1958 DeSoto Adventurer

The DeSoto division of Chrysler produced automobiles from 1928 to 1961. Positioned below Chrysler and above Plymouth, they were priced in the mid-price segment. Shortly after the DeSoto was introduced, Chrysler acquired the Dodge Brothers, resulting in two mid-priced makes, with the DeSoto priced slightly below Dodge models. In 1933, the market positions were reversed in hopes of increasing Dodge sales.

When Chrysler introduced its streamlined Airflow bodies in 1934, the designs were applied to the shorter DeSoto wheelbase. Unfortunately, the public did not agree with the styling. Chrysler had more traditional models within its lineup to fall back on, however, DeSoto sales were crippled by the Airflow design until the arrival of the Airstream in 1935.

Following World War II, DeSoto resumed civilian production using its pre-war designs but without the powered pop-up headlights it had introduced in 1942, a first for the North American mass-production vehicle. Cord had also used hidden headlamps for its 1936 810 models, but they were hand-cranked. Post-War DeSoto models included the Deluxe and Custom designations until 1952, when they were joined by the range-topping Firedome.

All Chrysler products received all-new Virgil Exner's 'Forward Look' styling in 1955. All DeSoto models were now powered by a 291 cubic-inch V-8 with overhead valves, a cast-iron block, hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, and delivering 185 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. For 1956, the DeSoto line gained new tailfin styling, its first four-door hardtop, and a high-performance two-door called Adventurer. Introduced in the mid-model year 1956, the Adventurer was DeSoto's top-of-the-line performance flagship. The finned hardtop achieved speeds of 137 miles per hour at Daytona Beach and 144 miles at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds banked oval, and served pace car duties for the Pike's Peak competition hill climb.

Lurking beneath the hood was an enlarged DeSoto Hemi engine rated at 320 horsepower. Its stunning performance was achieved without sacrificing luxury, and the long list of standard equipment included push-button control Powerflite automatic, power steering, a power seat, power windows, power brakes, windshield washers, and an electric clock. A custom interior with a padded dash and dual rearview mirrors was on the inside. The light gold seats (60/40 up front) had gold and white tweed in the seated portion of the benches, front and rear, and this theme carried through to the door panels. Space-age styling cues included dual-radio antennas resting atop the tail fins, a set of triple-lens rocket launcher taillights, and dual oval exhaust ports in the back bumper. The labor-intensive stitching pattern of the interior combined with rocket-age design cues throughout the vehicle, bridged the gap between the old American charm and the futuristic space-age era.

The 1957 Adventurer was introduced in December of 1956, two months after debuting the other models. The traditional launch in those days was from late September to early October. DeSoto's 1957 television commercials proudly declared, 'The most exciting car today is now delighting the far highway. It's DELOVELY! It's DYNAMIC! It's DeSOTO!'

Based on the Fireflite, the Adventurer came with unique color combinations of white with black and a gold side sweep and roof or gold with a white or black side sweep and roof. The grille mesh was gold anodized, and 'DESOTO' letters were on the front of the hood in gold, as was the stylized DeSoto emblem on the middle of the hood. In the previous model year, this emblem had been a fairly accurate depiction of Hernando DeSoto's coat of arms. Another Adventurer crest appears on each front fender, just ahead of the doors. In the center of this emblem is the Hernando DeSoto coat of arms. Another unique feature of the Adventurer convertible was the gold top.

Hernando DeSoto is recognized as the first European to cross the Mississippi River and among the ultimate Adventurer in North America, hence the Adventurer model becoming the ultimate DeSoto.

The Hemi in the Fireflite was a 295-horsepower, 341-cubic inch V-8 with a single four-barrel carburetor. DeSoto engineers bored the 341 to 345 cubic inches and installed dual quads to produce 345 horsepower or one horsepower per cubic inch. For 1958, the displacement grew to 361 cubic inches, and horsepower rose to 345 bhp. It used two four-barrel Carter carburetors, hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, overhead valves, and a 10.25:1 compression ratio. The standard transmission was the TorueFlite, and stopping power was by four-wheel power drum brakes. A Bendix-built electronic fuel injection system (EFI) was a $637.20 option offered only on the Adventurer, and only a few customers selected this option. With the EFI in place, the engine offered 355 horsepower at 5,000 RPM. Special nameplates above the front fender medallions announced the EFI option. Cars with the EFI were later recalled by the factory for re-conversion into the 'standard' carburetor setup. Only 35 examples of the Adventurer were equipped with the fuel injection system.

The hardtop coupe listed for $4,070, and the convertible coupe topped the list at $4,370. Just 82 examples of the convertible and 350 of the hardtop coupe were built in 1958. A total of 687 examples of Adventurers were built the following year.

Introduced in 1956 as a limited-production two-door hardtop and joined for 1957 through 1959 by the convertible, the Adventurer was DeSoto's premium high-performance, luxury model line, built in a similar concept and execution to Chrysler's 300-series 'Letter Cars.' By 1959, an economic recession hit DeSoto sales especially hard. Consequently, the distinctive 1957 through 1959 Adventurer line was followed for one last year, in 1960, with no more convertible body styles and fewer distinguishing features from the other DeSoto models available before the marque's demise in 1961.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2021