successfulness seemed endless in 1928 when the tight - rear newChryslerCorporation buy Dodge and issued its first DeSoto and Plymouth . Though in effect time shortly wrick to " hard multiplication , " DeSoto would be one of the few pre - Depression " expansion " makes to survive them .
DeSoto give-up the ghost on to build its most - exciting cars in the ' 50s , only to decease in previous 1960 after a flash corner and sibling rivalry blot out its narrow-minded , well - defined price niche . In between , DeSoto did good and sometimes great commercial enterprise as the medium - price " bridge " between Dodge and Chrysler , with aim and engineering that usually owe more to the latter than the former .
other DeSotos , though , were pitch just above Plymouth in size , power , and price . The make did n’t decide into its tenacious intimate " middle - middle " role until the late ' thirty . Even so , DeSoto story generally parallel Chrysler ’s with one fundamental elision : While Chrysler offered a group of conventionally style Sixes for 1934 , DeSoto relied alone on that year ’s radical raw Airflow . The result was a sales disaster that shortly threatened DeSoto ’s existence .
The 1930 - 33 DeSotos reflected general Chrysler Corporation trends . Styling was bolt - upright schematic through ' 31 , then smoothed a flake with gun barrel - like grilles . sextet and eight-spot were available through 1931 . All were orthodox side - valve designs with plaster cast - iron construction . The five - main - deliver eight was smoother and quieter than the four - main six , but neither was a powerhouse .
Eights be around $ 1000 , early-’30s Sixes around $ 800-$850 . But Eights appealed to only about one in three buyers , so DeSoto offer nothing but sixer from 1932 until its hemi - head " FireDome " V-8 of 1952 . really , the six was but a single engine that was sporadically enlarged – fundamentally a minuscule adaptation of Chrysler ’s six .
DeSoto started the ' XXX in the middle of the industry production clique , but moved upward through 1933 despite building fewer cars each class . mannequin - year mass totaled some 32,000 for 1930 - 31 , then fell below 25,000 for ' 32 . The counting drop under 23,000 for 1933 , by which time DeSoto had go up from 15th in a field of 31 makes to 10th out of 26 .
reflect this sales decline , DeSoto cut prices for 1933 : as low as $ 665 for a standard sedan or coupe and $ 875 for the top - line Custom transformable sedan chair . All models carried an 82 - horsepower 217.8 - three-dimensional - inch six . This became a 100 - horsepower , 241.5 - cid for 1934 - 36 , after which a destroked 228.1 with 93 or 100 horsepower consume over .
Though never exciting , DeSoto ’s six was sturdy and true , happily run for long spells with little maintenance other than an occasional quart of oil . It was also fairly careful , returning up to 22 mpg with soft use . These trait made tardy six - piston chamber DeSotos quite popular as hack .
DeSoto first observed a manikin year with the January 1932 introduction of its SC - Series " All New Six . " This wear out chunky but attractive styling as a standard sedan , seven - rider sedan , and Custom sedan , transformable , and phaeton . extra coupes and a Modern brougham two - door sedan chair arrived for ' 33 .
All the pros and cons of the 1934 Chrysler Airflow naturally view as for the DeSoto versions , only they fall in a single four - manikin serial versus a multiplicity of Chryslers . yield now bottomed out to a prewar low of just under 14,000 .
sedan were sold with either outside redundant tyre or " trunkback " styling that hold in the spare in an integral baggage compartment . There was also a $ 35 two - tone paint option . Thanks to the Airstreams , product reverberate to 26,800 , yet DeSoto drop to 13th in the wake of Packard ’s highly successful new medium - price One Twenty .
DeSoto Division rode out the last one-half of the ' 30 with progressively larger and duller cars . Airflows vanish after 1936 , a year in front of Chrysler ’s , but long sedans and limousines arrived that year on a 130 - inch wheelbase ; this grew to 136 inches for 1938 .
The peachy Ray Dietrich of coachbuilding renown was hired to direct Chrysler ’s incarnate pattern in this period , so DeSoto looked as conservative as its babe makes , though in line with contemporary tastes . A national recession limited 1938 production to just under 39,000 , but DeSoto still finished 12th . The industry recover in 1939 , but do much substantially than DeSoto , which again ran 13th despite high mass of over 54,000 .
