History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

When a show organizer blocks off a privately owned parking lot for the show, the "disabled" placards are not in effect, unless the lot owner wants it to remain in effect. No disabled user is going to be parking his everyday car in there anyway. Could never do that on public streets or public owned lots. I have the priveledge of using those spots when my GF is with me, BTW.

 

Welcome to the thread! Well put, and point taken. But MrFire meant that in a jocular vein. Honest, we wouldn't crush anybody's oldies.

 

Danish Scania-Wabis V8 build in a/s Dansk Scania- Wabis 1917-18. 25 was build, 23 cars and 2 ambulance. I have photo of some cars and the V8 motor.
Sincerely Uffe M.
Denmark

 

Thanks Jimi for your correct response. The lord must have missed the emoticon.

 

Welcome, autotriangel/Uffe M.

Would you post photos, if possible? Thanks.

 

Car of the Week: 1954 Kaiser Darrin

May 27, 2011





By Brian Earnest

Photos by Pino Ruggiero

Donald Dettore figures he’s had his eye on his 1954 Kaiser-Darrin roadster for about five decades, give or take a year or two. For most of that time, he tracked the car from afar as it changed owners multiple times. When he finally had his chance to bring home his own copy of the famous, and some would say star-crossed, two-seater, there was no hesitation.

“I followed the car for about 35 years,” admitted Dettore, a retired physician from Hinsdale, Ill. “It was picked up by a friend of ours on the East Coast, and the car was a blue metallic color. He eventually died and the car went into his estate and was purchased by a buddy of mine — and most Kaiser-Frazer guys in the Midwest — George Buchinger. George never really did anything with the car… It just sat. It was kind of in disarray, but everything was there.

“Then when he died in 1990, I picked up the car from his son. I got my ’51 Frazer Manhattan the same way.”

Since there were only 435 built, any Darrin is unique, but Dettore’s roadster is particularly unusual because it wears a fiberglass hardtop — a sort of pseudo aftermarket accessory that wasn’t officially offered by the factory, but that was actually designed by the car’s famed architect, Howard “Dutch” Darrin. The story goes that Darrin made molds for the tops and kept them at his shop in California. Eventually, the molds were sold to a Chicago man and his son, who produced a small number of the lids.

Dettore liked the idea and the look of the fiberglass top, and he keeps his on the car nearly all the time, even though the Darrins came with a soft top that could actually be fixed in two positions. That gives Dettore a bunch of options if he wants to change the look of his Darrin. “All the hardtops of the Darrins were black. It changes the lines of the whole car,” he said. “Those of us who know the Darrins know Dutch Darrin made some of these hardtops that were a little longer than some of the other ones, and I have one of the longer ones… There are only about five of them that I know of in the United States right now, and most of them are hidden. There is one in California — it’s a red Darrin with a black top. And I know there is one on the East Coast. Nobody has one around the Midwest at all.

“It really does change the car. It doesn’t really disturb the car because you just set it on top of the vehicle, and you can take it off the car like a Corvette or Thunderbird, and it’s easy to handle. With a regular convertible Darrin, you can have the top halfway up in the tonneau position with the area over the seats exposed… So you’ve really got three ways to look at the Darrins themselves, and when you have the hardtop, that really makes it four cars in one.”





Dettore knows he’s one of the lucky ones that has gotten a second chance when it comes to Darrins. He had another one years ago and wished later he had never sold it. “I had one back when I was in medical school,” he recalled. “I should have kept that car, but you go through things as time goes by and you look back and wish you would have kept things, you know?

“A guy gave me $10,000 and a Lincoln Continental. It must have been around ’76. I had a series of cars in between, but couldn’t quite find one to buy. They’ve gotten harder to find.”

The Darrins, of course, are some of the most memorable, interesting and short-lived “orphans” ever born in U.S. auto factories. Dutch Darrin had been designing cars over the years for Kaiser and on his own time, worked up a prototype of a fiberglass two-seat car that he was convinced could shake up the U.S. car market. In January of 1954, the car was made available for, and though it was beautiful, cool and cutting edge, the Darrin never caught on, and didn’t survive to make it to a second model year.

The Darrin barely beat the Corvette to market, but where the ’Vette had Chevrolet and GM standing behind it, the Darrin had financially strapped Kaiser, and the company did not have the time, or finances, to see the Darrin through its rocky beginnings. Dettore is one of those guys who figures if more Americans had given the cars a try when they were new, the Darrin’s fate may have been different. He liked the cars when they were young, and his opinion hasn’t changed.





