1940 Dodge D15 / D16 Kingsway: Plymouth-Based Bodies Built for Export Markets

Dodge produced the D15 and D16 for the 1940 model year using the 117-inch-wheelbase body and chassis architecture closely related to the Plymouth P9 Roadking and P10 De Luxe. Most US-origin specifications list a 201.3-cubic-inch L-head six rated at 84 horsepower, although Canadian production and some export assembly programs used the longer 25-inch Chrysler six-cylinder block and specifications varied by destination.

Best known for combining Plymouth-sized construction with Dodge grilles, badging, export equipment, and market-specific drivetrains, the D15 and D16 belong to the group of Chrysler products that collectors often call Plodges. That informal term is particularly useful when distinguishing these cars from the larger American-market Dodge D14 and D17 models.

The D15 and D16 were not performance derivatives or homologation specials. They were practical export cars created from components already available within Chrysler Corporation, allowing overseas distributors and assembly plants to sell a Dodge at a size, price, and tax class closer to Plymouth than to the full-size US Dodge. Their mixed corporate ancestry now makes correct identification and restoration considerably more involved than a glance at the grille badge might suggest.

Quick Facts

The principal facts below describe the 1940 passenger-car family rather than every national assembly specification. Export catalogues, local-content rules, right-hand-drive equipment, and Canadian-sourced engines can produce legitimate exceptions.

The critical reference point is the 117-inch wheelbase. A standard American 1940 Dodge belonged to a different model-series structure and used a larger chassis. A car carrying Dodge trim is therefore not automatically a conventional US-market Dodge beneath the sheet metal.

Why the D15 and D16 Matter

Chrysler Corporation could supply overseas distributors without designing an entirely separate small Dodge. It combined Plymouth's shorter chassis and central body structure with Dodge identification, then adapted the package for left-hand drive, right-hand drive, local assembly, and regional equipment requirements. This reduced tooling costs while giving dealers a Dodge-branded competitor for Ford, Chevrolet, and the many American cars assembled from completely knocked down kits abroad.

The arrangement also illustrates how fluid brand identity could become outside the United States. In the American showroom, Plymouth and Dodge occupied clearly separated price bands. Export taxation, shipping costs, engine-displacement rules, and local dealer networks could make that hierarchy impractical, so Chrysler mixed established components while retaining separate model codes.

For collectors, the result is a car whose historical value depends heavily on surviving evidence. An original D15 or D16 with its data plates, regional sales documents, right-hand-drive hardware, local coachwork details, and correct engine type can reveal more about Chrysler's international manufacturing system than a cosmetically perfect car assembled from unrelated Plymouth and Dodge parts.

Historical Context and Development

Dodge and Plymouth in 1940

For 1940, Plymouth marketed the P9 Roadking and P10 De Luxe on a 117-inch wheelbase. Dodge's principal American passenger cars used Dodge-specific series codes and a larger platform. The export D15 and D16 drew from the Plymouth package because it was lighter, less expensive, and easier to place in markets where import duty or annual taxation could be tied to price, cylinder dimensions, horsepower formulas, or displacement.

The body design followed Chrysler's late prewar transition toward integrated fenders and a lower, broader grille. Separate running boards remained, but the hood, front fenders, rounded roof, and compact passenger compartment presented a more unified profile than early 1930s cars. Dodge identification was concentrated around the grille, hood ornament, hubcaps, scripts, and other trim rather than an entirely separate body shell.

Export Assembly and Local Content

Export vehicles might leave North America complete, as partially disassembled cars, or as completely knocked down kits for local assembly. Bodies, glass, lamps, upholstery, electrical equipment, tires, and fasteners could be sourced or substituted locally. Some markets required semaphore indicators or trafficators, metric instruments, special license-plate fittings, tropical cooling equipment, or right-hand-drive steering.

Canadian production adds another layer. Chrysler of Canada commonly used a 25-inch-long cylinder block across several marques, while many Detroit-built Plymouth-based cars used the shorter 23-inch block. A Canadian or Commonwealth-market D15 or D16 should therefore be judged against its assembly origin, not automatically converted to a US Plymouth specification.

