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DeSaga:
A Brief History of DeSoto
DeStart
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| 1929 DeSoto Roadster Espanol |
During the first twelve months, DeSoto production set a record 81,065 cars. DeSoto built more cars during its first year than had Chrysler, Pontiac, or Graham-Paige. The record stood for nearly thirty years.
The car name honored Hernando de Soto, the 16th century Spanish conquistador who discovered the Mississippi River. DeSoto had covered more North American territory than any other early explorer, and his achievement is remembered by towns, cities and counties named DeSoto across the southeastern United States. As a moniker, DeSoto reinforced the Americana theme sounded by Chrysler's other new brand, Plymouth.
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| 1929 DeSoto Faeton |
It was a smooth package made more appealing by seven different models with swank names. The roadster was called Roadster Espanol. The deluxe sedan was called Sedan de Lujo. Even the basic two-door benefited as the Cupe Business.
DeSoto returned for 1930 with even more. At the top of the line was the DeSoto CF, otherwise known as the DeSoto Eight.
Here was a bigger DeSoto with a 114 inch wheelbase and the kind of inline eight cylinder engine customers expected to see in a luxury car. DeSoto called it "the world's lowest-priced straight eight" and promised customers "a vast reserve of power when you need it." With 70 horse power and 207.7 cubic inches, the DeSoto Eight delivered.
Even though 1930 was the first full year of the Great Depression, the DeSoto Eight accounted for 20,075 DeSotos built.
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| Peter DePalo |
In 1933, DeSoto recruited another race car driver for a more astounding publicity stunt. This time, Harry Hartz drove a DeSoto backwards across the country. Hartz peered his way across the continent through a rear window turned windshield.
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| 1933 DeSoto |
DeStreamliner
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| Airflow testing |
The result was the 1934 DeSoto Airflow, DeSoto's boldest adventure. "Goodbye 'Horseless Carriage,'" shouted DeSoto advertising, "Here's the New Airflow DeSoto!"
Airflow styling said, "Woosh!" Blown away were free-standing headlights, radiator shells, side-mounted spare tires, and bobbed tails. In their place was a svelte, envelope body whose lines slithered fore and aft in a relaxed arch. Most radical was the front, whose waterfall grille simply let the wind pass so that the car may go faster.
Sleekness was only part of the package. The DeSoto Airflow concealed a revolutionary chassis with the interior moved 20 inches forward.
The interior was among the most luxurious and safest in the world. Beautifully upholstered seats set in chrome frames offered the industry's first comfortable six passenger capacity. Ventilation was outstanding due to airspace beneath the front seats, elaborate dual action windows in the front doors, twin cowl vents and crank out windshields. Being cool and comfortable meant the Airflow driver could better appreciate the ergonomically angled steering wheel that allowed shoulders to relax.
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| 1934 Airflow economy trial |
With the Airflow, Walter Chrysler made the cover of Time. The January 8, 1934 issue captioned the industrialist's portrait with the catchy line, "He made the buggy a bugaboo." Inside, a curiously staged interview asked Mr. Chrysler of the Airflow, "Do you think the public is ready for anything so radical?" Mr. Chrysler responded, "I know the public is always ready for what it wants... and the public is always able to recognize genuine improvement." True, the public did recognize that the DeSoto Airflow was a genuine improvement - in Europe.
The DeSoto Airflow was a hit overseas. The Monte Carlo Concours d'Elegence presented DeSoto with the Grand Prix award for aerodynamic styling. European manufactures, such as Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo, went so far as to copy the Airflow look for their production cars. More remarkable is that in distant Japan the first mass produced Toyota was styled to resemble the '34 DeSoto.
DeSoto promoted the Airflow hard at the 1934 "Century of Progress" World's Fair in Chicago. Babe Ruth, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and Ethyl Merman all made various celebrity appearances on behalf of the car, too. The American driver, however, wasn't buying.
1934 DeSoto deliveries declined 47% and only 13,940 Airflows were built for the model year. DeSoto fell from 10th to 13th place in the industry.
One Airflow brochure called style a state of mind. Clearly, consumers were thinking of something else.
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| 1935 DeSoto Airstream |
DeSuccess
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| 1936 DeSoto Airstream Custom |
By 1939 DeSoto was ten years old and a new member of the industrial establishment. Parent company Chrysler Corporation was now the second largest automobile manufacturer in the United States, perhaps the world. Chrysler had won the position thanks in large part to the strength of its mid-priced cars like DeSoto. Time had come to flaunt the spoils.
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| 1939 DeSoto Custom |
Maybe that's why DeSoto called the new look Hollywood Style.
"Ginger Rogers," claimed one DeSoto advertisement, "drives Hollywood's smartest car - DeSoto!" "I like action!" Ginger supposedly said. "I get it in my DeSoto."
Ginger didn't need any help, but the '39 DeSoto was a looker. Those slippery curves that had made the Airflow distinctive were back with a new finesse. Sedans were fastbacks. All models featured curvaceous fenders blown taught by an unfelt wind. Up front was a tall prow suitable for an ocean liner, and enough chrome to blind on-coming drivers.
A new, haute couture Custom Club Coupe by Hayes wore the new styling best. The Club Coupe featured enlarged side glass, narrow door pillars, and a unique roofline distinguished by a two-piece rear window and a central character line.
Price for the Custom Club Coupe was a lofty $1,145, and production was just 264 cars.
