There can be many attributes that make a classic car attractive for potential buyers. Some of these features include relative rarity and long-term ownership history. This 1957 DeSoto Adventurer fulfills both criteria perfectly. Until recently, it had been in the custody of a single owner for fifty-six years and is one of only 1,950 Adventurers produced during the 1957 model year. This classic presents beautifully, and the Hemi V8 under the hood should offer excellent performance. The car needs a new home, so the owner has listed it for sale here on eBay. The DeSoto is located in Sammamish, Washington, and while bidding has reached $30,099, this remains short of the reserve.
Finished in Frosty White and the imaginatively named Adventurer Gold, this DeSoto presents superbly. The seller indicates that the previous owner, who had been the car’s custodian for fifty-six years, treated it to a repaint in its original combination. Sadly, that owner passed away in 2014, so the paint has a few years under its belt. The overall impression is that this car has been treated with total respect throughout its life. The paint shines beautifully, with no significant flaws or defects. It cloaks panels that are as straight as an arrow, with tight and consistent gaps. The exterior trim and chrome shine as impressively as the paint, and the gold badges and hubcaps appear perfect. DeSotos from this period were renowned for quality control issues that caused significant rust problems. This car has avoided those dramas and is structurally sound and clean. The tinted glass is perfect, and it appears that this car has no cosmetic needs.
If this DeSoto’s exterior presentation is impressive, its interior serves up more of the same. Trimmed in a combination of ivory vinyl and cloth, there is no evidence of wear or physical damage to any of the upholstered surfaces. The headliner is spotless, as is the dash. The pad shows no evidence of UV damage, and the wheel has avoided cracks or significant wear. The carpet is as immaculate as the rest of the interior, and while it might be a stretch to describe the interior as showroom fresh, it isn’t far off the mark. The previous owner treated the gauge cluster to a rebuild, and everything reads accurately. Luxury appointments include power windows, a power front seat, a factory push-button AM radio, and a clock. I have always liked the interior presentation of Chrysler products from this era. Other manufacturers may have offered buyers more luxury appointments, but Chrysler went out of its way with styling features and the use of bright trim and gold. Climbing aboard a car like this Adventurer would have made every journey feel like a special occasion, even if that journey was only to the store to buy a quart of milk.
The Adventurer was DeSoto’s sports model, so it’s no surprise to discover something pretty special under the hood. A few engines have achieved legendary status, but few have attained the stature of Chrysler’s Hemi V8. That is what lurks under the hood of this classic. With a capacity of 345ci and an output of 345hp, it achieves that magic mark of one horsepower per cubic inch. The rest of the drivetrain includes a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission, power steering, and power brakes. At 4,210lbs, the Adventurer Hardtop is relatively heavy for a sports derivative. That makes its ¼ mile ET of 15.8 seconds look impressive. The seller indicates that this Adventurer’s Hemi has accumulated a mere 5,000 miles since the previous owner treated the Hemi to a rebuild. He also fitted a new dual exhaust, making that V8 sound as sweet as a nut. The car runs and drives perfectly, and the seller supplies this YouTube video. It provides a good walkaround and confirms how nice the motor sounds.
While DeSoto produced 1,950 Adventurers during the 1957 model year, only 1,650 were the Hardtop derivative. How many survive today is unclear, but the low initial production total makes this a rare beast. Given its overall condition and rarity, I won’t be surprised if the bidding needs to pass $40,000 before hitting the reserve. One thing appears certain: the next owner will be climbing behind the wheel of a beautiful 1950s classic that will command attention wherever it goes.
Wonder what the flipper paid for it,&
what he told the original owner?
He told him it is time for his nap. Elder abuse comes in many forms.
ummm, since the original owner died in 2014 and the seller has had it since then, they would communicate how?
Ouija Board?
My mistake – should have read it more carefully.
lol…..I kinda figured, but then again maybe you got better contacts higher up then I’m ever gona have………
Contacts ……I don’t even wear contacts.
These in prime shape are $75-90K all day long. This one has been treated to a fair share of TLC and it shows. Well optioned, and a show-stopper wherever it goes. I love it.
Title needs to be changed to reflect 1957, instead of 1956.
Great car and great write up! Love the forward look cars.
this looks to be a 1958 not 57 because DeSoto had single headlights in 57 the same as my first car a 57 firesweep , dual headlights didn’t appear until 58 .
57 offered four headlights depending on the time of year and if the state it was being delivered to legalized 4 headlight systems. Definitely a 57. Side trim, Hemi and side saddle air cleaners confirm. 58 would have Christine like side trim, big block wedge and oval air cleaners on top.