The DeSoto lineup assumed a uniform traffic pattern by 1938 : DeLuxe and Custom models selling at around $ 900 and $ 1000 , respectively . Both rode the same Greek Orthodox chassis with standard 119 - inch wheelbase . overt fashion were prominently absent for 1939 , though a sliding sunshine-roof was offered on take closed models .
Styling still leave alone something to be desired . A ' 39 DeSoto looked like a Plymouth with goitre . squat appearance would remain one of the make ’s sale hindrance until well after World War II .
For more on defunct American cars, see:
The DeSoto Custom Town Sedan and DeSoto Suburban
For 1940 came more - attractive Dietrich styling abet by long wheelbase of 122.5 in standard , 139.5 extended . Chrysler ’s Fluid Drive , which allow the driver to start and stop without using the hold , became useable on DeSotos .
The Custom translatable coupe was reinstated , but not the transmutable saloon . Though exemplary - year output rose some 11,000 unit , DeSoto again commit 13th . Like other Chrysler crap , it might have done better had the house not suffered a incapacitating work stoppage at the start of 1940 yield .
loudness soared for ' 41 , jump out from 65,500 to over 97,000 and moving DeSoto up to tenth – its best placing ever . Much of this winner was owe to a heavy face lift that made for beneficial - looking cars with small hood and bolder front . Grilles smile with the outstanding perpendicular " teeth " that would rest a DeSoto hallmark through 1955 .
received - chassis model fall behind an in in wheelbase but measure 5.5 inches longer overall than the ' 40s ; they were lower and wider , too . There was a novel model : the Custom Town Sedan , a courtly but pretty adaptation of the standard issue with closed or " blind " rear - cap quarter , price about $ 50 higher . DeSoto woo buyer with legion extra including underseat heater , pushbutton radio , and sleek fender skirts .
A more - extensive restyle for 1942 introduced " Airfoil " hidden headlamps that were " out of sight , except at Nox . " Though not an industry first ( the 1936 - 37 Cord 810/812 had something similar ) , they were Detroit ’s only hidden lamp that class , and imparted a cleaner tone . emphasise them was a grillwork place entirely on the lower one-half of the motorcar ’s " face . " A sculpted ma’am was introduce as a hood mascot .
mannequin selection held unwavering for ' 42 , but there was a " squarer " six , bore out to 236.6 cid . slightly detuned and rated at 115 H.P. , it would continue through the remainder of the ten . There was n’t much time for special in that war - shortened model year , but DeSoto make out a plushy Custom Town Sedan called " Fifth Avenue " ( a name much later resurrected at Chrysler ) .
Identified outdoors only by small nameplates and inside by sybaritic leather and Bedford cloth trim , it sold for about $ 75 more than the unconstipated Town Sedan . output was humiliated everywhere in Detroit for ' 42 , and DeSoto was no exception at less than 25,000 – fewer than 1000 of some case-by-case model .
DeSoto returned to civilian sales with an abbreviate 1946 line , though drivetrain and human body combinations were the same as ' 42 . Cancelation of the long - wheelbase DeLuxe sedan leave only three protracted - figure example , all Customs : limousine , seven - tush sedan , and an challenging newbie called Suburban .
The last was designed for the ultimate in stylish hauling for hotel , airport , and well - heeled mortal . A fold - down rearward behind sans automobile trunk partition made for a huge cargo custody . Completing the package was a metal - and - wood cap rack . Not astonishingly , the Suburban was the costliest ' 46 DeSoto at $ 2093 , a healthy $ 200 above the seven - seat saloon .
As with all Chrysler makes , the 1947 - 48 DeSotos were largely the same as the ' 46s ; serial number are the only scout to model years . All jade a soft face lifting of prewar styling with headlight reexposed , fenders cover back into the front doors , a wider and heavier - take care grille , and reshuffled medallions and parking light . Rated H.P. was 109 , down six from ' 42 , though this reflected a new valuation method , not mechanically skillful change .
Besides " civilian " auto , DeSoto build 11,600 taxi in these years – its 5th best - selling model . Suburban production was also quite satisfactory : 7500 for the point .
DeSoto was to the full redesigned for ' 49 , as were other Chrysler make that yr . Standard wheelbase was four inches longer at 125.5 , but box-shaped , upright styling hid the fact . This was distinctive of Chrysler ’s young postwar facial expression , which was very muffled compared to Ford ’s and GM ’s .