No Homologation Program

The D15 and D16 were commercial export models, not cars developed to satisfy a racing production requirement. Period competition use, where it occurred, was generally the work of private entrants or local owners. Their historical importance comes from international distribution and component sharing rather than a factory motorsport campaign.

Engine and Drivetrain

Flathead-Six Architecture

The commonly documented US-origin engine was Chrysler's 201.3-cubic-inch inline-six, with a 3.125-inch bore and 4.375-inch stroke. Its intake and exhaust valves sat in the block beside the cylinders, producing a low cylinder head and a simple valvetrain driven by a block-mounted camshaft. Factory output for the 1940 Plymouth-type specification is generally listed as 84 horsepower.

A single downdraft carburetor fed a cast intake manifold. Ignition used a conventional coil, distributor, breaker points, spark plugs, and a six-volt electrical system. The engine relied on liquid cooling with a belt-driven water pump and radiator, while pressure lubrication supplied the main and connecting-rod bearings.

Many engines were fitted with no full-flow oil filter. Where a filter is present, it may be a bypass-type canister or a later installation. Filter brackets, hose routing, generator mountings, water-pump details, and carburetor numbers should be checked against an engine's block family and assembly origin.

Canadian and Market-Specific Engines

Canadian-built Chrysler products often used the longer 25-inch block, including engines around 218 cubic inches. These are not externally interchangeable in every respect with the Detroit 23-inch 201 because block length affects the radiator relationship, front mounting, plumbing, and related hardware. A surviving export car with a long block is not necessarily modified, but its serial plate, engine number, assembly records, and physical installation should support that conclusion.

The table therefore records the well-documented US-origin specification and identifies the Canadian engine family without assigning a universal output to it. Compression ratios and ratings could change with fuel quality and national catalogue practice.

Power passed through a single-plate dry clutch to a conventional three-speed gearbox and enclosed propeller-shaft driveline. First gear was intended for starting and steep grades rather than prolonged use. Correct shift linkage adjustment, clutch free play, engine mounts, and axle alignment have a large effect on how refined one of these cars feels.

Chassis, Suspension, and Brakes

The D15 and D16 retained separate body-and-frame construction. Independent front suspension used coil springs, while the rear axle was carried on semi-elliptic leaf springs. This was orthodox Chrysler engineering for the period, but it gave the short Dodge export car better wheel control than an earlier beam-axle design.

Hydraulic drum brakes were a significant part of the package. Chrysler had adopted four-wheel hydraulic brakes years earlier, and by 1940 the system was familiar and effective when the drums, shoes, cylinders, hoses, and master cylinder were in proper condition. Manual steering and tall cross-ply tires still demanded deliberate inputs at parking speed.

The following dimensions and equipment identify the underlying Plymouth-size chassis. Body dimensions and shipping weights can differ among sedan, coupe, export, and locally assembled versions.

The 117-inch wheelbase is especially useful during inspection because it separates these Plymouth-derived export cars from larger American-market 1940 Dodges. It should be measured if the identity of a restored or incomplete project is in doubt.

Driving Experience and Handling Dynamics

A healthy 201-cubic-inch car delivers its best work at modest engine speed. The long stroke and conservative valve timing favor smooth low-speed pull, but 84 horsepower must move a steel sedan through a gearbox with only three forward ratios. Acceleration is progressive rather than urgent, and hills expose weak compression, poor carburetor calibration, retarded ignition, or an unsuitable replacement axle ratio.

The gearbox rewards an unhurried hand. Worn linkage bushings can make the lever vague, while tired engine and transmission mounts allow the powertrain to move during shifts. A correctly adjusted clutch should take up cleanly without chatter, and the driveline should not produce a heavy knock as load changes.

At the wheel, the independent front suspension filters broken surfaces better than the rigid front axles found on many older cars. The steering is heavy when stationary, lightens once moving, and responds through a relatively low-geared manual box. Tall tires, soft springing, and a narrow tread produce visible body roll, but sound kingpins, tie-rod ends, dampers, and spring shackles keep the car predictable.