“It’s easy to drive, and it sits really low,” Dettore noted. “With the door open — and you can drive it with the door open — it’s like a motorcycle. The ride isn’t as harsh as you’d think. It’s not as smooth as a [Jaguar] XKE, but the XKE, of course, is 10 years younger.

“They’re fun cars and you can drive them at highway speeds. You can drive them 70, that’s no problem. They’ll top out at 90, 95, and they get excellent. Oh, and with 161 cubic inches and overdrive, the acceleration and throttle response is almost instantaneous. She goes up to 3,000 [rpm] immediately.”

The Willys six-cylinder breathed through a one-barrel carburetor and was rated at 90 hp. This modest output was mated to a three-speed manual with overdrive. The top speed was about 95 mph.

The exterior was where the Darrins were particularly interesting, however. The low-slung body was made of molded fiberglass — the first American car to feature fiberglass construction, and the radical doors slid forward into the front fenders — another first in the U.S. car world. A tiny, “puckered mouth” fan-shaped grille was truly a unique touch — and a far cry from the Corvette’s toothy front end.

The cars were built on the same chassis that had been introduced in 1951 on the Henry J model and were assembled in Kaiser’s Jackson, Mich., facility. The wheelbase was 100 inches, and the cars stretched 184 inches from tip to tip. Overall weight was 2,176.





Hydraulic drum brakes did the stopping at all four corners. Suspension was handled by a live axle and leaf springs in back, and coil springs in front.

Dettore’s car had been driven sparingly over the years and didn’t need a lot of work when he finally bought it. The bad news was that it had been a bit neglected, he said. He opted to return the Darrin to its factory white exterior and red interior after he took ownership. He also had some wear and tear on the fiberglass body repaired. “It was never in a wreck or anything, but it was put aside and nobody ever touched it,” he said. “It had some fiberglass cracks that I repaired.

“We had to go through it. You have to pull the and check it all out and put it all back together. Then you do the overdrive transmission, the brakes and brake lines… I had to have a new latch made for the hood because it was frozen from sitting. It has the original interior in it, which I’ve babied along.”



Dettore pretty much “babies” everything on his Darrin these days. The car has only 30,000-plus miles on it, and he doesn’t add much to the odometer. “I take it out on dry, sunny days only,” he laughs. “I always have it out on the Fourth of July because we have a parade that always goes right by, and I have it out in the yard.

“I don’t throw it out on the road like I used to. They’ve gotten too valuable. You hate to have them out in traffic too much.

“I don’t let too many people drive it, but I’ve had a lot of fun with it. People are always impressed with it … then when you show them the sliding doors, they’re doubly impressed!”

 

Kaiser Darrin (with hardtop).

Another one that was recently on e-bay



http://www.ebaymotorsblog.com/1954-kaiser-darrin/

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Kais...0486543?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2eb4b8828f

"Interested in a rare piece of American sports car history? Only 435 of these Kaiser-Darrins were made during just one year of production. So you probably won’t see another at your local drive-in. And those sliding doors will surely get your neighbors’ attention faster than any big-block powered finned Chevy.
The car has just 22,000 original miles, although it has been given a total restoration. It was completed in time to be awarded the 1997 Kaiser Frazer Owners Club National Meet’s Gold, which is their highest level. With the help of the Kaiser Frazer Owner Club International, the seller says he was able to contain the restoration to faithfully and accurately represent an original.
More recently, the car won the Palmetto award at the 2010 Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance—something the seller says is a testament to the quality of the restoration and the care the car has received in the meantime. As should be expected with a car the seller calls “an investment grade collector car,” it appears to be completely polished from tip to tail. It also comes with a removable hard top, which the seller thinks could be one of just eight factory units built.
Darrins are hard to find, but they do pop up on eBay from time to time. Sales from eBay Motors have averaged $52k to $59k for good to excellent examples, although the market puts a premium on low mileage cars in excellent condition. Click here to see this one’s listing."

............................................

So far, I have only seen this on an Australian site. It doesn't relate to the hardtop, but, it is an interesting concept -



http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_info_kaiser_dkf_x161.htm

 

I did miss it in fact. Sorry for my momentary lapse of on line behavior.

 

I was at the Sports Car & Vintage Auto Festival in Farmington NY and ran across this milburn Electric, certainly not Extinct, but one of the 50 (or so) beleived to be remaining. Out of a production run from 1915 to 1923 of 5000.
Nice to see one out and about!

