The 1950 Desoto Suburban was perfect for transporting the Waltons or the Brady Bunch. It sat nine people, including the driver, on three bench seats. But with a wheelbase of 140 inches and 224 inches in length, it probably wasn’t the easiest thing to parallel park. Only 623 were purchased, which likely saw use as a limo or hotel shuttle. This one has just been released from captivity, having spent the last 60 years in a barn. It still wears all its 1961 dust and dirt and will need a complete restoration. But what a great find in Pinion Hills, California. This rare old beast is available here on eBay where just one bidder has jumped in at $4,500.
1949 was the year of the first new DeSoto’s since the conclusion of World War II, so the cars were little changed for 1950. There were two series, the Deluxe and the Custom and the latter included the granddaddy of DeSoto’s, the Suburban sedan that could haul your family, and the one next door. The Suburban had an all-steel body for the first time, meaning that it was a “Woodie” previously. It was incredibly big and had a roof-mounted rack as standard for all the luggage that nine people would have. Post-war demand for cars had yet to be satisfied as DeSoto produced rose from 94,371 in 1949 to 121,658 in 1950. The Suburban comprised just one-half of one percent of sales that year, so it was tailored for a specific type of buyer.
The seller found this ’50 Suburban in a barn on a farm where it had come to rest in 1961. Nothing has been done to it since being rescued, including no bath and any attempt to start it. The barn presented a relatively dry place for the DeSoto to hang out as rust is at a minimum on this car. There are no dents or dings in the body and the glass and trim are all good. It’s hard to tell what the color might be, but Desert Tan may be close. The car came equipped with a spotlight and that’s even still attached. Keep in mind, this vehicle was only 11 years old when it was sidelined for reasons unknown.
Under the hood should be the original 237 cubic inch flathead six that produced 112 hp back in the day. Fully loaded, including luggage, this would not have been a rocket ship. Slow and steady up to highway cruising speeds. The motor is paired with a Fluid-Drive transmission, something that was standard on all Custom models and their derivatives. A sticker on the door indicates the last battery was installed in 1959! The shown mileage is 34,705, which sounds believable to me.
The interior looks good with no indications of critters taking up residence over time. A good cleaning should make it least serviceable until such time this fine old machine is treated to a restoration. The buyer will receive the original “pink slip” and one of its original yellow/black California license plates. Because the Suburban is so rare, I couldn’t any resale values online. A DeSoto Custom could fetch in the high $30,000s in primo condition, so you’d think a Suburban would go at least that high. What a great vintage limo this would make for a service wanting to offer something different than the norm!
Complete with suicide doors! Actually, this was the un-station wagon wagon. A good idea, if a little large.
Howard Cunningham had a ’48, this would be a hit for weddings or prom!
Here’s more on the Happy Days DeSoto!
https://www.imcdb.org/v147556.html
This must be a hovercraft as those jack stands really affect driving.
I can see this car parked beside the twine ball in Darwin, Minnesota.
These are seldom seen anymore, so this `50 DeSoto appears fairly solid for having been parked for the last 60 years. I can imagine that in 1961 this car needed work the owner wasn’t able to or didn’t want to spend the money on. On the outside it appears fairly solid; no telling what the floor pans or chassis look like. From a collector’s standpoint, it is a rather unusual find. Chrysler-DeSoto club members are a helpful bunch, and could steer you to sources for parts or restoration.
My Father bought a 1953 Firedome sedan, he said at that time, there wasn’t many cars that could keep up with him. He truly loved that car, there was big, and there was Desoto big. He worked for Uniroyal at the time, so East Detroit wasn’t a bad commute.But they bought a house that was 50+ miles away, and Desoto’s weren’t known for their economy, Especially with the first Hemi’s. He bought a Ford Fairlane sedan with a six and 3 on the tree. It was the first car I can remember riding in. His favorite car came later, a Mercury Marquis, with a 429 4Bbl, it would fly. Memories, what would we do without them.
One more to just clean, polish and make it work.
Beautiful.
What a great find. These are indeed rarely seen, especially in this solid condition. Someone’s going to enjoy nursing this one back to life.
Love that big smiley grill!
I wish that it were closer so that I could inspect it. It is nice ti finally see a Barn Find with the air cleaner installed.
That’s not even close to its original license plate. That’s a ’56 issue. If this car was originally sold in CA, it would have had a large-format yellow ’47 plate with a metal ’50 tag, then in ’51 it would have gotten a large-format black plate with metal tags thru ’55, and THEN it would have been issued this ’56 small-format yellow plate.
At 224 inches, it’s also not nearly as large or ‘hard to park’ as it’s being portrayed here. For reference scale, my ’73 Imperial is 239 inches, and my F350 SuperDuty is 263 inches. And yes, I parallel park it in town all the time. Granted, you do have to find an appropriate space to park it in, but still…
What a really great car and in original condition too! I hope someone who cares gets this back on the road. Uber cool !
Our 2nd vehicle while I was in HS was a ’50 DeSoto Sportsman 2dr hardtop. Top of the line and in black no less. I hated it. I even managed to year up the clutch on a fluid drive! It didn’t like to be power shifted.
Party wagon. Paint in the colors of your favorite college team and go tailgating. Luckily faaar away from me to do this.
Amazing rare find.
Judging by the interior trim I’d guess this was used as a commercial car maybe an airport limo. Many years ago say 35, there was one of these , a ’50 or ’51, sitting on the street in San Diego. it was black and had a mohair or fabric interior with jump seats. That was probably a limo.though I can’t recall whether it had a division window. Super cool car to restore but much like a boat if you know what I mean :)