frankly, these pictures suck. When I went back a little later, the car was gone. Anywhoo.. for those who don't know, the Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen twin replaced the compact Valiant/Dart twins to much initial fanfare. They did have their faults though; like numerous mid 1970s vehicles, these Chryslers rusted out faster than people could buy them. A sign of dire quality control, I suppose. Not many of these cars are left, and the few I see are often ratty. Surprisingly, this one not so much. What this one lacks in beaterness, it makes up for in rice? Wait. Rice? Yes. Sadly enough, the owner of this almost-pristine example decided it needed some racing "rimz" and some sweet hood scoops to feed his wonderful 140 horse V8. I'll give them credit for not sticking a bodykit on it, but honestly, the only reason it isn't present is because it likely doesn't exist.
Aside from that whole deal, the paint looks remarkably neat; I'm not quite sure this color is stock, but it looks great on this example and doesn't draw too much attention as do the hood scoops. Inside, all seems to be well save for the (blue!) trim. Gack! Yep, whoever attacked the hood attacked the interior as well. One can only hope this example doesn't get equipped with a Grant steering wheel later.
Besides those relatively minor nitpicks, this wagon is an extremely nice example of a vehicle you don't see anymore. I'm not sure how I feel about it being riced. On one hand, ricing is terrible and should never be done, but I suppose being riced is better than being left to rust. If only just.