Orphan of the day 10-26 1961 DeSoto

[clonelark]

http://www.duricy.com/~desoto/desaga/destop.shtml

[raprice]

Those last DeSotos were beautiful cars. I still can't understand why Chrysler intentionally buried DeSoto.
I would still be proud to own one of these cars.
Rog

[cruiser]

I always find it interesting how everyones individual tastes in cars
is different . To me , those 1961 De Sotos are just plug ugly . Is
it possible they were designed that way on purpose to make the
existing De Soto dealers either hand in their franchise or take up
another Mopar line . 1958 Edsels , don't like them either but bet
that some find an attraction . Hey , I really like the 1957 / 58's of
Packard so who am I to talk .!!! BRUCE NEASMITH .

[JRoberts]

Got to love those fins! That '61 hood, however, doesn't do much for me although it does sort of remind me of a Transtar hood.

[rockne10]

On the way to work today I got behind a hauler that had what appeared to be a 1960 Imperial on the top rear deck. Wish I had my camera.
Talk about garish fins!

[Jim B PEI]

Why pick on the poor fins? Tailights, roof, halo, interior, rear deck ornament, all sort of garish. Now it it were flamingo pink in a hardtop, that would be really garish. Especially if some fool decided to put those headlights in big chrome pods. Wait, they did that too.

[rockne10]

Like this one? Interesting presentation.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1961-CHRYSLER-IMPERIAL-CROWN-COUPE-/360310305413?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item53e42af285

[paintim613]

A '60 or '61 factory DeSoto fuelie either sold for over $100,00 or was a no sale for over $100,000 at a recent Mecum auction.

[lark55]

One of my friends had a 59 Desoto 2 dr. with a 383 and push button transmission in the early 70's. That was a cool car.I wish I had it .

[studegary]

Those last DeSotos were beautiful cars. I still can't understand why Chrysler intentionally buried DeSoto.
I would still be proud to own one of these cars.
Rog

By that time, there was an overlap of the Dodge and Chrysler lines with no room left for DeSotos.

I tried to buy a 1961 DeSoto trade-in in the early 1960s but it was a little too dear to the salesman and I didn't need a car.

Considering that they were only built in late 1960, there were a fair number built. There were 911 two door hardtops and 2123 four door hardtops.

A dealership where I later worked was DeSoto/Plymouth. When DeSoto was dropped, they took on Mercedes Benz and later Chrysler.

[8E45E]

By that time, there was an overlap of the Dodge and Chrysler lines with no room left for DeSotos.

More than a few have commented the mid-year 1962 Dodge Custom 880 was really a DeSoto. It was also a mildly facelifted Chrylser.

Craig

[BobPalma]

More than a few have commented the mid-year 1962 Dodge Custom 880 was really a DeSoto. It was also a mildly facelifted Chrylser.

Craig

True, Craig, but the real reason for the 880 was to address the painful screams from Dodge dealers who were losing their shirts to Mercury, Oldsmobile, and Buick because the 1962 and 1963 "regular" Dodges were so small and ugly when compared to their competition. (1962s more so than 1963s, I'll admit.)

The 880 did a wonderful job of muffling their screams, and was a good car in the bargain. BP

[studegary]

True, Craig, but the real reason for the 880 was to address the painful screams from Dodge dealers who were losing their shirts to Mercury, Oldsmobile, and Buick because the 1962 and 1963 "regular" Dodges were so small and ugly when compared to their competition. (1962s more so than 1963s, I'll admit.)

The 880 did a wonderful job of muffling their screams, and was a good car in the bargain. BP

I agree with Bob P. - I owned a 1963 Dodge Custom 880 hardtop with the optional 383, pw, A/C, etc. It was a good car that we both liked.

[Jim B PEI]

Like this one? Interesting presentation.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1961-...item53e42af285

Exactly like that one. It makes the 60 and 61 De Soto look quite pedestrian in comparison. Although the front end treatment of the 61 De Soto was becoming a parody of itself.

De Soto did not die completely in 1961 though!! Overseas, it was like a 'Packard pickup' and certain Dodges were De Soto-ized (De Soto Diplomats?). I remember seeing a picture of a De Soto Diplomat WAGON for sale in Finland, and it was an ex-diplomatic car which had been used in Europe (and Russia I think) It was a 62 or 63--remember the cross-eyed Dodge? that year--with De Soto name plates badges and all. Heck, if you want to engage in entirely wrong and futile hindsight revisionism, it could be (fallaciously) argued that it was likely the loss of Cuba to capitalism that tipped the Chrysler head honchos to kill the name plate once and for all, as the marque was very popular in the Latino Caribbean area especially Cuba.

The Dodge 880 was never sold in Canada, as far as I remember. When I first saw one a few years ago, I wondered 'what was that?'

[Steve T]

There's a nice '60 DeSoto 2dr HT that does the cruises round here. Licence plate: "FINZZZ". Very suitable. Neat car.

Anyone else instantly think of the '61 DeSoto when first they saw the front end treatment of the current model Honda CRV sport-ute? I certainly did...

S.