Brake feel depends almost entirely on mechanical condition. Properly arced shoes and round drums give firm, progressive response, while contaminated linings or mismatched wheel-cylinder action cause pulling. The single-circuit hydraulic layout provides no redundancy, so a cosmetic restoration without complete brake work is unsuitable for road use.

Identification and Originality

Series Codes, Plates, and Numbers

A prospective D15 or D16 should be identified from its surviving serial or model plate before conclusions are drawn from exterior trim. Plate location and format can differ between Detroit production, Canadian manufacture, and local assembly, so the characters should be photographed exactly as stamped and compared with documentation for the relevant plant.

The engine number is stamped on a machined pad on the cylinder block. Its prefix and sequence can help establish engine family and origin, but it should not be treated as a modern VIN match. Chrysler did not stamp an identical vehicle serial number on the engine in the contemporary collector-car sense.

A replacement flathead six was once an ordinary service repair. The correct question is whether the fitted engine has the appropriate 23-inch or 25-inch block, displacement family, date range, mounting arrangement, and accessories for the car's recorded assembly source. Grinding, restamping, irregular character alignment, or a number that conflicts with the physical block deserves investigation.

D15 Versus D16

Period documentation generally aligns the D15 with the less ornate Plymouth P9 or Roadking-type specification and the D16 with the better-equipped P10 or De Luxe-type specification. Trim could change between export territories, and a locally assembled car might not duplicate a US catalogue photograph exactly.

De Luxe differences commonly involved upholstery, garnish moldings, exterior brightwork, instrumentation details, and convenience equipment rather than a fundamentally different chassis. Restorers should resist converting a sparse D15 into a D16 merely because De Luxe trim is easier to find or appears more valuable.

Body and Trim Clues

The body shell, doors, roof, cowl, and much of the chassis reveal the Plymouth relationship. Dodge identity appears in the grille treatment, badges, scripts, ornamentation, and hubcaps. Surviving cars often contain trim assembled from several Chrysler products because original export-specific pieces became difficult to source decades ago.

Grilles and hood hardware deserve close attention. A later owner may have turned a Plymouth into a visual Dodge using available trim, or replaced damaged Dodge pieces with Plymouth components. Mounting holes, old paint lines, spot welds, fastener types, and the consistency of aging can expose such work.

Paint, Upholstery, and Export Equipment

There is no single paint-code list that covers every D15 and D16 assembled around the world. Factory paint chips for the documented country and plant are more reliable than a generic 1940 Dodge chart. Local plants could use regional paint suppliers, upholstery, glass, lamps, batteries, and tires.

Right-hand-drive controls are particularly valuable evidence when intact. Steering-box mounts, pedal brackets, dashboard openings, wiper layout, wiring routes, and column hardware should look engineered rather than recently fabricated. Trafficators, locally required lamps, and license fittings may be authentic export equipment even when absent from North American literature.

Variant and Trim Breakdown

The two series broadly followed Plymouth's base and De Luxe hierarchy. Exact body availability and equipment depended on the destination, and production totals are not consistently isolated in surviving published records.

Right-hand drive, Canadian manufacture, and local assembly are production characteristics rather than separate performance editions. A car may combine several of them, which is why the series code alone cannot settle every specification question.

Performance and Dimensional Specifications

Dodge did not market the D15 or D16 through acceleration claims, and dependable model-specific road tests are scarce. Published top-speed, quarter-mile, and 0-to-60 mph figures should not be applied indiscriminately because engine displacement, axle ratio, body weight, fuel quality, and assembly source differed.

Body-specific shipping weights and overall dimensions should be taken from the correct national catalogue rather than inferred from a different D15 or D16. The lack of a universal performance figure is part of the export model's history, not a gap to be filled with estimates from a larger US Dodge.

Compared With Related Models

Plymouth P9 and P10

The Plymouth P9 Roadking and P10 De Luxe are the closest mechanical relatives. Body structure, 117-inch chassis dimensions, suspension architecture, and many service parts correspond closely. The Dodge export cars differ chiefly in identity, trim, market equipment, and sometimes engine source.