 

Another unique vehicle there was this Turner automobile.
I beleive this is a Mk II version and there were only like 150 of those made in 1960.
The Turner was actually manufactured in various versions in England from 1951 through 1966 in very small numbers.

One I've never even heard of before, let alone seen one.

 

PALM:

A photograph of a 1920 Palm and a Palm involved in an accident in 1925. Both cars were photographed in Victoria.

That is all I can find, at this time. Was Palm an Australia only car? Anyone have any other information?

Extinct?



A Palm motor car after a collision, the left side is damaged. The car collided with a Model T Ford

Mount Jeffcott District, Victoria, Australia, 1925

http://museumvictoria.com.au/collec...llision-mount-jeffcott-district-victoria-1925



1920 model Palm motor car. Owner J W Armstrong. Note disc wheels.

"....The Stevensons of Berry Jerry had an Essex and JW Armstrong of 'Killarney' a Palm, the only one of its kind ever in the district. ....."

http://www.marrar.com/MBook10.htm

 

About the only thing I remember about Turner cars - Petula Clark owned one. (Pretty sure it's previously been posted on "Days Gone By" thread). I don't know if she ever drove it Downtown.




http://www.turnersportscars.co.uk/a...1957/sports_car_and_lotus_owner_feb_1957.html

 

Looks like the Palm car might have been a customised Model T Ford.

 

Searching for hard facts (and a photo or drawing, of course) on two apparently unrelated steam-powered automobiles known by the name Lutz. The first was actually built in about 1898, and perhaps as few as ONE. The second was planned in Buffalo in 1917, and one source states that NONE actually got finished.

I know of just ONE 1898 Lutz, and it is one of the centerpieces of the collections of the Hocking County Historical Society in my hometown of Logan, Ohio. It was the handiwork of Logan resident Henry Lutz, a self-taught inventor and machinist who had less than one month of formal schooling.

Now, I've already searched the Lutz name prior to posting my search. There are darn few specifics on the 'net. So, I'm out to pick fellow HAMBers' brains for facts and personal knowledge. Without any additional illuminating data, it would seem that the 1898 Lutz is definitely on our ULTRA-RARE list, and the 1917 Lutz goes on the NEVER-WUZ list.

[Note: The Lutz is not to be confused with the Lutzman (aka Lutzmann), first built independently, then under license by Opel in the later 1890s.]

 

I find the second generation of American steam cars, the wave of little manufacturers that sprang up briefly in the '20s, particularly fascinating. There have been a few of them on this thread, if I'm not mistaken?

 

Hi, Dawie. Yes, they've been discussed, and I think it was actually in response to a point you'd made: In essence, a steam renaissance, primarily to answer the needs and wishes (demand) of a generation of mostly Stanley devotees who were not yet convinced steam cars were on the way OUT. Just paraphrasing.

Since the second Lutz would have fallen into the time frame after Freelan and Francis retired for good, I'd think the effort probably fits the "Renaissance" scenario. But I'm speculating; and I merely speculate again when I say, maybe the Lutz effort failed, at least in part, due to materials shortages during the war (?).

As for the first (1898) Lutz -- the only surviving "Lutz" I know of -- I think the story bears all the earmarks of the talented loner scenario that was repeated in so many towns, everywhere. Of course, we all know that very few of those fellas made it to the big time. But a few (Henry Ford comes to mind!) did make it. The others at least had one or two autos named for them, even if there was no formal, incorporated car company involved, right?

 

I can't find anything on LUTZ, but, here are a couple of his contemporaries from Australia. Both Shearer and Thomson (NOTE: not the American Thomson who also built a steam vehicle around the same time) each built just one (1) vehicle - and it was steam powered.

The Thomson also used the first DUNLOP PNEUMATIC tyres in Australia

Both vehicles are still around, so, they are not extinct, but very rare.


SHEARER:







"SHEARER, JOHN (1845-1932) and DAVID (1850-1936), agricultural machinery manufacturers and inventors, were two of the five sons of Peter Shearer, stonemason and blacksmith, and his wife Mary, née Kirkness. John was born on 9 September 1845 and David on 7 November 1850 in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. The family migrated to South Australia in 1852, living in Port Adelaide, Robe and, later, Clare where the brothers were educated.

........