A vertical - measure lattice was retained , similar to the 1942 - 48 designing , but the gentlewoman mascot was replaced by a bust of Hernando DeSoto . Like any " proper " hood ornamentation of the time , it burn when the parking lamps or headlights were on . Horsepower stand up by three , to 112 . Fluid Drive with " Tip - Toe " semiautomatic fault became standard on Customs and a $ 121 option for DeLuxes .
The DeSoto Custom Sportsman and DeSoto FireDome
The ' 49 DeSotos arrived in March of that year after a brief run of old - style railcar to take the spread . Among them were some interesting new service program modelling . Besides a $ 2959 woody waggon , the DeLuxe line included the all - steel Carry - All , like to the Custom Suburban but on the standard wheelbase . It was also quite a bit cheaper at $ 2191 .
The Suburban itself returned at $ 3179 , up over $ 500 from ' 48 ( postwar inflation was affecting motorcar prices all over ) . As before , the Suburban share the retentive shape with an eight - rider Custom sedan chair ( but not the limousine , which was drop ) , and offered huge cargo quad , roof - top baggage rack , plus rear start butt giving true nine - rider capability .
The Carry - All handily sold 2690 copy for the model year , but the wagon did only 850 , the Suburban a bare 129 . The woody lasted only through 1950 , the Suburban and Carry - All through ' 52 .
Overall , 1949 was a less - than - striking DeSoto year . Volume remained at the ' 48 stage – about 92,500 – and the make again terminate 12th . However , Customs outsell DeLuxes by 3 - to-1 , a sign of the zodiac of growing buyer preference for outstanding luxury .
The 1950 phone line arrived with somewhat sleeker rearward end and two novel models . DeSoto bowed its first hardtop coupe , the Custom Sportsman , at $ 2489 , and actuate the DeLuxe woody black Maria up to Custom trim before replacing it with a somewhat cheaper all - steel fashion model at midyear . Despite the relative deficiency of change , exemplary - class production leaped to nearly 134,000 for 1950 , a profit of almost 45 percent .
Styling was equal up again for ' 51 , when the venerable cubic decimetre - head six was stroked to 250.6 Criminal Investigation Command , though that yielded only four excess horses . Chrome was very evident , perhaps more than on any other Chrysler line , especially in those toothy fronts .
Production allay to 106,000 , drop DeSoto from 12th to 15th , as Kaiser sailed past with its beautiful young ' 51 pattern and Hudson did the same with its powerful new six - piston chamber Hornets . government activity - ordered production cutbacks for the Korean War also playact a part .
DeSoto ’s crowing event for 1952 was its first - ever V-8 . Called " FireDome , " it was an overhead - valve hemi - head purpose – a lowly , 276.1 - cid version of the brilliant Chrysler 331 introduced the previous year . pack 160 HP , it put DeSoto securely in Detroit ’s intensify " horsepower backwash . "
The FireDome powered a new like - named top - of - the - line 1952 serial that duplicate Custom offerings keep the Suburban . Though it immediately garnered nearly 50,000 sales , DeSoto as a whole could do no better than 88,000 for the model year . However , it come up a bit in the production ranks , stop 13th .
For 1953 , remaining Custom / DeLuxe example were combined into a novel Powermaster Six serial publication that still lagged behind FireDome in sales , this time by a margin of 2 - 1 . Both lines admit Sportsman hardtops .
The growing influence of newly enrol styling chief Virgil Exner was evident in an update of DeSoto ’s more - massive ' 52 look , with new one - piece windshield and more - liberal chrome emphasis . Model - year volume jumped back to 130,000 and DeSoto moved up to 11th , its best finish since banner ' 41 .
The DeSoto Adventurer and ‘Forward Look’ Models
add much - needed zing to DeSoto ’s saturnine image in 1954 was the interesting Adventurer I , one in the serial of Exner - title show cars begin with the Plymouth XX-500 of 1950 . Most were build by Ghia in Italy . Riding a truncated 111 - inch wheelbase , Adventurer I was an off - white , close - coupled coupe sporting outside exhaust , wire wheel , and full instrumentation .
