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Found this on the web. Link to article here: http://www.stltoday.com/classifieds/tra ... 02357.html
Here is the text of the article:
The final DeSoto model year? 19_ _ — you fill in the blanks
DECEMBER 01, 2014 12:00 AM • BY BRUCE KUNZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I’m not revealing the model year. That’s for you to guess as the answer to trivia question No. 1.
But one look at the picture in this article and you might ask yourself, "What were the designers thinking?" Not exactly a beauty queen, this was the last DeSoto produced, and I must say the proud marque went out with looks only a mother could love. One look at the guy on this sales brochure cover might explain the demographic of the last year DeSoto buyers ... nerds.
I might go so far to call the design, garish, as the second definition of the term on dictionary.com. defines it as "Excessively ornate or elaborate, as buildings or writings," and I might add cars.
As a proud owner of a DeSoto Adventurer from the year prior, I must say the final effort from the Mopar styling department was, if not the primary cause of the brand’s demise, at the minimum, a contributing factor. Even TKCS-StL’s mascot, Roy, couldn’t get excited about this car. (See his reaction, on my website, as he lay beside me while I wrote this story.)
Of the front end, automotive historian Sherwood Kahlenberg, in the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975, politely described the design as having "an unusual double-tiered grill."
From the side, this model closely resembles the year before, but as you move around to the back, you find a taillight design far less attractive than the prior year’s rendition. Every time I see one, I think of a one-eyed bull shark. But hey, that’s just me. As they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
DeSoto for 19_ _ was reduced to just two body styles ... pillarless hardtops in two and four-door configurations. While convenience and appearance options were plentiful, in the performance arena, there were no decisions to make. You got a 361 cubic inch (that’s 5.9 liters for you gen-xers and later in the audience. Yeah, that’s gynormous compared to your Kia, isn’t it?!?!) cast iron V-8 with a 2-barrel Stromberg carb, producing 265 brake horsepower. And don’t even ask about transmissions. This model came with a TorqueFlyte automatic as standard equipment. Although you could select a stick shift as a deduct option, you can probably count on one hand the customers who went that route.
To see more photos of the 19 _ _ DeSoto, as well as the color chart ads and more, visit my website at http://www.thefinman.com . And oh yes, I’m still looking for Mr. or Ms. Right to help me take this column nationwide. See my help wanted ad on my website along with information on how you can help support our TKCS-StL mission for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: There’s not a whole lot going on this time of year, but 2015 is just around the corner, and so, too, is the 23rd annual It’s A Gas! petroliana show and swap meet. After being in the same location for the past 22 years, It’s A Gas! is moving to the Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Mo. The event is being held on Sat., Jan. 17, 2015. Call Mike or Nancy Russell at 573-864-1336 (days), or 573-864-6539 (evenings), or e-mail at n.russell@mac.com for details. And be sure to tell them you heard about it here. Please and thank you!
SEMA 2014 was a great success for SEMA, the biggest show in the trade organization’s history. Emanuel and I had a great time, but now we have to pay the piper. We are updating our entire TKCS-StL display and are currently putting the graphics together for the 2015-2016 seasons. We will have a brand new booth as well. Now is the time for individual, club and corporate sponsors to get in on the next two years with a special, first-time-ever-offered sale. For details, see my current story on the web at http://www.thefinman.com . Thank you in advance for any support you may contribute.
And a hearty FIN MAN thanks to Becky and John Cummings, of St. Charles, for their recent Gold sponsorship for 2015-2016!
Thanks for reading the OCC and Keep on Cruisin’!
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Bruce Kunz, a.k.a. The Fin Man, is a member of the Society of Automobile Historians. If you love old cars and care about kids, help by visiting http://www.thefinman.com/Take_a_Kid_to_a_Car_Show.html and visit http://www.thefinman.com .