This relationship makes Plymouth mechanical parts useful during restoration, but it also creates the risk of erasing authentic Dodge details. A P10 grille, ornament, script, and hubcap set may fit or be made to fit, yet those pieces can turn a rare D16 into a visually incorrect Plymouth derivative.

American-Market Dodge D14 and D17

The standard US 1940 Dodge was larger and should not be used as the default specification source for a D15 or D16. Wheelbase, sheet metal, trim dimensions, and some chassis parts differ. Advertisements and restoration guides simply labeled 1940 Dodge frequently concern the American D14 or D17 rather than the export car.

Later Dodge Kingsway Models

The Kingsway name continued on Plymouth-based export Dodges after 1940, but later cars carried different series codes, styling, and mechanical specifications. A postwar Kingsway badge does not establish D15 or D16 identity, and later trim often appears on older cars after accident repair or restoration.

Ownership and Restoration Notes

Mechanical Parts

Routine engine components for Chrysler flathead sixes remain more attainable than model-specific export trim, but parts must be ordered by block family and measured dimensions. Pistons, rings, bearings, gaskets, water pumps, manifolds, and engine mounts cannot always be selected from the vehicle's Dodge badge alone.

Before rebuilding, inspect the block for freeze cracks, corrosion around core plugs, damaged head-bolt threads, and sediment in the lower water jackets. Flathead cooling passages collect scale, especially in cars operated with plain water. Removing the distribution tube, where fitted, and cleaning the block thoroughly can matter as much as installing a new radiator.

Gearboxes are durable when properly lubricated, but worn bearings, synchronizer components, selector parts, and linkage can make them noisy or difficult to shift. Rear axles require attention to pinion bearings, carrier adjustment, seals, and gear condition. A changed differential may improve cruising speed while making the car less willing on gradients.

Brakes, Steering, and Suspension

A long-stored example needs a complete hydraulic-brake inspection, not merely a filled reservoir. Steel lines corrode internally, flexible hoses swell, wheel cylinders seize, and old linings absorb axle or brake fluid. Drum diameter should be measured because repeated machining can leave too little material for safe use.

Front-end wear is common at kingpins, control-arm pivots, tie-rod ends, steering-box bushings, and wheel bearings. At the rear, inspect spring leaves, shackles, U-bolts, and axle mounts. Lever or tubular dampers, depending on the precise build, must match the installation rather than a later conversion catalogue.

Body and Structural Repairs

Rust develops in the running-board supports, lower doors, rocker and sill structure, floor edges, rear wheel housings, trunk floor, spare-wheel well, body mounts, and the lower cowl. Mud trapped behind fenders attacks mounting flanges from both sides. The frame should be checked around suspension mounts, steering-box attachment points, rear kick-up sections, and areas hidden by accumulated grease.

Generic Plymouth repair panels can provide useful starting shapes, but grille surrounds, Dodge scripts, hood trim, ornaments, export lamps, and right-hand-drive dashboard pieces are difficult to replace. Rechroming a damaged original is often preferable to fitting a reproduction part with the wrong contours or lettering.

Service and Documentation

These cars were designed around frequent lubrication, oil inspection, ignition adjustment, and cooling-system maintenance. Owners should follow a period workshop schedule adjusted for low annual mileage and modern traffic, paying close attention to chassis grease points, brake fluid condition, fan-belt tension, valve clearance, and ignition timing.

Useful documents include the original registration, import papers, local assembly records, dealer invoices, service books, body tags, and old photographs. On an export model, paperwork can prove a configuration that appears unusual when judged against an American parts manual.

Buyer and Inspection Points

A D15 or D16 inspection should establish identity before assessing cosmetic condition. The most expensive errors arise when a buyer pays for an authentic Kingsway export car but receives a Plymouth-based reconstruction with unsupported Dodge trim.

A complete, weathered car is often a better restoration basis than a dismantled project with fresh paint and boxes of unidentified trim. Mechanical pieces can be rebuilt or adapted with careful research. Missing export-specific brightwork, controls, and data plates may never be satisfactorily replaced.