It came close to production – closer than any other Exner special. “Had it been mass-produced,” the designer later said, “it would have been the first four-passenger sports car made in this country. It was better than a 2+2 – and, of course, it had the DeSoto Hemi. It was my favorite car.”
Adventurer II followed in ' 55 , a received - chassis four - rump fastback forge more by Ghia than Exner . Painted deep cerise and lacking bumper , it was very slick but not quite as integrated as Adventurer I , and was n’t gravely considered for production .
Meanwhile , the first of Exner ’s Modern " Forward Look " production models was due for 1955 , so DeSoto ’s old ' 49 bodyshell was modestly make over one last time for ' 54 . The V-8 was tweaked to 170 HP , but the big tidings was the midyear first appearance of two - velocity PowerFlite , Chrysler ’s first fully automatic transmitting . This would be standard on many DeSotos through 1960 .
Fluid Drive ( $ 130 extra ) was on the agency out , as was overdrive ( $ 96 ) , prospicient sedans , and the Powermaster Six . Reflecting Chrysler Corporation ’s 1954 sale nightmare , DeSoto ’s exemplary - yr output dropped below 77,000 and the make fell back to twelfth spot in the diligence .
Much bolder , full up - to - appointment new Exner styling and more - powerful engine stand up to twist thing around for 1955 . Firedome ( the " d " no longer capitalized ) now play " second banana " to a new uplevel Fireflite line . Both shared a 126 - inch wheelbase with that twelvemonth ’s Chryslers , and carried a Hemi bore out to 291 Criminal Investigation Command . Rated horsepower was 185 for Firedomes , 200 for Fireflites .
No ' 55 Chrysler product was sedate , but DeSoto take care mayhap in use of all – though still attractive , with a much low-down silhouette ; wrapped windshield ; the last of the toothy grilles ; " gullwing " dash ; and panoptic , optional two - toning . This package appealed greatly , boosting division end product to nearly 115,000 . Still , even that was good for only 13th in a twelvemonth when most every Detroit car sold very well .
Firedome offered DeSoto ’s only ' 55 beach wagon , along with a detrimmed Special hardtop priced some $ 110 below its Sportsman opposite number . The lucullan Coronado sedan , a mid-1954 summation to the Firedome line , return as a 1955 " spring limited " Fireflite at $ 100 above the $ 2800 regular sedan .
This Fireflite is now a minor collector ’s item , mainly for have one of the industry ’s first three - look pigment job ( turquoise , black-market , and blank ) . Convertibles were available in both ' 55 DeSoto series but saw minuscule gross sales : just 625 Firedomes and 775 Fireflites .
For 1956 , a long separatrix took DeSoto ’s Hemi to 330.4 cid , lifting Firedome to 230 HP and Fireflite to 255 . conducting wire mesh replaced the hallmark grille tooth , and unclear gold - on - white instrument appeared .
But as on other Chrysler lines , the great change was tailfins , though they were jolly modest for ' 56 . DeSoto ’s contain distinctive " tri - tower " taillamps – stack pairs of round scarlet lenses separated by a matching backup lamp – which would persist through 1959 .
A midseason high spot was the limited - edition Adventurer hardtop coupe , a supercar awash in gold - anodized aluminum trimness . Carrying a Modern 341 - Criminal Investigation Command , 320 - horsepower Hemi , it was part of that year ’s flesh out Highland Park public presentation squadron along with the Chrysler 300B , Plymouth Fury , and Dodge D-500 .
DeSoto was selected as the 1956 Indy 500 pace car , and the division celebrated by careen off about 400 " Pacesetter " replica , all Fireflite convertibles with Adventurer - style trim , priced at $ 3615 apiece .
The DeSoto Firesweep and New DeSoto Designs
DeSoto share in the industry ’s worldwide 1956 retreat , make about 4300 few cars . However , it returned to 11th space due to tight - blow over sales at Nash and Hudson , Studebaker and Packard . The division cease in that spot again for ' 57 even though mass jumped to about 110,500 – as near as DeSoto ever issue forth to passing Chrysler ( end about 7200 units behind ) .
No wonder . The ' 57s were not only all - new for the second time in three years , but superbly engineered and strikingly style . A humble - cost Firesweep series base on the 122 - in Dodge platform join the line in an effort to stretch out DeSoto ’s market territorial dominion . It helped .
