DeSoto was more than a 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador (Hernando de Soto). It was a division of Chrysler Corp. from 1928 to 1961. Positioned between Plymouth and Dodge, it was a viable make until the late 1950s. Chrysler redesigned its cars in 1955 and began to lose the boxy look that still resembled the 1940s. That benefited this 1955 DeSoto Firedome greatly, and it runs well, but it stops poorly and will need some brake work. And doesn’t the front grille look like it wants to reach out and bite you (Jaws)! Located in Elizabeth, Indiana, this easy project is available here on eBay, where the no-reserve auction bidding has reached just $2,225.
The Firedome was in the DeSoto mix from 1952 to 1959. At first, it was the top-line series but was demoted to entry-level in 1955 when the Fireflite was added. Spurred on by the new styling in 1955, DeSoto had its best sales year since World War II at nearly 115,000 automobiles. Of those, the Firedome was two-thirds of output, and more than 48,000 were 4-door sedans like this survivor. DeSoto’s reborn success was short-lived, and the declining need for four divisions became evident during 1957-59. That was the “Forward Look” era of wild tailfins and Chryslers, Plymouths, and Dodges were selling nicely, but the DeSotos were not. So, Chrysler soon dropped the division after 33 years.
We’re told the seller bought this car as a project, but it hardly resembles one. The drum brake cylinders need to be redone, and the kits to do so are in the trunk. Unexpected health issues have befallen the seller, and he hopes the DeSoto will find a good home. The stately piece of 1950s Americana has 85,000 miles, and we’re told the 291 cubic inch “Hemi” V8 still runs great.
The body appears to be solid, and the two-tone paint is more than adequate. From what we see of the interior, it’s okay, too (better photos would help, though there are plenty of the exterior). If this Mopar needs more than brakes, we don’t know what it might be. If you like big, bulky automobiles from the heyday of the “Baby Boomers” – and don’t care how many doors they have – this DeSoto seems like a great find!
Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” was introduced with the 1955 Chrysler products. In 1957, in what might be considered “phase two” of “Forward Look”, GM executives saw what Chrysler was planning and decided to revamp the designs of their 1959 models. I don’t think Ford reacted in the same way, their styling in 1959 was more restrained compared to the GM models of that year. Granted, the 1959 Continental was a bit over-the-top but that was a continuation of the 1958 model.
These were to Chrysler what the big Buick and big Olds (98) were to Caddy, the same body, but less “prestigious” and so you did not show up the boss. The ’55 and ’56 Chrysler and DeSoto were great road cars, no problem doing 80 all day if you trusted the bias tires to do it.
Ebay shows the auction ended with no bids. My guess is that the seller canceled the auction rather than let it go for what he considers too little. I’m expecting it to be relisted.
Either that or someone snatched it up real fast?
DeSoto was kind of a red-headed stepchild. I had an uncle who sold them and another uncle who drove them. Too bad the one uncle didn’t buy his from the other uncle. Anyways, I preferred the ’55 Chrysler/DeSoto cars to anything else from the Chrysler cars line. Well, I wouldn’t turn a ’55 Dodge down either.
If I was a little younger and this car was a little closer I could be tempted…
I agree. 1955 Chrysler products are my favorite too. This one is a beauty.
To think of these mobile mountains of steel with drum brakes and a tiny single pot master brake cylinder gives me nightmares. Beautiful front end though.
You know, I saw lots of single systems before I saw double ones. You could lock up a single system with drum brakes. Truthfully, I know some people who locked up the wheels on mechanical systems. As a mechanic, I saw lots of advanced systems fail. I honestly think that brakes fail more because of lack of maintenance than anything else…
Agreed. Seems like lots folks spend gobs of money updating to modern-ish dual-chamber and/or Disc systems when all they really had to do was simply change their Brake Fluid every few years to avoid internal cylinder rot.