1898 – 1900 Steam Motor Car built
10 years before Henry Ford in America had built his automobile, David Shearer, at Mannum, had built a steam car with the world’s first differential. The restored car is now on permanent display at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, South Australia.

Extract from ‘The Mail’ Saturday 10 July 1926
Australia’s First Motor Car - Mannum Manufacturer’s Invention​

Well known in South Australia as a manufacturer of farm implements, Mr David Shearer, of Mannum, River Murray, can claim to be Australia’s first inventor of a motor car.
In the early nineties he designed and built a power-propelled vehicle, which, a few years later astonished all Adelaide as it chugged its way through the streets at 15 miles an hour. Special permission from the Mayor had to be obtained before the car could be driven through the streets.
Designed 10 years before Henry Ford’s first models, little is known today of the South Australian’s invention, but farmers who lived a quarter of a century ago in and around Mannum remember how Mr Shearer worked day and night on his ‘automobile’ and they relate today to the younger generation how Mannum might have been the Detroit of Australia.
England’s first car, which made its appearance two years after Mr Shearer’s had a speed of 10 to 12 miles an hour, while the South Australian car actually travelled at 15 miles an hour.
In 1900, several years after the car had been running in and around Mannum, it was driven to Adelaide and exhibited in the Chamber of Manufactures Exhibition. It careered around the city terraces at 15 miles an hour, by special permission of the Mayor, “but” says Mr Shearer, “the horses were not used to it and much profanity was directed at my head by the drivers of horse drawn vehicles”.
After demonstrating to the farmers of his time that the horseless carriage was a possibility, Mr Shearer did not persist in his experiment and turned his attention to the manufacture of harvesters, strippers, harrows and ploughs, thus Australia was probably deprived of the all Australia motor car."


http://www.psmarion.com/html/shearer_motor_car.html

http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/murray/content/didyouknow/shearerCar.htm




http://www.ozwrenches.com/d-shearer.htm



http://www.flickr.com/photos/xaragmata/3535888482/in/photostream



Well worth a read:
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=55882&vf=24&IsPgd=0

..........................................


THOMSON:




"One of Australia's earliest steam driven cars (Fig. 14) was designed and built by Herbert Thomson and Edward Holmes of High Street, Armadale, Melbourne in 1896/7 and exhibited in 1900 using the first pneumatic tyres made in Australia by Dunlop.<SMALL>[1]</SMALL> This 5 h.p. single cylinder Phaeton steam carriage which is now in the Institute of Applied Sciences, Melbourne, was sufficiently reliable and durable to enable Thomson and a friend to drive 493 miles from Bathurst to Melbourne at an average speed
of 8.7 m.p.h."

http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/478.html



" .........................
Thomson later sold imported cars. This steam car was later exhibited as a historical curiosity by Vacuum Oil at the Victorian Motor Exhibition in 1912, the first Victorian motor trade show. It was then dismantled and restored in about 1960 before being donated to the Museum.

Original Specifications:
Bore x Stroke: 1½" & 3" x 3" (single slide valve)
Max Power: 5 h.p. @ 1,000 r.p.m. (3.75 kW)
Rear Wheels: 44" x 2" (1120 mm x 51 mm)
Front Wheels: 34" x 2" (865 mm x 51 mm)
Weight: about 10½ cwt. (approx 535 kg)
Boiler: 12" x 12" x 16" water tube type.
Steam Pressure: 250 to 600 p.s.i. (1725 kPa - 4135 kPa)
Top Speed: 25 m.p.h. (40 km/hr) - equivalent to an engine speed of 375 or 560 r.p.m.
Range: 25 miles (40 km) with 4 gallon (18 litres) water tank
Fuel Capacity: 1¼ tins of kerosene - sufficent for range of 150 miles (240 km)
Turning Circle: 12 ft. (3.65 m)
<DT>Acquisition Information:</DT><DD>Donation from Mrs O. Stening, 1960</DD><TABLE><COLGROUP><COL class=title><COL class=desc></COLGROUP><TBODY><TR><TD>Discipline:</TD><TD>Technology</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dimensions:</TD><TD>178 cm (Height), 142 cm (Width), 271 cm (Length)</TD></TR><TR><TD>Weight:</TD><TD>508 kg (Weight)</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dimension Comment:</TD><TD>ORIGINAL WEIGHT AT TIME OF CONSTRUCTION. HEIGHT WITH STILLAGE - 181 CM. HEIGHT AT FRONT WITH LAMPS FITTED - 179 CM."</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


http://museumvictoria.museum/collec...r-herbert-thomson-armadale-victoria-1898-1899

