(first posted 1/11/2013) Or deadly? One always has to question why Chrysler even bothered with DeSoto after a certain point. Five years after offering this befinned model, DeSoto would cease to exist. Did it have to happen?
In hindsight, the closest analogy is that DeSoto was ChryslerCorp’s Oldsmobile, especially in the early ’50s: Like Olds at GM, DeSoto was first to follow its manufacturer’s top-tier nameplate with a modern V8 engine, paralleling Oldsmobile’s ascent into performance stardom.
As the 1950s progressed, one major difference between them was that ChryslerCorp used only two body shells until 1957, which affected its entire range of offerings in very distinct ways. The smaller Plymouth/Dodge body was considered stubby and insubstantial compared with the ever-growing competition. Meanwhile, there was a lot of obvious similarity throughout the company line, from the cheapest DeSoto Powermaster to the most expensive Imperial. By 1954, one couldn’t honestly make a similar claim regarding an Olds 88 versus a Cadillac Sixty Special.
When Virgil Exner finally unleashed his full intentions with the 1955 Mopar line, DeSoto seemed more of an afterthought. Once again joined at Chrysler’s hip, DeSotos didn’t receive a true tail fin as the other brands did. I can never decide whether I like the “droopy butt” 1955 models or not. The look adds a bit of sporting character to the hardtop coupes, but looks humble on sedans or without two-toning.
Enter our befinned 1956 model. All the other Mopar brands accentuated last year’s tail lamp designs with more plumage, but DeSoto decided to try something new: the “Christmas Tree” tail lamp cluster, which would remain a DeSoto calling card for the next four seasons. The additional tail lamp also offered a subtle hint of increased prestige over a Dodge.
Up front, out went the toothy smile and in came a mesh grille with parking lamps mounted in the bumper guards. These subtle tweaks made the 1956 models more dynamic looking–and larger–than the previous year’s offerings. In comparison, a contemporary Oldsmobile 88 looks upright and stubby next to the long, flowing Firedome.
The Oldsmobile comparison doesn’t end there: The DeSoto Hemi was bumped from 291 to 330 cubes (similar in size to the Olds Rocket 324), and horsepower jumped to 230–on a par with the two-barrel 324. Of course, this was before the Highland Haulers offered the three-speed TorqueFlite. Transmission push buttons, although new, nevertheless commanded the slightly less dexterous two-speed Powerflite.
It all added up to one of DeSoto’s better years, as more than 110,000 Firedomes, Fireflites and Adventurers found homes. It’s best to ignore that that figure represents about one-fourth of Oldsmobile’s volume at the time, and a drop in the bucket versus Buick before that brand came crashing back down to earth in the late 1950’s.
One wonders why DeSoto wasn’t a real runner-up or even a contender. The reasons are numerous, but most point to the ascent of some Dodges and the descent of Chrysler Windsors into the DeSoto’s market niche. I also blame DeSoto’s lack of unique mechanicals for not being able to offer much difference in the driving experience. It’s also worth noting that while Buick Special prices were neck-and-neck with those of Olds 88s (and actually lower in some years), Oldsmobile at least had the Hydra-Matic, traditionally firmer spring rates and a completely different V8 to help fend off potential defectors to Buick. DeSotos had no such protective armor of their own.
The tailspin really took hold with the melodramatic 1957 models, whose poor quality control did drastic damage to DeSoto’s reputation. Additional factors, including a very nasty recession towards the end of the year, and the brand-diluting, line-blurring, Dodge-based Firesweep series, eroded whatever premium status the other DeSotos had. In 1958, one medium-price brand actually did worse than the new kid on the block named Edsel. I don’t think I have to tell you who that was.
Most American brand aficionados would say that Mercury was the ultimate stepchild, either a Lame Lincoln or a Fancy Ford. I’d have to say that DeSoto–especially in the second half of the 1950s–is a strong contender for that dubious gold medal. At least Highland Park had the decency to take DeSoto behind the shed and fire the gun 50 years before Ford did likewise with Mercury.
The American Auto industry is one vast wilderness. It takes a lot of exploring, planning and patience to understand it and stay alive in it. Unfortunately, DeSoto didn’t live up to the promise of its namesake.
The 56 DeSoto is one of my favorite cars. While I have a sentimental partiality to the 55 because of my Grandma’s pink and white Firedome sedan, I consider the 56 to be the more attractive car. In fact, I consider the 56 Fireflite to be the best looking of the entire 1955-56 Mopar stable.
I recall from when I was researching Indianapolis Pace Cars (DeSoto paced the 1956 race) that DeSoto actually outsold Chrysler that year.
I think that you have largely hit upon the reasons for DeSoto’s demise. In theory, Chrysler went model for model against GM. The difference was that there was so much greater use of a common parts bin at Chrysler. There was some variation in engines, but every car from Plymouth to Imperial used the same Powerflite transmission. Also, each brand did not have its own unique styling studio – Exner led a team that did the DeSoto/Chrysler/Imperial, while Chrysler old-timer Henry King led the Plymouth/Dodge styling effort.
