By 1960, DeSoto had been a Chrysler brand for 32 years. It was the fifth brand in the corporate family (surrounded by Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler, and Imperial). Which had become one too many when the 1958 economic recession arrived. The DeSoto was redesigned with the rest of Chrysler-land in 1960, but that didn’t help sales, which dropped to just 26,000 units. The seller’s ’60 Adventurer is a barn find that appears to have been cleaned up, though it doesn’t run. From a dusty perch in Cortland, Ohio, this vintage project is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,500. Once again, T.J. nailed it regarding tips!
Demand was such that DeSoto had scaled back to only two products in 1960, the Fireflite and Adventurer. The latter was the top model and was offered as 2- and 4-door hardtops and a 4-door sedan. Only 5,746 Adventurer sedans were produced in 1960, so the seller’s car would have to be rare today (how many could be left?). Sales did not perk up when the 1961 editions were launched, so DeSoto threw in the towel just two months into the selling season. Ironically, it was almost a year to the day when Ford gave up on the Edsel.
For whatever reason, this DeSoto has been barn-bound since the early 1970s. The odometer reads just 28,000 miles, which would be kind of early for something major mechanically to have gone wrong. We’re assuming it’s only just now seen daylight for the first time in five decades, as many of the pics show it washed and cleaned up. This Adventurer has a 383 cubic inch V,8 which is locked up along with the rear wheels. A push-button transmission is also in the mix.
We’re told the sheet metal is solid, so maybe rust still won’t be in the way of a restoration (these cars were unibodies beginning in 1960). The interior could be okay for the passage of time, and the tires will hold air, but would not be used for anything other than loading and unloading on a trailer. DeSoto is a forgotten brand, so if you can get the car running again, it might raise a few eyebrows at Cars & Coffee.
I think this is a nice car for the price. 👍👍