In 1959, Ford and Chrysler were learning the same lesson – that there was no market for four or five separate divisions of full-sized cars. With Ford, it was with the Edsel, which had debuted with poor sales the year before. Over at Chrysler, it was the DeSoto, a car that had been around since 1928 but whose sales were dropping rapidly. This 1959 DeSoto is the entry-level Firesweep, which was largely a Dodge with DeSoto styling. The seller knows little about the car, though it does need some mechanical tinkering. Located in Hamilton, Ohio, this winged warrior is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,500. Thanks for another solid tip, Barn Finder “Ted”.
The Firesweep was one of several DeSoto products that had similar-sounding names in 1957 through 1959. The others were Firedome and Fireflite. Firesweeps used a Dodge Coronet shell and chassis, which included a shorter wheelbase than other contemporary DeSotos. But designers were quick to include DeSoto’s distinctive front bumper, grill, and tailfins. Only one engine was offered in the 1959 Firesweep, Chrysler’s 361 cubic inch V8. A poor economy led to a drop in DeSoto sales in 1958, which never recovered in 1959 and 1960. So, Chrysler pulled the plug on the brand early in 1961, almost a year to the day that Ford gave up on Edsel.
We’re not sure if the seller bought this car to flip or has too many other projects to devote any time to it. At 91,000 miles and counting, this 66-year-old Mopar has had at least three owners and appears to be in good shape overall. The body and two-tone paint seem fine, which is a major plus as these “Forward Look” Chryslers were prone to rust from the inside out. It runs and drives, but you shouldn’t attempt to do much of either before attending to a few things.
While the push-button automatic transmission does its thing, there is a fluid leak (perhaps dried-out seals from sitting?). Also, the brakes are spongy to the touch. There was an exhaust leak that the seller did get around to fixing. Limited interior photos suggest the car needs new upholstery and carpeting, though maybe not right away. The seller will consider a trade with an older truck, topping the list. Even with four doors, this could be a great classic car to revive, as there simply aren’t many of them left.
That baby blue accent within the wide check-mark bodyside molding, matching the painted roof, is a cool and period-correct piece of styling. Which also matches the interior. And…. the “whitewall” tires. I’m not sure how much market this car has.
A 3 speed manual transmission was standard on Firesweep only, with optional 2 speed PowerFlite and the 3 speed TorqueFlite, which was standard on Fireflite and Firedome.
Even though Firesweep was the entry level DeSoto, it did offer a convertible which had the highest production numbers at 596, over Fireflite 186, Firedome 299 and Adventurer convertibles which had the least at 97.
Only Fireflite and Firesweep offered wagons in `59
Firesweep was the only model not available in Canada.
There’s just no other way to say it.. this car just looks weary. It is a tired out car. By ’59 the whole De Soto division was getting tired out.
The chrome on this car looks really nice. I assume the car has been repainted, as the exterior is nicer than the interior.
But all that late-50s finned glory for 5500 seems like a great deal.
Coolest, best-looking fins in ’59 when the Caddy’s were on steroids.
My Uncle had one, and I loved watching the speedo ribbon change colors.
Overall, this is in great condition!
The seller listed the car as a Plymouth DeSoto! WTF Actually, the fifty-nine DeSoto had all metal parts (fenders, doors, roof, trunk lid) same as Chrysler. Knowing that DeSoto was being discontiued, the designers did a great job of making it look DeSoto-ish while spending less on new tooling.