The result was that the GM divisions were selling different products. The Chrysler brands were more like what GM was offering by the 1970s or 80s: different brands that were distinguished mainly by slight styling differences or which dealer you preferred. DeSoto would probably have fared even worse but for the fact that it was almost always sold with Plymouths – there were probably a lot of Plymouth customers upsold to the much more impressive DeSoto.
In one of the supreme automotive ironies, if GM had remembered what caused the demise of Desoto, maybe they wouldn’t have done the exact same thing, eventually causing the near collapse of the the entire company.
In the by then typical GM cost-cutting process, Roger Smith in the eighties was well on the way of making every GM car sharing so many components that there really wasn’t any reason to choose one from the other.
I think that the outcome was inevitable. The Sloan Brand Ladder concept – which is what inspired Walter P. Chrysler to create DeSoto in the first place – was doomed by the import invasion and the cost pressures brought about by CAFE and the Clean Air Act. Chrysler Corporation was the canary in the coal mine in this regard.
I too always thought the Desoto line was completely redundant. Nothing except cosmetics distinguished them from Chryslers. But being a life long Ford fan (ok, a soft spot in my heart for older Mopar as well) I admit that the line between Mercury and Ford was very blurred as well.
I don’t want a DeSoto when I can have a Chrysler Windsor!
Another great looking car! A flashy Dodge or a poor man’s Chrysler? Save some bucks and buy a Dodge or spend more and buy a Chrysler what would you do?You know you’re in trouble when you’re outsold by Edsel.I remember seeing a photo of a South African Valiant look a like that was sold as a De Soto.A great article thank you Laurence
I love your photos, every time. Thanks.
Yes, I love your colors and composition. So different from any other snaps on cc.
Dave
Good article. I think Chrysler just proves that you can come up with any idea and, no matter how good, if the execution is bad it doesn’t matter. I still love most of the stuff they put out in the fifties but you could park it and watch it fall apart. The closest I ever came to participating in this madness was when I returned to the states for my first shore duty. Went with a 50 olds instead. Good choice.
DeSoto was the sponser of Groucho Marx’s You Bet You Life, which you can find episodes of in the bargain DVD bin w/the commericals intact.
There’s a restored coupe version that I’ve seen around here in the North Shore (MA) area.
Always kind of like Desotos.
I look at them as (sort of) a cross between Pontiac and Oldsmobile in Chrysler’s lineup. I think ChryCo. would have been able to make Desoto work had they made the performance series (Chrysler 300 letter cars, yes each division had their own version but none really had the entire image as performance) a Desoto exclusive and nurtured them as their sporty division much like Pontiac did starting in 57 with Bunkie Knudeson.
Unfortunately Desoto seemed to just get lost as the in-between division that really offered nothing you couldn’t option into a Dodge or skimp on a Chrysler to get. No real identity.
Would they still be around today…doubtful since Plymouth, Pontiac and Oldsmobile are all put to rest…But they may have lasted until the great bankrupt of Detroit…
One of the very first automotive observations after arriving in the US as a seven year old in 1960 is that DeSotos and Chryslers were obviously cut from the same cloth, or dies. It was my first lesson in badge-engineering.
I delivered newspapers to a home that a new ’55 Desoto Fireflite 2dr hardtop, two tones of gray and white. To this day it is one of my all time favorite. Desoto buyers were perceived as more conservative than Chrysler; apparently at an early age I had some conservative inclinations.
Everytime a DeSoto is posted here I remember how it was a bit of running gag on “Happy Days” that Mr. Cunningham’s conservatism and boringness was supposed to be exemplified by his DeSoto ownership.
My favorite also is the ’55, mainly due to my great aunt and uncle’s purchase of a new Firedome 2dr hardtop in powder blue and white. They immediately installed the clear plastic seatcovers from Fingerhut that stayed in place until they traded the car in (in a beautifully maintained condition) for a new 65 Chrysler Newport 4door hardtop for use in retirement in California. I always thought the ’55 was very nicely if conservatively styled (never was a fan of fins) and if this one was any indication, they were excellent cars. My aunt and uncle were a clear example of how pushbutton transmission controls could harm sales. They didn’t like them (they did like the ’55’s little wand gear selector on the dash) and didn’t buy a new MoPar product until they were gone.
One of DeSoto’s major problems was that they didn’t even have PowerFlite until the 1954 model year. (There may have been a few in ’53, but production didn’t start until very late.) Before that, the best you could get was Fluid-Torque, which still had a clutch pedal, even if you didn’t need it much.
Laurence – The focus and shading that you achieve in your “vintage look” photographs continues to be impressive. May I ask what filter(s) and/or digital exposure settings you use to achieve them? The next time that I encounter a car from the 50’s or 60’s, I would like to try to emulate your photography in at least a few shots.
Most of it is digital manipulation at home on a computer, sad to say. When working with my Nikon D40 I normally use landscape for full frame shots, and portrait for detail.
And home I adjust the pictures temperature and brightness/contrast and/or clarity.
And another example of the (many) classic wheels floating around the Bay Area (especially the East Bay).
I have to admit that ’55 & ’56 DeSoto’s always looked like a scaled-up version of the Volga GAZ-21 to me, and it just can’t be helped. Which of course does not belittle the fact that these are mightily good looking cars.