But, in those times, the “parking brake” was also the “emergency brake” and could not only stop the car, but be modulated. A brake line went 3 times in my ’56 Chevy over its 140,000 mile life, and every time I got it home, and to the repair garage quite safely using just downshifting and the “emergency brake”, once through a half hour of Philadelphia traffic. Can’t be done with today’s electronic controlled parking brake, on, or off.
You bring up a very good point about the “Emergency” brake Charlie. It was always there to help slow you down to a stop if you had a failure. And its funny how nowadays it is indeed just a button. ( Now I’m going to have to see if the dang thing works next time I go out) Great point.
-Dave
@Driveinstile
Hey boo! Great seeing you here again. Today’s emergency/parking brake is computer controlled. I seriously doubt it would work as an emergency brake. More of a parking brake and the computer would decide when to engage. It probably won’t engage until a full and complete stop. One reason why I don’t want a computer controlled car. As it is, my 2008 is a pain in the ass when I try downshifting. I can’t decide, the computer does.
I’m driving a car, Renault Clio, where the parking [emergency] brake automatically comes on when you turn off the car. It’s a manual, so no “park”. I’m wondering if the parking brake is still hooked up to the actual brakes or does it use its stopping mechanism elsewhere. I’m wondering because in winter, when you’ve been driving in slushy snow, you never use the emergency brake because it can freeze your shoes to the drum. With this car, you have no choice.
Umm… DeSoto was slotted in between Dodge and Chrysler, not Plymouth and Dodge. Surprised no one else caught that one. But then, no one else is as old as I am and actually owned and drove one back in the day.
Oh, and the friendly “Howdy!”-like grille even out toothy-grins the ’50 Buick!
@Will (troo)
That was my first thought. Pit this car against the 50 Buick and see who loses a tooth first. LOL
And yes I caught the wrong placement. To me DeSotos always looked like a Chrysler, only cheaper. Kinda like what LaSalle was to a Cadillac.
IMO the entire Chrysler line was gorgeous with the forward look. Virgil Exner had it going on. 70 years later and they still look futuristic
I saw it, but didn’t have the confidence to know I was right!
I caught it, Will, but you beat me to commenting on it. You’re absolutely correct. The line up (from bottom to top) was Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler. I may be as old as you (or older). Never owned a DeSoto but drove the family’s Chryslers (Windsor, New Yorker, Imperial, and Saratoga)
before owning my own car.
I just turned 90. My DeSoto was a ’50, Pacific Blue, which I bought in ’56. Glorious, stately machine. That’s another way of saying “bog slow but classy.” But it would run all day long loafing along at 60 – 65 while getting ’bout 20 MPG.
I’m only 74, and never drove Chryslers or Plymouths, but once had a 67 Dodge Coronet. One of the best family cars I ever owned. My two kids loved riding in the back seat of that car, until one of them spilled a coke on the original fabric seat cover and I went nuts!
Back then it didn’t matter whether you had a GM, Ford, or one of the more upscale Mopars. The 50s were king for American automobile styling. And some of those dashboards were absolute art. I remember a friend’s parent’s Chrysler with a spherical globe of a speedometer housing. It was like looking into a clear glass magic ball!
God bless you, Will. 💐 90 is an accomplishment.
Interesting car I knew of DeSoto but never knew much about them and never knew they were a division of Chrysler until reading this article but then it got me thinking since Stellantis now owns Chrysler do they also own the DeSoto name and if so can they import some of the other junk they build under the DeSoto name to import to the US?
“This listing was ended by the seller on Fri, Oct 3 at 11:32 AM because the item is no longer available.”
My first car was a 1955 Firedome sedan. I purchased it in1960. It took me a long time to find this car, because I wanted a V8 with a manual transmission and this one had it. Chrysler cars in 1955 had manually opened cowl vents and all the previous Chrysler cars, I had seen the vent handle didn’t work — the handle was broken from the linkage. Someone had forced a frozen cowl vent to open and the linkage broke. In this car the vent handle still worked. This car also had the same chrome pattern as the offered car. This pattern was the second pattern for the three tone paint option. The first pattern was a full length spear.