 

From my Herman Sass book, "A Guide to Cars and Trucks Built in Buffalo NY"

Lutz Steam - San Antonio, Texas - 1899/Buffalo NY 1917-

In 1898 George Lutz of San Antonio built a steam car. Nothing more was heard from him or the car until 1917 when the name headed the directorate of a newly capitalized (at $100,000) Lutz Motor Car Company of Buffalo NY. The other Directors inclluded Omar H. Lutz of San Antonio (probably a brother) and three businessmen, John H. M. McLean, George B. Hurd, and Levi R. Lupton-from upstate NY.

The directors were said to be looking for a factory site in Buffalo to build steam cars. There is no evidence that the company ever got into manufacture. Probablly the 1898 car and a possible prototype in 1917 were the only Lutzes produced.

 

Quote:
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset" class=alt2>Originally Posted by swi66
From my Herman Sass book, "A Guide to Cars and Trucks Built in Buffalo NY"
Lutz Steam - San Antonio, Texas - 1899/Buffalo NY 1917-

In 1898 George Lutz of San Antonio built a steam car. Nothing more was heard from him or the car until 1917 when the name headed the directorate of a newly capitalized (at $100,000) Lutz Motor Car Company of Buffalo NY. The other Directors inclluded Omar H. Lutz of San Antonio (probably a brother) and three businessmen, John H. M. McLean, George B. Hurd, and Levi R. Lupton-from upstate NY.

The directors were said to be looking for a factory site in Buffalo to build steam cars. There is no evidence that the company ever got into manufacture. Probably the 1898 car and a possible prototype in 1917 were the only Lutzes produced.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Gary, HUGE THANKS, man. It seems to me that those TWO BRIEF PARAGRAPHS speak reams, answering most if not all of the questions I posed.

As for the Lutz cars built in 1898: San Antonio, TX, and Logan, OH, are a darn far piece from one another. So it seems clear that the two projects were CLEARLY independent, doesn't it?

Just as importantly, your record seems to make it clear that the 1917 attempt in Buffalo was spearheaded by George L., father of the San Antonio Lutz. So there is a proven connection between the San Antonio and Buffalos Lutzes, after all!

One thing we've experienced on our searches for this thread, IMO, is the ELUSIVENESS of hard data, many times! I feel that what you came up with on the Texas and New York cars is about as close to ironclad facts as we ever get.

Now, for a little speculation: So far at least, there is no evidence that George's 1898 Lutz steamer, much less a 1917 Buffalo-built prototype, survived to modern day. AND WE HAVE NO PHOTOS, either. So, using the ol' SWI rule of thumb, I'm putting BOTH cars on the EXTINCT list -- "Extinct, unless and until proven otherwise!"

It seems a bit surprising that Henry Lutz' 1898 steamer in Logan, Ohio, is in fact the ONLY surviving steam car bearing the name Lutz -- not withstanding the fact that it is totally unrelated to the other two Lutz steamers. BUT, it underscores its historical value to the Hocking County Historical Society, doesn't it? It's SINGULAR status certainly places it on our ULTRA-RARE list!

Thanks, Gary/SWI !!!

 

Here's an especially nice specimen of a decidedly rare and distinctively styled Hupp 618-D from 1936, for SunRoof and others who love the final efforts produced by brave hold-out independent companies in the long, dark years of the Great Depression!

Officially dubbed the Hupp "Aerodynamic," Jim has mentioned that fanciers today know this style as the "Sad-Eyed Hupp," for obvious reasons. If I am not mistaken, this represents the final all-new styling effort squeezed out by Hupp as they struggled to remain in the auto business. Amazingly, to me, though '36 production was measured in hundreds not thousands of cars, they still offered THREE engines of their own making -- two sixes and an eight! The Model 618-D used the 245-CID six with 101 hp. Quite respectable for a car costing little more than $800. But even the humblest offerings of makes like Hupp, Graham and Reo were still getting whipped price-wise by the likes of Chevy, Ford and Plymouth, themselves scraping -- and scrapping! -- for sales.

This two-door sedan is owned by a nurse in Charlottesville, VA, and carries only 36,000 actual miles under its fanbelt. Speaking for myself, I like the aero lines MUCH better than the Chrysler and DeSoto Airflows and, in fact, I feel this styling even beats the early Zephyrs! But, something looks oddly familiar here. Might Briggs have assisted in styling and/or building the Hupp bodies?






