1956 DeSoto Fireflite

DeSoto was established in 1928 by Walter P. Chrysler as a companion marque positioned for the growing mid-price market occupied by such manufacturers as Studebaker, Buick, Pontiac, and Willys-Knight. Popular 1950s DeSoto models included the Firesweep, Firedome, and Fireflite, as well as the luxury/performance Adventurer, which was introduced in 1956 and rivaled Chrysler's own 300 'letter car' series.

Virgil Exner's 'Forward Look' design, created for the entire Chrysler automobile range, influenced the 1955 DeSoto models and the facelifted 1956 editions. Along with attractive styling, DeSoto's appeal was the engineering excellence that included the availability of Chrysler's 'Hemi' V-8 engine beginning in 1952. Enlarged to 330 cubic inches of displacement and developing 255 horsepower rating for 1956, the 'Hemi' was backed by transmissions that included the PowerFlite automatic.

The DeSoto outsold the 'senior' Chrysler line in 1956 for the first time in its history.

The 1956 Fireflite was luxurious, outfitted with richly appointed interiors with a distinctive 'Gullwing' styled dash and two-tone exterior finishes delineated by remarkably restrained spears of bright trim. In the front was a wide grille with twin upright bars, a clean bumper, and smooth frontal body lines. In the back were restrained tailfins beginning underneath the C-pillars and ending with the Fireflite's vertically stacked tail lamps. Available body styles on the Fireflite series included the hardtop, convertible, Sportsman two-door Hardtop coupe, and a four-door sedan.

The 1956 Fireflite was selected to set the pace of the 40th running of the Indianapolis 500, and to celebrate this occasion, 400 examples of the fully loaded, top-of-the-line Fireflites were branded 'Indianapolis Pacesetters' and each one was finished in the two-tone white and gold color scheme of the car that paced the race. The interiors were given a jewel-like dashboard layout with two-tone gold and tan upholstery. Shifting was handled by Chrysler's push-button gear selection. Accessories included DeSoto's center-mounted and self-winding steering wheel clock, power steering, power convertible top, dual power rear antenna, gold hubcaps, and a 'Highway-Hi-Fi' record player manufactured for DeSoto by CBS Electronics. Under the hood was DeSoto's 330 cubic-inch, overhead-valve, Hemi V8 engine with Carter 4-barrel carburetors offering 225 horsepower. The suspension comprised a coil spring-independent front setup with semi-elliptic springs and a live axle in the rear. Hydraulic drum brakes provided the stopping power and power.

The Hemi V8 gave the FireFlite a 137 mph top speed and a zero-to-sixty mph time of 10.9 seconds.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2020