Ed Prichard bought this derelict Savoy in 2017 from someone in Georgia, and dragged it home to Madisonville, TN where he commenced work on it in earnest. It was powered by... a four cylinder Perkins diesel! How did Plymouths come to be diesel powered? That is in itself a bit of a mystery, which you can read all about in this Plymouth Owners Club Bulletin issue.
First Ed took an assessment of what he had:
Initially his focus was on getting it running. He found someone in England who used to work for Perkins, and who helped him get the starter rebuilt; and to whom he turned again, when the engine cranked, but would not start - the injectors needed a rebuild.
But soon Ed had it running, and started taking it to car shows while he continued to work on it.
He replaced the steering column, redid the brakes, had the seats recovered by a local shop, and had his neighbor repaint the car. A remarkable recovery, for a remarkable car! Ed christened the vehicle "Perky", in homage to her power plant.
Jason Melson had been friends with Ed for over 35 years. After Ed lost his first wife after 50 years of marriage, he got remarried to Peggy - and as a wedding present, Jason gave them a 1960 Plymouth he had restored ("Hope"), as a promise he made to Ed thirty years ago when his first wife was still alive.
When Peggy called Jason with the news about Ed's death, he broke down in disbelief; he had seen Ed not two weeks earlier. He left his home in Poulsbo, Washington to go to Madisonville to help Peggy with the estate; he helped clean out the shop garage, and sell off 12 cars (including another '59 Plymouth Savoy Ed owned, "Sassy"). Jason returned home with Perky, while he decides whether to buy the car from Peggy, or sell it on her behalf.
This just in! Perky is for sale! If you have an interest, please reach out to Jason on Facebook Messenger, or text him at 360-516-9833.