Note the petite Art Deco hood ornament! Very much in contrast to earlier ostentatious Hupp mascots, eh? In fact, sort of looks like it was inspired by a Norman Bel Geddes futurist concept! I ran onto these spare photos of the exceptional low-miles Hupp on the site of the Roaring Twenties Museum, located on Route 230 near the Madison County, VA, village of Hood. My sincere THANKS to the museum for the fun look at a pretty scarce car! Should anyone wish to read further at their site, here you are: roaring-twenties.com/car_questions_at_roaring_twenties_antiques.

 

Anytime there is a reference to something built in Buffalo, NY )or Western NY) it catches my eye. I do have the Herman Sass reference book, and this guy did a lot of research going through the archives of the Buffalo and Erie County library of old newspaper articles of things auto related. His book is literally a cut and paste, with most of the references typed on a typewriter and cut and pasted so they could be put together in book form by mimeograph I assume. Pictures he has in the book are poor copies from newspapers or reference books he copied the old fashioned way, no photoshop, no scanning and editing. This book is a time consuming act of love, and one of my favorite references. Very hard to come by nowadays, and usually gets a premium price on e-bay or amazon.com. I was lucky to get some of mine when they were sold at swap meets in my area.

Sass also penned books on Trucks of Western NY, Stewart Trucks, Pierce Arrow cars and trucks, Diamond T trucks, and REO trucks and several others, all in the cut and paste method.

If anyone comes across a reference of something from Buffalo NY, give me a heads up and I will see what info I have.

 

Re Huppmobile Aerodynamic .. and similar styled vehicles.

Raymond Loewy is credited with the Hupp Aerodynamic styling, after commencing with Hupp in 1932.

Karl Breer was working with designs of the Chrysler/DeSoto Airflow.

Gustaf Ericsson (the telephone Ericsson) with the design of the 1933 Volvo "Venus Bilo" and Ivan Ornberg (who had worked for Hupp but left and moved to Volvo in 1931) with the 1935 Volvo PV36 "Carioca"

There is no recorded linking of these persons, as far as I know, just individuals coming up with similar concepts at almost the same time.

.....................................................

OT.

Jimi,

I know you like DeSoto. I photographed a very rare one, I think, today. I have a few questions I couldn't answer.


How many of these were produced?

Surely this wouldn't be the only one in existence?












Sorry, Jimi. I couldn't resist and doing a "quick reply" there are no emoticons.

 

Grahame, it looks like a '59 to me, though with all the
trim shaved, I can't say which of the four DeS models it
actually is. '59 DeSoto convertibles are, indeed, pretty
rare, and I'm glad the owner of the subject car didn't
change it so radically that it can't be restored --
especially if it is an Adventurer (only 97 built). Just 186
of the four-barrel Fireflite 'verts were built, versus 299
Firedome two-barrels. 596 of the Dodge-made DeSoto
Firesweep drop-tops were also made, on a shorter
wheelbase than the senior DeSotos.




'59 Adventurer -- one of 96 -- THANKS to Flickr.

This year is especially poignant for me, as it was (1) the
end of Exner's three-year series of "finny" DeSotos, (2)
it was the last DeSoto that had some real DeSoto
components, and (3) the Hemi was now a memory ('57
being the last for the marque). The senior '59s used a
361 V-8 virtually identical to those in the Chrysler
Saratoga and Windsor, while the entry-level Firesweep
used a 325, essentially a Dodge engine. As I recall, the
old DeSoto plant was boarded up after the senior
DeSoto run for '59 came to an end. From '57, the new
Firesweep had just been a Dodge in DeSoto clothing,
anyway, but the '60 and '61 "DeSotos" hardly did the
marque any justice at all.

Notably, Irving Woolson and the rest of DeSoto
leadership are largely blameless for the make's decline.
A number of factors did DeSoto in, and management
error was not high on the list. I don't know if others on
the thread care to hear me analyze that here, so I'll hold
my breath for now.

I take a bit of solace in the reality that DeSoto had
doggedly served the market needs of the Chrysler
family, through thick and thin, for three decades. And
one might say that DeSoto saved the best for last, or
practically the last, as the years 1955 through 1957
were not only one of the best sales stretches ever, and
these models -- nearly all Hemi-powered -- are still the
best remembered, most powerful and most popular of
the line. There's an old saying that seems to ring true:
"A candle always burns brightest just before it burns
out."




