Jim Kennedy’s Car Collection

Four years after launching its first vehicle, Chrysler introduced a new offering, the Chrysler-Plymouth. A year later, in 1929, Plymouth emerged as a separate marque, the entry-level brand in a hierarchy that included DeSoto and Dodge as well as the Chrysler flagship nameplate. Plymouth products were initially sold through existing Chrysler dealerships.

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In 1929, Weber F. Holt, a resident of Rutland, Ohio, purchased this Plymouth Special Deluxe Rumble Seat Couple from R.H. Rawlings Sons, the local Chrysler and Dodge dealership. Weber, a farmer and recent divorcee, had moved from his farm into town and started a painting business. His family had lived in the Rutland area since the early 1800’s. The Rawlings Family had settled in Meigs County, Ohio in 1834, and found success in farming, a funeral home, and a livery business. The livery eventually transitioned into selling and servicing automobiles, with locations in Rutland and Middleport, Ohio and Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

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Weber Holt operated his Plymouth until 1964, when illness and advancing age prompted him to sell the car to his nephew, Herbert H. Holt of Holland, Michigan. Herbert was the long-time City Manager of Holland, and well-known in the community. He kept the Special Deluxe until 1969, a year after his Uncle Weber passed, when he accepted a new position in Florida. Herbert traded in the 1929 Plymouth towards a new Plymouth Fury convertible at VerHage Motors of Holland, the City’s Chrysler and Plymouth franchise. The Verhage Family had been selling automobiles in the area since 1914, when Henry Verhage opened an agency for Chalmers, Maxwell and Overland products. In 1963, Henry’s son Lloyd left the family business to start his own Chrysler dealership. He admired Herbert Holt’s Plymouth so much, he was inspired to begin collecting Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth vehicles, a hobby that evolved into the MOPAR Museum (aka “Lloyd’s Garage”) located on his dealership lot. Weber Holt’s 1929 Plymouth Special Deluxe Rumbleseat Coupe was the museum’s first acquisition.

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The Verhage Family maintained the Museum for over 50 years, until Lloyd’s son, Norm, decided to cease dealership operations (by then a Mitsubishi franchise) and retire. The cars in the Museum’s collection, including the 1929 Plymouth, were offered for sale in 2026, which is when I purchased it.