The Firesweep sedan sold for only $ 2777 , where the cheap Firedome was $ 2958 . Firesweeps also included two - and four - door hardtop and six - rump Shopper and nine - passenger Explorer four - door wagons . Fireflite offer all these plus a convertible security ; Firedome was the same but had no wagons .
All were full-grown , dense , powerful cars . The two upper series used the 341 V-8 from the ' 56 Adventurer with 270 and 295 horsepower , respectively . Firesweeps had the previous twelvemonth ’s 330 debored to 325 cid and tuned for 245 horsepower criterion , 260 HP optional . Last but not least , a soft - top Adventurer join the hardtop coupe in a freestanding serial above Fireflite . They pack 345 bhp from a modestly bored 345 Hemi .
Virgil Exner ’s striking new styling made finned fantasy of all ' 57 Chrysler Cartesian product . DeSoto ’s translation of this second - generation Forward Look was quite handsome : dartlike profile , tri - tower taillamps attractively integrated into the soaring rear fender , simple but pleasant side moldings , outstanding bumper / grille , and acres more shabu .
DeSoto also benefited from Chrysler ’s corporatewide electric switch to torsion - bar front suspension system , which made these giant uncannily skilful handlers . Aiding performance was the arrival of quick , responsive three - velocity TorqueFlite machinelike as an optional alternative to PowerFlite . Also controlled by Highland Park ’s pushbuttons , it was a big transmission that would way outlive DeSoto .
Indeed , for all this excitement , DeSoto was now jeopardize again , only this time by an upwardly mobile Dodge and a downward expanding upon of the Chrysler line . As if on cue , product plunged to 50,000 units the pursue year – the make ’s lowest amount since 1938 . A sharp national ceding back , poor workmanship after ' 56 , and several selling mistake all contributed to a downward spiral from which DeSoto would never retrieve .
Predictably , the ' 58 DeSotos were much like the ' 57s save busier grilles and trim , and standard quad headlights . ( Some state of matter had n’t approved " quadrilights " for ' 57 , so DeSoto front fenders were design to take one or two lamp each , the latter where legal philosophy tolerate . By ' 58 , four - lamp systems were effectual across the nation . )
The ' 58 card returned along with a new Firesweep convertible . At $ 4369 , the ' 58 Adventurer ragtop was the most - expensive DeSoto ever , though Chrysler ’s transformable 300D cost nearly $ 1300 more .
engine and superpower paygrade swell , but the complex Hemi was ever dearly-won to build , so Chrysler start switching to cheaper wedgehead V-8s for ' 58 . Among them were two Modern " Turboflash " DeSoto engines .
Firesweeps had a 350 - in John Mill with 280 H.P. criterion or 295 with optional four - drum carb . Other exemplar carried a big - bore 361 with 295 bhp in standard Firedome melodic phrase , 305 with twin four - drum in Fireflites ( optional on Firedomes ) , 345 in gamy - contraction Adventurer guise , and a smashing 355 for Adventurers with optional Bendix fuel injection .
Injection cost a hefty $ 637.20 and few were dictate . Fraught with trouble , all were likely replaced with carburetors . With all this , the ' 58 DeSotos were quite quick even without the Hemi , help by tight - shifting TorqueFlite , now standard on Fireflites and Adventurers . ( Firesweeps again occur with three - speed manual of arms and offered Firedome ’s standard PowerFlite at additional cost . ) A 305 - horsepower Firedome could scale 0 - 60 in 7.7 seconds , 0 - 80 miles per hour in 13.5 minute , and reach 115 miles per hour .
DeSoto claimed its towering tailfins of this earned run average " sum up constancy at speed , " but that was pure propaganda . The fins did little from an aerodynamic standpoint under 80 mph . Their main intention was to make Chrysler product stomach out from the gang – which they most in spades did .
DeSoto Folds
Despite the return of the same all-inclusive lineup , 1959 marked the rootage of DeSoto ’s destruction . Firesweeps were upgraded to the 361 submarine in just one 295 - horsepower interpretation .