I didn’t comment on this the first time around, but a second look glares at me.
Smallish side glass apparently isn’t a recent thing. Look at the window size in comparison to the body!
I suppose all sedans had smaller glass than their pillarless hardtop cousins.
A nice looking car, to be sure.
When I see a ‘56 DeSoto I always think of Jimmy Stewart’s car used in VERTIGO.
While the ‘56, ‘57 & ‘58 De Soto are stunningly handsome (in my opinion) they look like badge engineered Chryslers. Plymouth & Dodges tended to separate themselves better than De Soto & Chrysler, but always thought Dodge should of been the low priced brand after Chrysler acquired it, which was at the time they created Plymouth.
Chrysler never quite mastered the hierarchy. DeSoto occupied the same price point as Olds, but really answered Pontiac. DeSoto and Pontiac had lots of extra frills and filigrees which made them old-lady cars. Starting in ’55, Dodge matched Mercury and Olds as the performance car, the stoplight racer.
Pontiac was the “old lady’s brand” before [’55]. and was almost dropped, too. But, we all know how it got saved and went to #3.
But then same thing happened at GM with overlap and redundancy.
When I was a kid we had a 56 Firedome in dark blue with light blue accents. It was a beautiful car. The interior was ahead of its time – there was a full padded dash and a radio that had a seek function. I always though that the tail lights looked like rocket nozzles in the tail fins.
From a business standpoint, Chrysler probably shouldn’t have revived the DeSoto brand after the WW2 shutdown.
But then we would have been deprived of this
I’ve seen this photo before, and I’m always tempted to say this car arguably deserves a place in the Museum of Modern Art.
Or at least the photo does.
A phenomenal piece of consumer product design. Just stunning.
Too bad. I always thought the Desoto was better looking than the Dodge. But then Desoto Dart or Desoto Charger doesn’t exactly have a ring to it, does it?
Chrysler introduced Desoto in late 1920s to compete with Dodge Brothers products just as Chrysler bought the Brand, so Desoto became Chryslers Commercial and Export Label. Most Taxis were Desotos. Many cars were called Desotos in Export Markets though really Plymouths.
Desoto’s toothy grills were so Bold you either loved or hated them. Nobody was in the middle on Desoto Styling.
” I also blame DeSoto’s lack of unique mechanicals for not being able to offer much difference in the driving experience. It’s also worth noting that while Buick Special prices were neck-and-neck with those of Olds 88s (and actually lower in some years), Oldsmobile at least had the Hydra-Matic, traditionally firmer spring rates and a completely different V8 to help fend off potential defectors to Buick. DeSotos had no such protective armor of their own.”
The DeSoto Hemi was a “completely different V8” compared to the Dodge Hemi and the Chrysler Hemi; although I’d grant that most folks think Chrysler had one “Hemi” engine family that was made in different displacements for the three (or four, if you count Imperial) car lines.
The Chrysler engine line-up of the 50s is widely-varied. All three “Hemis” were made in both low-deck-height and tall-deck-height versions. Two of the three (Dodge and Chrysler) were built in versions using less-expensive Polyspherical cylinder heads on top of the “Hemi” blocks.
Then there’s the Plymouth V-8–the “A” engine, which did not have a Hemi variant. After the “A” engine came the “B”, and the tall-deck-height version “Raised B” or “RB”.
DeSoto was a stalking horse that Chrysler created in order to get a better deal for buying Dodge. When Chrysler tried buying Dodge two years earlier, after Dodge suffered a production plunge, Dodge leadership was not ready to bite the bullet. Chrysler didn’t get Dodge for money – they got it through stock, and we all know what happened to stock values after 1928, right?
Walter Chrysler started DeSoto to put pressure on Dodge. It ended up working remarkably well. By the time DeSoto was three years old, it pretty much was no longer needed by Chrysler management. Ignored? Yes – it was kind of a fake brand from the beginning. Walter Chrysler also decided that year to launch Plymouth. That brand lasted about 25 years longer than DeSoto. 1928 was a big year for Chrysler’s creation of divisions. That all crashed within 12 months.
What was unexpected was DeSoto’s success. Instead of snuffing out the brand, the DeSoto Six was suddenly a sales winner. Chrysler leadership had to rethink how DeSoto fit with Dodge and with so much market uncertainty, was pretty happy to have both brands pulling even. DeSoto got the Airflow body and lost market share for years afterwards.
After WWII, DeSoto became America’s Taxi. It no longer had any daring styles, nothing really innovative, and Chrysler seemed pretty contented with DeSoto just selling to fleets. There was nothing DeSoto offered that the other Chrysler products didn’t also offer.
The brand lasted 33 years – however, remember that half of those years included the Great Depression and WWII. It was easily replaced by the Chrysler Newport by 1961.
Nice .
-Nate
Good rundown on poor old DeSoto. The ’56 has always been a favorite of mine.
However, I cannot join any criticism of Ford for not shutting down Mercury as quickly as Chrysler did with DeSoto. I would contend that the best years for Mercury started a handful of years after the final DeSoto left the assembly line (hopefully free of production defects).