As a Gen-Xer, I really don't dig the American car of the 1950's. They don't really do much for me. But, I think this next one would be really cool as a Rockabilly wreck in primer black with a little bit of red pin striping, white walls and some fuzzy dice. Sacrilege? Find this 1951 DeSoto Custom Sportsman for sale on Anderson Island, WA for $10,000 via craigslist.
Naming a car brand after a Spanish Conquistador takes a certain amount of cojones. Magellean Transatlantic sounds impressive; but then Ponce de León Floridian and Columbus Smallpoxer both have a certain ring to them. However, when Chrysler Corporation needed yet another midrange offering to compete with Ford and GM in the late '20s, they took inspiration from Hernando de Soto, who traveled across hemispheres in the 16th century and then posthumously gave his name to Hemi V8s in the 20th. Find this running, driving, 1951 DeSoto Custom 4-door sedan for sale in San Jose, CA for just $3,895 via craigslist. This post is part of DT's 2016 Birthday Celebration of 100 cars; enjoy the ride!
The DeSoto Airflow was a revolutionary car when it was introduced for the 1934 model year. While the average automobile had the aerodynamic profile of an inflated pufferfish, the Airflow looked slippery smooth and like something from the future. This rusted and decrepit example looks more like something from the past...but an awesome past. Find this 1936 DeSoto Airflow here on eBay offered for $5,500 buy-it-now located in Bisbee, AZ. This
post is part of DT's 2016 Birthday Celebration of 100 cars;
enjoy the ride!
The Powermaster was a big monstrosity built for the DeSoto marque in the Chrysler garage from 1952 through 1954. Internet rumor has it that the early '53 models had less chrome due to military demand from the Korean war...but we can't imagine what the military would need chromed..."Hey boys, we need more chrome on this battleship..." Find this 1954 DeSoto Powermaster Station Wagon for sale by Gas Monkey Garage currently bidding for $6.750 reserve-not-met with $8,000 buy-it-now on ebay.
The DeSoto division of the Chrysler Corporation got its name from a long dead Spanish conquistador, Hernando DeSoto, who was the first European to cross the Mississippi River. Like its namesake, the DeSoto brand was a pioneer and during the pre-war period it introduced the first powered pop-up headlights. They both died young, Hernando when he was 46 on the banks of the Mississippi River and the DeSoto division at 33 when Chrysler decided they couldn't maintain two mid-level brands and kept the Dodge name. However, a number of cool cars left the DeSoto factory and one of the last was the full sized Firedome. Find this 1954 DeSoto Firedome sedan with Chevy V8 located in Hanceville, AL currently bidding on ebay for $2,025 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go. 