'59 Firesweep, THANKS to CarPictures.com!

 

There were the "export" DeSotos, which if I remember correctly were really Dodges with a mixture of DeSoto bits added, though that is clearly not what we've got hold of here. I saw some photographs of one that turned up in Gaborone, Botswana, of all places, a four-door that had been shortened to a two-door, painted a sort of day-glo orange, and strangely de-finned.

 

The export desots was desoto diplomat and they were plymoth with diffrent front and trim there was dogde kingsway they were the same but with dodge trim

 

Botswana! Doesn't that beat all? Not exactly the sort of place one might expect a custom car -- much less a custom DeSoto!

 

I don't know where my head was, but the DeSoto discussion
reminded me that I'd forgotten to post the following. SunRoofCord
& I were discussing some DeS model by email a few weeks ago,
and I shared this with HIM but forgot to share it on this thread. So,
YOW! I've seen the Plym-based Ausie DeS Diplomats before
(no excitement there!).

The convertible version here REALLY adds a different appeal and
appearance to what I felt had been a pretty ho-hum car prior to
seeing this body. The wires appear to be real, though I can't say
if they are STOCK. The car is in a private collection in Mexico.

I feel that the front-view styling is particularly effective for '55 -- a
crucial year in a fast-changing field. It almost looks like a near-
perfect (hate to say this) factory custom! LOL. The Packard-
esque headlight treatment fits great, though the hood ornament,
IMO, is timidly unimaginative; AND, they should have stolen a
page from Lincoln-Merc's book on the faux-hood-scoop concept,
don't you think? -- Jimi

 

DeSoto ...

Jimi, you are too kind. The car in my photo (not photoshopped BTW) was most likely a 4 door sedan, (possibly a 2-door coupe, but there weren't many in Australia), that has recently been given a quick chop. Being RHD it is not a recent import and has probably been in Australia since it was new.

The soft top on the car is reminisent of the soft tops that were installed on Valiant 2-door coupe (think Dodge Dart) and VW conversions to convertibles in the 80's/90's. Other cars that saw the treatment were Suzuki Mighty Boy and Diahatsu Charade. Famous Australian race car driver, Peter Brock, even did the conversion on brand new Holden Barina models in the mid-90's and the Barina's were sold "new" through Holden dealerships. The rear side windows were often removed during the conversions.

Check the

Barina http://digiads.com.au/carsales/used...-CONVERTIBLE-CAR-FOR-SALE-SYDNEY-NSW-2176.htm

Valiant http://www.chargerclubofwa.asn.au/members-detail.asp?iMemberCarID=77

VW http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=260790440124

 

Here's a very rare one that turned up for sale this week in France on the La Vie De l'Auto web site an almost original barn find (most likely stored in some collector garage) 1893 Panhard, it has an engine from the early 10's. Asking price : 800 000 Euros...

I always wonder how people come up with a price on an extremly rare object like this, do they just come up with a number and see if someone wants to pay for it?

 

1947 OLDSMOBILE COUNTRY CLUB COUPE RESTORED SHOW CAR



<!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- if Environment.location.viewAdLargeImageAdsenseControlCCB.isGoogleAdSenseEnabled()>-->







PERHAPS, THE ONLY ONE KNOWN IN EXISTANCE TODAY. THIS BODY ON RESTORATION OF AN 85000 MILE FROM NEW WOODY SPECIAL, IS UNIQUE IN EVERY WAY. THE COUNTRY CLUB ACCESSORY WAS AVAILABLE IN 1947, AND INSTALLED PRIMARILY BY CHEVROLET DEALERS. IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, IT WAS ALTERED TO FIT THIS OLDSMOBILE, THAT SHARED THE SAME BODY STYLE AS THE CHEV. IT IS VERY UNLIKELY THAT THERE IS AN OTHER THE SAME ANYWHERE. IT EVEN HAS THE “COUNTRY CLUB” I.D. PLAQUE ATTACHED TO THE FIREWALL.

IT WAS BUILT BY GENERAL MOTORS IN THEIR OSHAWA ONTARIO PLANT IN 1947, AND THE SERIAL NUMBER IS 7350702658 MODEL NUMBER IS 35-07.

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-veh...UB-COUPE-RESTORED-SHOW-CAR-W0QQAdIdZ287407257#

<!-- #if> -->

<!-- google_ad_section_end -->