One-of-One Plymouth Explorer: Wicked Wednesday Presented by the All-New Nitto Recon Grappler™ A/T
Plymouth Explorer is the world’s rarest Plymouth, and it was built in 1954 by famed Italian coachbuilding firm Carrozzeria Ghia.
If you are talking cars with your buddies at the bar and you hear the word Plymouth, you likely think of the iconic Barracuda. Or perhaps you remember a certain movie that featured a Plymouth Fury. When you hear the word Explorer you might think of a mid-size Ford SUV. If one of your buddies mentions a Plymouth Explorer, you might think he has had one beer too many and it is time to order him an Uber. But your friend might be more sentient than you realize. Although only one was ever made, and it is now over sixty-five years old, the Plymouth Explorer does exist.
This week’s “Wicked Wednesday” presented by Nitto features this one of one Plymouth Explorer concept car, or dream car as it was called back in the day. Leslie Kendall is the Chief Historian at the Petersen Automotive Museum. In a recent video posted to the Petersen Automotive Museum YouTube channel Kendall takes a deep dive into the details and the history of the world’s rarest Plymouth.
Plymouth or Ghia?
The Plymouth Explorer rides on a Plymouth chassis and is powered by a 230 cubic-inch six-cylinder Plymouth engine. However, it is not the engine or chassis that make this car special. This car is all about style and design. And to that end Carrozzeria Ghia of Turin, Italy played a major role. In fact, there is a Ghia badge on the hood. Plymouth badging only exists on the sides and the rear of the car. Although you don’t need the badging to tell you that this is not a typically American design. Deep set headlights, huge grill and crowned fenders lead the bold design up front. This might be not just the rarest but also the sexist Plymouth ever made.
Plymouth Explorer History
It might be hard to believe but after this car was built and fulfilled its duty as a dream car it ended up as a daily driver. When the car was re-discovered, it was wearing a metallic brown paint job, and a full-length front bumper. It was still a good-looking car but not how it was originally designed. So, when the car was restored, it was decided that it would be taken back to its original configuration. That includes the beautiful light metallic green paint job that you see here.
Special Design Touches
The overall look of the car is absolutely stunning, but it is the little details that really make it special. This car was built in 1954 and the jet age was in full swing here in America. That is evident in the taillight design. The exhaust pipes exit just under the rear taillights. They look like jet thrusters. Fun fact, although there is an exhaust outlet under each taillight only the exhaust on the driver side is functional. Another cool touch is the side trim. The white molding on the side of the car is not a bolted-on afterthought. That piece is actually sculpted into the door and fender. The organic and complex lines of this car are not something that could be easily mass produced on a production line.
Interior
The inside of the Plymouth Explorer has some special touches as well. The radio controls are concealed by an opening panel on the dashboard. There is also a set of fitted luggage that is stored behind the leather seats. But because the car was never meant for production it is not the most ergonomically designed car. The roofline is so low that an average sized person would be bumping their head on the headliner without slouching down in the seat. Still, even slouched down you would look pretty cool rolling down the street in this thing.
Deep Dive
Checkout the video below to see and hear all the details of this dream car for yourself. They don’t make them like this anymore. Truth be told, they never really made them like this. But the Plymouth Explorer is a stunning design exercise, and we are happy to see that it has been restored for future generations to enjoy.
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