Some cars just have certain buzz words that can attract any car enthusiast. For instance, Hemi, Coupe, and factory air conditioning certainly have gathered my attention and perhaps yours as well. There isn’t much info on this Desoto’s history, but it would seem that the seller has an eye for pre 1972 classics as he claims to have roughly 200 cars in his ownership. A bit rusty, but mostly complete, this Fireflite has some great features going for it that could make it worth the $3,250 price tag for someone. Take a look at it here on craigslist out of Wichita, Kansas.
A not so common sight to see is an old Hemi packing factory air conditioning. I can’t recall seeing many, but this is definitely a cool feature on this 2 door coupe. The Hemi appears to be complete, but sports a fair amount of surface rust. There are leaves and twigs to be found on the engine and in the engine compartment. Thought to be a west Texas car, there is no clue given as to how long this Desoto has been at rest.
Taking a look at the interior would make you think that this car is from west Texas, as there is a fair amount of breakdown going on inside of this Fireflite. The seats and door panels are rough and dry, curling back as if exposed to extreme heat. The steering wheel has very little “plastic” remaining and the dash has a fair amount of fade. There is no carpet whatsoever, and there is some rust present on the floors. Mostly surface rust is to be found, but there is a soft ball sized rot area in the middle of the driver floor area.
Perhaps difficult to make out from the photos, but this Desoto appears to be a factory “Pepto-Bismol pink” and white car. Maybe not the most masculine color combo, but somehow tacky 1950’s colors are so great on classic cars. Little of the factory paint is still present but there is a fair amount of surface rust to be found. This car is a bit interesting as west Texas cars are usually burnt to a crisp, with little to no rot. The driver rear quarter is curiously rough, and the seller suspects that a rats nest may have caused this outer area of the quarter to vaporize. Also there is some rot in the rocker and door jamb areas, but it is not immediately apparent how rough that rust may be. Certainly an ambitious project, this Desoto’s features certainly make it stand out and seem like a worthwhile car to do something with. Would you consider taking on this Hemi Coupe project?
My guess is that it came from elsewhere and was simply added to the collection. Sweet car though! I’d almost want to do it up Roadkill style.. get it running…fix what needs to be fixed to make it drivable and functional and enjoy!
all you will need to do that is zip ties and duck tape!! :)
Oh look, it comes complete with “patina”. Fix the rust, clearcoat it, and you are good to go. (Sarcasm, off)
This car would be absolutely stunning if restored, but probably like most of us , I have neither the time or money it would take. It d be great if someone would!
These are really scarce in 2dr hard top configuration.
I love black,white and pink combos on 50’s cars.Yes
this car should be restored,but I agree with the others,
most do not have enough time or money,which is unfortunate,
as this would be gorgeous when done!
very nice to see one is still out there though.
Kinda makes mine look good.Still looking to trade it for a station wagon.Bruce.
Bruce, how complete does the station wagon have to be? I have a ’54 Town & Country (New Yorker trim) with a perfect body and all parts… assembly required. Just tossing it out there. brad@bradcornelius.com
Long lost family ! 😱😱
Sure would be nice to see this beauty brought back in orig colors.hope someone does it proud!!
Shell Pink with Iridescent Gray looks great on this 56 I restored.
Here’s the rear.
Probably the best looking De Soto in the entire country!! Way to go!
Regarding the car for sale; looking at the pix in the CL ad, the visible rust in the rockers & quarters strongly suggests finding much more of the same when you blast it….there will be some serious metal work required here….Good luck to the buyer/restorer!
My Father bought a used 1955 Firedome 2 dr hardtop in January 1956. It was two tone green in and out. No air, and we didn’t have the pod mounted clock on top of the dash.
This was his first car with a V8, power steering and power brakes. These made for jerky driving at first. Its stable mate was a 1951 Dodge with Gyromatic. 4 years older but from a different world.
This DeSoto sat outdoors in Childress, Texas for many, many years. The owner finally died and his estate auction was held there a few weeks ago. There were dozens and dozens of cars in this condition or worse. This one sold at the auction for about half of what the current seller has it priced at. I was standing next to it when it sold at the auction. I think there was a bag of fertilizer stored in the trunk and that’s why the left rear quarter panel is rusted.