L. Seddon posted this ’53 DeSoto Firedome Sportsman at the Cohort. It’s been a while since any of these old toothy Chrysler products appeared on our pages, so let’s give this one a bit of attention.
I admit those teeth are an acquired taste, but the DeSoto was one of many models from the ’50s with chrome dentures. Buick being the other that comes to mind. It’s a rather attention-grabbing face, but the ’50s was the decade where fashion took over Detroit entirely. With its toothy grille and chrome detailing, the DeSoto was probably the most stylish brand within the Pentastar realm.
Since our Cohort sample was found in an enthusiast’s garage in North Yorkshire, we’ll have to use a brochure image to savor its profile, which I find rather sharp. By the early ’50s Chrysler was feeling the pressure of Detroit’s fashion wars, a situation it couldn’t ignore anymore. The ’53 line had the first new body since 1949 and was styled under the guidance of Henry King. While the new DeSoto looked sleeker and was a full inch lower, its interior still held chair-height seats and was two inches wider. Chrysler wasn’t going to let style ruin its sensible side, as engineering was the company’s core. And after all, “Styling with a purpose” was DeSoto’s motto.
This Firedome Sportsman comes with Chrysler’s famous Hemi-powered V8 and a “Tip-Toe Shift” automatic. DeSoto had introduced the FireDome V8 in 1952, and at the time the engine produced more horsepower per cubic inch than any other competitor. It delivered 160 horses from 276.1 CID at 4400 rpm, with 250 pound-feet of torque at 2400 rpm. Reviews from the period referred to the model as the fastest stock car they had ever tested.
Being Chrysler’s mid-range competitor, period advertising extolled the model’s luxury trimmings and ‘European styling.’ Not that it had much of it, but I guess it just sounded exotic. And is not like customers at the time would have been any wiser.
Motor Trend’s review considered the model possessed ‘a spacious interior, and as much comfort as you’ll find in any car of its class.’ Under driving, Chrysler’s engineering shone, with steering being commended for its 3.5 turns from lock-to-lock, and its 41.5 feet turning radius being a foot and a half tighter than GM’s offerings. However, the Tip-Toe Shift was apparently not too smooth, occasionally delivering a noticeable clunk between shifts.
’53 was a good year sales-wise for DeSoto. No wonder this Firedome is grinning widely. Or is it? Honestly, I can’t tell if it’s grinning or gnashing its teeth. Then again, Detroit’s fashion wars were just heating up by the mid-’50s, and these DeSotos look rather tame against what was to come.
Further reading:
That “clunk” Motor Trend noted in the transmission is not a defect; it is how the semi-automatic transmission was designed. Called Tip-Toe-Shift by DeSoto, Prestomatic by Chrysler, and Gyro-Matic in Dodges, that clunk signaled an off-the-gas automatic UP gear change when in either Low-Range (gears 1 and 2) or in High-Range (gears 3 and 4). Down shifts made no noise at all.
It was not as quiet and elegant as GM’s 4 speed Hydramatic, but contemporary acquired knowledge indicated that Chrysler’s semi-automatics just ran and ran with little needed maintenance.
Post war NYC taxi drivers loved Chrysler semi-automatic transmission equipped cabs.
But many early 1950s car shoppers did not want to see a clutch, even if it was labeled “Safety-Clutch”, in their new cars, so Chrysler developed the fully automatic 2-speed PowerFlite (introduced in 1954) and then the 3-speed TorqueFlite (introduced in 1956).
This Desoto has a more attractive instrument panel than my 1953 Chrysler, and with that big V8, was probably a much quicker ride than my Chrysler’s flat head 6, even with the “clunky” Tip-Toe-Shift .
And of course, the “little-toothy” DeSoto was in good design company with the 1950 “big-toothy” Buick. Perhaps these grills were an acquired taste, but I liked them. (*)
Wikipedia discusses these transmissions at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_Drive.
(*) Big toothy Buick Riviera
I have also read that the later Chrysler semi-automatic (Fluid Torque, IIRC) was a really good performer for one who developed the right technique. But I guess that was the problem – the Hydra-Matic was a good performer even for those without technique.
The ’55 DeS I once owned was the last of the toothy grill models. The car started easily in Wisconsin winters – an unexpected bonus on what was then a $50 used car.
Older cars owned by some of the guys I shared a house with were not as reliable. I often used the DeS to give them a push start on cold days. One problem with those teeth was that mismatched bumper heights resulted in the DeS losing a few teeth push starting other cars.
For some reason, owner reports of the time never seemed to notice this vulnerability. Luckily old guys like me are around to share our valuable experience. So for all you owners of toothy DeSotos, take my advice and don’t use your car to push start a buddy.
Ah, the good old days of push starts – or if you do not have friends, parking on a hill pointing the car downwards.
As far as I know, push starting is limited to starting cars with manual transmissions (*), which now in 2023, are as rare as hen teeth. Indeed, most 30-ish people I’ve met do not know what a clutch is, let alone how to use one.
(*) If I am wrong about this I am certain to be disabused by a more knowledgeable CC’er.
One young woman proudly told me she drove her boy friend’s car and it had “two clutches”. My response was “you mean a ‘dual clutch’ automatic transmission”? Her response to me was a blank stare and a sudden disinterest in our talk.
It seems like the older one gets, the more outdated one’s proudly acquired knowledge becomes.