Vast majority of ’57 Adventurer, if not all, were all sold with dual headlights, unlike other models (Firesweep, Firedome , Fireflite). The ’58 has a different side molding.
Sorry, I beg to differ. I remember seeing dual headlights here in California when this car was new. I’m 72,and I also remember that some states didn’t allow them.
last year for a HEMI in DeSoto, was 57,Headlights varied by model in both 57 &58,as in Fire Dome or Firesweep.The Hemi lived on for one more year in the Imperial & 300.In 59 Chrysler went to the 413.
Price of products at a mid-year 57 change to the quad headlights. Some states required that others did not. Depending on the state that the car was ordered to decided whether it got quad or single headlights for the last half of 1997
Only the Firesweep always had single h/lights since they used a Dodge front clip, and Dodges didn’t have dual h/lites in 57. On Firedome, Fireflite and Adventurers, generally the only ones to have single h/lites were those sold new in states which didn’t allow the 4-lamp system. Some states changed during the model year (I believe CA was one of them since they did not allow them early in the model year).
In PA the car is titled the year it was first sold. There are many 57 cars with 56 on the title.
What a great car, if I had a collection, this would be in it. I hate the mirrors on the fenders, but that’s it and I could live with that.
>>bidding needs to pass $40,000 before hitting the reserve.
At least double that figure I’d say. I think this guy had $89K as a reserve on this car.
’56? Not by a long shot. The ’57 and ’58 were beautiful cars that personified the late 1950s designs. The ’56? Not so much.
I had 56. Loved the styling.
I thought Chrysler introduced the fins in 57
57 offered four headlights depending on the time of year and if the state it was being delivered to legalized 4 headlight systems. Definitely a 57. Side trim, Hemi and side saddle air cleaners confirm. 58 would have Christine like side trim, big block wedge and oval air cleaners on top.
Frank – I think you are correct on all of that. Interesting that the ’58s didn’t get hemis when the ’58 300Ds (like mine) did. Wonder why they got stingy there?
Hello John, bottom line on the hemi in a Dodge or DeSoto was cost savings. Chrysler owners demanded the best engineering had to offer and the ram induction wasn’t ready for production. I don’t have a lot of info on the 59s but I know most of the line a rush job. They were focused on the 60 model changes. The ’59 Plymouth production design was rumored to have been rescued from a trash can when deadlines were overdue. Chrysler was also moving towards a corporate engine concept and the internal executives knew DeSoto was on it’s way out. Cheaper to put the big block wedges in the Dodge and DeSoto flagships. The 300D is an absolutely gorgeous machine. I have a 300 D spec engine in my garage (not original, pieced together with 300 parts and an imperial block), hoping I’ll find a rolling 300 C/D who donated it’s drive train for a street rod and it’s owner didn’t have the heart to scrap. In any case, beautiful cars. I prefer the 58 adventurer myself. Subtle differences overall but excellent refinements in my opinion.
Look at those fins! This car reminds me of the Googi style architecture popular in the US after WW 2, where gas stations and restaurants looked like space stations and other worlds.
Absolutely stunning in my rarely humble but admittedly ignorant opinion lol. Thank you Frank for all the excellent information. And the wonderful offhand reference to Christene.
The ’57 DeSoto Adventurer was arguably the most beautiful car of its era; those sleek lines are perfect from every angle, the tasteful and sparing use of chrome and the stunning Gold on White color combo make this one sweet ride! This car should bring top money.
Gitter,
A beautiful car, to be sure, but ‘arguably’ does enter into it, too. I am fortunate that one of my candidates for most beautiful, the ex-John Staluppi 300D convertible, resides in my garage. I’m not smart enough to upload a pic here, apparently, but here she is on his site. John
https://carsofdreams.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/1958-Chrysler-300D-Convertible.jpg
That 300D’s a beauty for sure, JohnD, sharing most of its sheet metal with the Adventurer – and it’s a convertible to boot! The latter still gets my vote, but as they say in Rome, “De gustibus non disputandum est”.
Hey Dunn! Has anyone said that in Rome in the last 1500 or so years? Don’t think so!
As of right now:
$46,657.00
Reserve
price
not met
The carpeting doesn’t look correct. It should be a much darker brown, with flecks of gold thread woven into it.
California had a rule or law back then that if a car had quad headlights only two were allowed to be on at a time. So they disconnected the wire to the high bean circuit on the low-high lights on the outside position.
SOLD for $60,000.