1949 DeSoto Deluxe Series

The immediate DeSoto postwar models were the entry-level Deluxe and the high-line Custom Series with both models available in a range of two- and four-door body styles and equipped with an inline six-cylinder engine displacing 236.7 cubic inches and offering 109 horsepower (by 1949, its output had risen to 112 horsepower). Most DeSoto bodies rested on a 125.5-inch platform, with a longer 139.5-inch version available for the 8- and 9-passenger long-wheelbase Customs.

The Deluxe club coupe had a base price of $1,870, the sedan at $1,880, the Carry-all at $2,075, and the station wagon at $2,800. Prices on the Custom ranged from $2,040 to $2,440 for the standard-wheelbase versions and $2,860 to $3,180 for the long-wheelbase versions.

The early 1949 models were continuations of the pre-war designs with minor tweaking. Mid-way through the year, around March, DeSoto introduced its all-new Post War styling that they advertised as 'The Car Designed With You in Mind.' They had a new, taller roof structure, a prominent tooth-like grille, conventional bustle-back contours along the roofline, and shorter front and rear overhangs.

The Carry-All sedan and station wagon were new body styles offered in 1949. DeSoto had produced station wagons in the past, during the 1930s on the Cantrell-bodied chassis, however, this was the first post-war DeSoto station wagon. The Carry-All sedan was an all-new style with a fold-down seat that, when folded, offered nearly eight feet of storage space from the front seatback to the rear of the body.

The station wagon had steel body construction with ash wood exterior framing, a rather steep price within the Deluxe line, and just 850 examples were built. The sedan was the most popular body style with the Deluxe line, with 13,148 examples sold but was significantly overshadowed by the 48,589 examples built on the Custom line. 6,807 examples were Deluxe Club Coupes, and 18,431 were Custom models.

The total 1949 Deluxe Series production was 23,495 units accounting for approximately a quarter of DeSoto's overall production.

The Deluxe and Custom names would return in 1950, again making up the entirety of the DeSoto line, continuing through 1952 when they were joined by the new ranging-topping Firedome Series. In 1953, the Deluxe was replaced by the Powermaster and the Custom by the Firedome.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2020