I don’t think you can push start even manual cars now because the excess fuel can overwhelm the catalytic converter and possibly result in a fire. The owner’s manual in my last car warned against this. Maybe someone else knows for sure?
I do remember those warnings on older, catalyst equipped vehicles. Truth is, you actually can push start many of them safely as long as you have ignition and the engine fires up quickly. Where you could run into problems is, say a flooded engine with a stuck choke, and someone continues to keep trying to push start it long after they should have stopped and moved on to figuring out why it won’t fire. I remember a fairly dim neighbor cranking on his truck until the battery went flat, then doing the push start routine until he ran out of breath… THEN proceeded to engage an accomplice to tow him around the block for an hour and a half. Those are the kind of people that spur automakers to apply those warnings.
Also, see my reply above.
Some of the older automatics permitted push starting, particularly if they had a rear pump (driven by the output side of the transmission) in addition to the typical front pump (driven by the engine); the transmission could then build up hydraulic pressure to apply clutches/bands as the car was being pushed/rolled. Most later automatics did away with the rear pump, so you couldn’t get line pressure without the engine running and the transmission effectively stays in neutral no matter the gear selector position.
A few years back, I found out that not all manual transmission vehicles can be push started. I was driving a friend’s 5 speed Isuzu i-290 (Chevy Colorado) pickup one night, and left the parking lamps on for a few minutes when parked in a loading zone. When I came out, the battery was too dead to crank the engine, but still had enough juice to power the lights. We gave it a heave and I dumped the clutch in 2nd gear; the engine gave one tiny fart and wouldn’t go. We tried a few more times, and nothing. It turns out that the ECM won’t provide spark or start firing injectors until it has gone through the process of the key being turned and the engine being cranked by the starter.
Nice old car! Huge bumpers! This would be a candidate for restoration. In a two tone of course. Also great dashboard and steering wheel.
I learned to drive on a55 Firedome. Loved that black beauty. K.T. Keller ( head of Chrysler Corp in early 50s) insisted that he should be able to wear his hat in his car, making Chrysler vehicles high. Fortunately he was gone when Exner styled the 55 vehicles. To me DeSoto with its gleaming chrome teeth was the best. Looking at this 53, it seems that Exner refined it for 55 before introducing fins for 56.
I have been developing an appreciation for the 1953-54 Chryslers and DeSotos. (I am just not there on the Plymouths and Dodges). This hardtop is one of the sharper versions.
Somewhere I remember reading that Virgil Exner had a hand in some of the styling details on these cars, although the basic body and dimensions were locked in before he became involved. Henry King was an old-timer at Chrysler, a good stylist who was for a long time able to navigate the choppy waters of a stylist under the thumb of an engineering department. However, I think his skills/vision were not in the same league as those of Exner, as shown by the differences in the 1955 versions of Chrysler/DeSoto (mostly Exner) and Dodge/Plymouth (mostly King).
A nice survivor ! .
I cannot imagine the fuel bills it will engender .
The park lamps don’t match the brochure .
-Nate
I like it, Of course we had De Sotos but with flathead six and only in sedan body and it was the Plymouth sedan body since the source was Canada so we had De Plotos but this one speaks to me I’d buy one if I could find one, and I wouldnt care if it was auto, I get a good laugh at the comments about kids and manual cars my daughter has her second car now a Toyota Corolla her aunt stopped using and its automatic, I let her have a drive in my car and she likes it because it has the manual shift option her previous car was my old Citroen Xsara TDI and you couldnt get turbo and auto so she drove manual and misses it but most of her mates with cars have now either tried or own manual shift cars the manual option in my car is completely illusionary it will change down at certain rpms it will not lug the engine which annoys me cruising at our speed limit its turning 1250 rpm if I have to slow it downshifts at 900 or so, I dont bother with the manual feature and just leave it in D the trans/engine program knows what its doing and adjusts itself to your style of driving after every start.
Perhaps toss an occasional period in your paragraphs.
There were some old auto transmission cars that you could push start. It depended if the transmission was a design with a rear pump, I believe. There was a section in old Motors manuals that listed the transmissions that qualified. I think that after the Fifties, most cars had transmissions that couldn’t be pushed. Push starting was dangerous, and usually led to damage to both parties vehicles. It all seemed like a lot of trouble, wouldn’t a set of jumper cables be less of a hassle?
You’re right. Jumper cables are easier – when they work. When it gets really cold (as in negative Fahrenheit), starters won’t always spin the engine fast enough to get it firing. Remember, we’re talking old cars. Engines and starters were worn to just before the point of worn out. Maintenance was usually just the minimum necessary to keep the car moving. Fresh clean oil of a reasonable viscosity was a luxury these old engines rarely saw.
Jumping cars of the era was also complicated by the fact that really old ones like my ’55 DeS had a 6v battery and couldn’t be used to jump a more modern car with a 12v battery.
Myself,had a 57
DeSoto, got from a junkyard for 20
Bucks In , 1968.
Reason given was transmission fluid
Leaking and Burned the torque flight.
Meet the solution,just add fluid. Finally did at
Our local dragstrip by dumping it against 1967 Chevelle 396 SS.
Pictured car is a 1954. It has the 9 tooth grille. You can see the 11 tooth grille in the ad for the 1953.
We had a 1952 Firedome 8 wagon, dark green with lots of wood inside. My father loved driving that on the freeway.
It appears to be a 1953 DeSoto with a 1954 DeSoto front clip installed. It definitely is a 53 with the ’53 dashboard and ’53 rear end design.