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I received this information in the mail. Others may have also received it also, but I thought it worthwhile to post it for wider distribution. You can order the book through the web site shown.
DESOTO CONVERTIBLES 1949-1959
Don Narus’ DeSoto Convertibles 1949-1959 is a must read for those who love DeSotos with their lids off.
The author presents a visual tour of each year. This includes the 1949 first and second series. Each chapter begins with an overview of styling changes presented in Narus’ conversational tone.
The soft cover retrospective has 109 black and white photos and 11 period advertisements. Numerous extra close up shots provide excellent details. Examples include the 1951 conquistador hood ornament and the unique horn ring of 1959. Thoughtful captions are sure to educate. At the end of each chapter is a specification page that includes wheelbases, engines, prices, and production figures.
Because the auto historian likes to provide readers with a “good bowl of soup”, Narus has added extra ingredients. There are photos and information on the last two years of DeSoto when drop-tops were not offered. Another seasoning is glamour prints of DeSotos’ concept cars called the Adventurer I and II. DeSoto ragtop ads from 1941 and 1942 are additional spices.
DeSoto fans can fill a hole in their library by ordering a copy from http://www.newalbanybooks.com . Cover price is $18.95 plus $3.99 shipping.
- Michael Petti
BTY: What does he show for 59 production?
Bob,
I didn't get the book yet, I've ordered it from the info sent me.
How many pages? I can't find that info.
For cheep busterds like me, they are selling this book on ebay for $19.95 with free economy shipping in the US.
Have a nice day
Steve
Bought the book. It is full of great photos and some useful information, but it is also rife with errors too numerous to mention. The most glaring errors are a 1961 Chrysler pictured for a 1960 De Soto, with text crediting the '60 De Soto for having canted headlights before Chrysler! Other errors include showing a '56 De Soto in the '59 section, and listing Powerflite transmissions as standard for all De Sotos through '59 when this obviously isn't the case. The author could have avoided all errors by simply having some folks in the NDC read the manuscript before it was published.
My son got me a copy of this book for a Christmas present (after I hinted he should do so). One of these years, I may actually get around to reading it; lol. When I do, I'll note all of the mistakes that I find and write up a book report for the club's magazine.
To answer Terpak's question about production numbers for the 1959 convertibles, this books states that there were 596 Firesweep convertibles, 299 Firedome convertibles, 283 Fireflite convertibles, and 97 Adventurer convertibles.
Bill
The numbers are correct for the 59 production
Thanks for the information Bill
Although I haven't yet seen this new De Soto convertible book, I find there is a very easy acid test to determine whether it's worth buying or not. If the book is printed in China or Hong Kong and not in the USA or another Western country, that tells me right away the publisher is looking to go as cheap as possible and quality is the least of their concerns. Whenever that is the case that same publisher in my experience almost always takes the same mentality to proofing and often the author chosen for the project. Therefore, it is almost never worth buying.