Other models acquire an even bigger - bore young 383 with 305 HP for Firedome , 325 for Fireflite , and 350 for Adventurer . The last saw slightly ameliorate gross revenue , but total exemplary - year production of just over 46,000 was hardly the form that had sustained DeSoto before in the decade .
rumour of DeSoto ’s imminent death get down cropping up in ' 59 , and naturally feign sales event . Though calendar - year outturn was up somewhat from ' 58 , loudness for both years was less than half that of 1957 ’s near 120,000 building block .
Plainly , the recession had put DeSoto in the same kind of trouble as Oldsmobile , Buick , and Mercury , but those shuffle started at higher levels and thus had further to fall . Moreover , all were plan smaller models for 1960 - 61 . Although DeSoto ’s 1962 plans included " downsize " stock cars , there was no political program for a compact .
The genuine job , though , was a change in corporate selling scheme . Previously , company franchises cleave into Chrysler - Plymouth , DeSoto - Plymouth , and Dodge - Plymouth dealers . The coming of Imperial as a separate make for 1955 prompted Chrysler Division to expand in the low-toned end of its cost territory , while Dodge moved up with large , more - luxurious cars . DeSoto had nowhere to go – except the grave accent .
At first , Chrysler strongly denied that DeSoto would be terminated , and even represent a 1959 celebration marking production of the two - millionth DeSoto . Press releases noted that almost a million DeSotos were still registered and that $ 25 million had been earmarked for future models – $ 7 million for 1960 alone . Officials also said commitments had been made for ' 61 , and that work was afoot toward 1962 - 63 . They also pointed out that Chrysler had on a regular basis made a net income on DeSoto .
But then Chrysler combined DeSoto and Plymouth Divisions in 1960 , with the fresh compact Valiant an ostensibly separate make . Valiant sell very well and Plymouth did passably well , but DeSoto fare mischievously . gross sales in the first two month of 1960 were just 4746 – a mere 0.51 pct of the industriousness – down substantially from the 1959 period ( 6134 unit and 0.72 per centum ) .
DeSoto ’s 1960 line reflected these exploitation : geld to just a saloon , hardtop sedan , and hardtop coupe in two series . The upper was call Adventurer , but sold for a few hundred dollars below ' 59 Fireflites and was much - less - special than previous Adventurers . Fireflite was now in the $ 3000 sphere formerly occupy by Firesweep . The year ’s most - popular DeSoto was the Fireflite sedan , but even it failed to exceed 10,000 units .
All 1960 DeSotos divvy up a 122 - inch wheelbase with that year ’s Chrysler Windsor and Dodge Matador / Polara . They also take up the new " unibody " construction that arrived corporate - wide ( except on Imperial ) . Adventurers carried the 305 - horsepower 383 from the now - depart Firedome ; Fireflites had the 295 - horsepower 361 from the ' 59 Firesweep .
Styling was all but very with the 1960 Chrysler ’s , declare by a blunt , trapezoidal grille write of modest horizontal streak atop a huge vee’d bumper with safety - crest guards . Fins fly as gamy as ever , but execution was down . A 1960 Adventure could stay with a House of Windsor aside from a stoplight , but would fall back to a Chrysler Saratoga or the light 383 Dodge Dart Phoenix .
DeSoto ’s appearance for 1961 was abbreviated – token really . product was clearly low : a mere 3034 . There was but one nameless series ( the motorcar were simply " DeSotos " ) , and four - doorway pillared saloon were decimate .
But DeSoto ’s destiny had long been sealed , so Chrysler wound down yield by Christmas 1960 , filling what few orders remained with mostly ' 61 Windsor . Some DeSoto - Plymouth dealers then became Chrysler - Plymouth stores – to the chagrin of existing C - phosphorus principal nearby . Left stillborn were the smaller ' 62 DeSotos establish on the be after Modern embodied " S - serial publication " political program – though that was no great loss considering their squatty looks .
It was a sad finis for a trade name that had generated much business for Chrysler over more than three tenner . And ironically , it was untimely . Less than a year afterwards , DeSoto was effectively resurrected at Dodge to bolster cut-rate sale of its unpopular 1962 standard line , which had been shrunk to near - compact size of it .
Called Custom 880 , this reborn full - size Dodge was much like the ' 61 DeSoto , and even be about the same , but sold much better with its smooth styling and more simulation selection . One suspects , then , that DeSoto ’s rapid declension , like Edsel ’s , stem from a " loser " image as much as from a changed securities industry .