Collector and Market Relevance

D15 and D16 survival is difficult to quantify because production totals were not consistently separated across export destinations, and registration records often identify the cars only as Dodges. Attrition was severe in markets where imported vehicles worked for decades, parts supply was limited, and later Chrysler engines or body panels were installed simply to keep a car operating.

Collectors generally value an intact identity, original market equipment, correct Dodge trim, and evidence of assembly origin above a heavily modified presentation. Right-hand-drive cars, locally assembled examples, and vehicles retaining regional equipment can be particularly informative, but rarity alone does not excuse poor documentation or an invented specification.

A sound D16 De Luxe may attract buyers through its additional brightwork and interior appointments, while an unembellished D15 can be equally compelling when it retains its base trim. The strongest cars explain themselves through coherent numbers, hardware, wear patterns, and records. Exact production scarcity is less useful than demonstrable authenticity.

Cultural Relevance

The D15 and D16 record the spread of American automotive engineering through overseas assembly plants before the Second World War reshaped civilian production. Cars of this type served families, businesses, government departments, and taxi operators far from Detroit, often receiving locally sourced repairs that became part of their working history.

They also sustain a knowledgeable Plodge community within Plymouth, Dodge, and broader Chrysler clubs. The nickname is affectionate but mechanically descriptive: Plymouth architecture and Dodge identity in one factory-sanctioned package. Club knowledge is especially valuable because national parts books rarely capture every export variation.

There is no major factory racing narrative to inflate their reputation, nor is there a single celebrated film appearance that defines the model. Their cultural value lies in the evidence they preserve of prewar export policy, local assembly, parts interchange, and the adaptation of an American car to regional conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What engine was fitted to the 1940 Dodge D15 and D16?

US-origin specifications commonly list a 201.3-cubic-inch, 84-horsepower L-head inline-six. Canadian-built and some export-assembled cars may use a longer 25-inch Chrysler six-cylinder block, often in the 218-cubic-inch class, so the engine number and physical block length should be checked.

What is the difference between a Dodge D15 and D16?

The D15 generally corresponds to the less ornate Plymouth P9 or Roadking-type specification, while the D16 corresponds to the P10 or De Luxe-type model. The distinction principally concerns trim and equipment, although exact content varied among export markets.

Is the 1940 Dodge Kingsway the same as a US-market Dodge?

No. The D15 and D16 used a Plymouth-derived 117-inch-wheelbase platform and body structure. The principal American 1940 Dodge series used a larger Dodge chassis and different model codes.

Why are D15 and D16 export Dodges called Plodges?

Collectors use Plodge as shorthand for a Plymouth-based car sold with Dodge identity. It describes the component-sharing arrangement rather than an official Chrysler model name.

How can a genuine D15 or D16 be identified?

Start with the serial or model plate, assembly information, engine stamp, 117-inch wheelbase, and surviving documentation. Grilles and badges are supporting evidence, but they can be transferred between cars and should never be the sole basis for identification.

Are parts available for a 1940 Dodge D15 or D16?

Many engine, brake, suspension, and driveline parts overlap with contemporary Plymouth and Chrysler products. Dodge-specific export trim, right-hand-drive controls, grille components, ornaments, scripts, and interior fittings are much harder to locate.

What are the most expensive restoration problems?

Severe frame or body-mount corrosion, missing export trim, an incorrect engine installation, damaged grille components, incomplete right-hand-drive hardware, and undocumented identity can dominate the cost. Cooling-system neglect and over-machined brake drums also deserve careful inspection.

Collector Takeaway

The 1940 Dodge D15 and D16 deserve preservation because they show exactly how Chrysler turned Plymouth engineering into a credible Dodge for markets where the larger American model made less commercial sense. The 117-inch chassis, flathead six, hydraulic brakes, and mixed Plymouth-Dodge construction are not incidental details. They are the reason the cars existed.

The best example is not necessarily the glossiest D16 or the car fitted with the most brightwork. It is the one whose plates, block type, steering layout, trim, assembly details, and documents tell the same story. Preserve that evidence, and a D15 or D16 becomes a precise record of Chrysler's prewar export system rather than merely another restored 1940 sedan.