Engineering had not been neglected. New for 1939 was "Handy-Shift", a gear shift lever mounted on the steering column, which controlled a "Syncro-Silent" three-speed transmission with optional overdrive. Moving engine parts now had "Superfinish" which increased part life, improved efficency, and reduced oil consumption.
More light-hearted advances were the "Safety Signal" speedomater that changed color with speed, and the adjustable front seat that raised while it moved forward.
The 1939 was well received. 54,449 were built.
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| 1941 DeSoto Custom club coupe |
1941 also brought an engineering feature famously associated with DeSoto, the semi-automatic transmission. New to the options list was Simplimatic, DeSoto's version of a four speed transmission shared with Chrysler. DeSoto promotions happily informed prospective customers there was "no need to shift or use the clutch, You're in a new DeSoto!" Simplimatic came close to a true automatic in driver operation. Close enough, in fact, that DeSoto used the transmission with minor improvements through 1953.
To get underway, the driver used the clutch to shift the gear lever into "high." Then, he merely pressed the accelerator. If conditions permitted, the driver eased his foot from the gas around 14m.p.h. allowing Simplimatic to shift from 3rd to 4th. Coming to a light, Simplimatic shifted back down independently and the Fluid Drive coupling made sure there was no stalling and no need to clutch. As DeSoto stressed, the operation could be performed hundreds of times with a minimum of effort.
If a Simplimatic DeSoto owner wished to make a quick get away, he used the clutch to place the lever in "low." Stomping the accelerator produced substantial engine noise and tire spin, which continued as long as the operator could bear. He then lifted his foot and let Simplimatic shift from first to second. To cruise comfortably, the clutch was pressed in and the lever returned to "high" where an alert Simplimatic was automatically in fourth gear. If another car was threatening to pass at a monstrous 40m.p.h., Simplimatic could be kicked into passing gear with a jab of the accelerator. The 100hp. six, however, would be exhausted at 90m.p.h. The appeal of Simplimatic and DeSoto's new smile surely helped production reach the 99,999 cars built. One wonders what held back that extra DeSoto to make it an even 100,000.
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| 1942 DeSoto Custom convertible |
Matters of style such as these became insignificant after December 7th. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States went to war.
A conquistador at heart, DeSoto enthusiastically joined the war effort. DeSoto factories put civilian production aside February 9 and commenced building Sherman tank parts, Martin B-26 Marauder fuselage sections, B-29 Superfortress nose sections, Navy Helldiver wing sections, and Bofor anti-aircraft gun parts. On the home front, a '42 DeSoto toured the country selling war bonds.
| When civilian automobile production resumed late in 1945, customers returned the favor of DeSoto's patriotism by flocking to its show rooms. "Demand," said DeSoto, "is so great that in spite of all our efforts some delay may be necessary before your dealer can make delivery to you." Material shortages and labor strife contributed to DeSoto's inability to fill orders. However, it was true that a segment of car starved America didn't just want new cars, it wanted new DeSotos. 1946 DeSoto promotions joyfully bragged "8 out of 10 want DeSoto again." The boast was based on a survey of 1941 and 1942 DeSoto owners. Demand peaked with the 1950 DeSoto. 1950 DeSotos were handsome machines with wide chromium grins and strong correct lines. They were huge cars, bigger than Mercurys, Pontiacs, Oldsmobile 88s, Buick Supers, and the Packard Eights. There was even a new model to strut DeSoto's many virtues, the Custom Sportsman hardtop coupe.
Like General Motors' hardtops, DeSoto's Sportsman delivered a special look. Its wrap around rear window and "V" shaped rear roof pillars created a care-free character that had previously been found only in DeSoto convertibles. The Sportsman also came standard with wide whitewall tires, full wheel covers, and exclusive interior details. DeSoto's Sportsman shared many curious characteristics with other Custom models. For instance, the majestic bust of Hernando deSoto on the hood could be fitted with a carefully detailed plastic face. Behind Hernando's stern expression was a small bulb that illuminated the Spaniard whenever dash lights and headlights or parking lights were turned on. The dash lights themselves were unusual. Concealed bulbs in dark glass spheres set the control panel's pale green numerals aglow with an unearthly purple glimmer. Aside from its premier pillarless car, DeSoto's other 1950 talking points were roomy interiors with chair high seats and DeSoto's smooth ride. One advertisement showed an enthusiastic DeSoto passenger asking the proud driver, "New road?" To which was replied, "No, new DeSoto!" Sales rocketed 42% over 1949 and production reached a record setting high of 133,854. Never had DeSoto moved so many cars during a model year. Unbeknownst to DeSoto, it never would again. DeSoto sailed into a doldrums from which even the new 1952 FireDome V8 couldn't rescue it.
DeSoto answered the challenge with FireDome, a sparkling, hemi-head V-eight powering a new carline by the same name. FireDome eclipsed its bigger Chrysler Firepower brother by delivering more road horsepower per cubic inch displacement than any other motor. FireDome cut four seconds from the time last year's DeSoto needed to travel from 0-60. Top speed was increased to 100mph. What astonished everyone was how effortlessly FireDome produced its 160hp. at 4,400 rpm. The 1952 Oldsmobile Supper 88 V8, considered by many of the day to be a paradigm of performance, required 303 cubic inches, 7.5:1 compression, a four barrel carburetor and premium gasoline to make 160 horsepower. The DeSoto FireDome needed only 276.1 cubic inches, 7.0:1 compression, a two barrel carburetor, and regular gasoline for the same 160hp. In addition, FireDome's hemi-head limited pinging and resisted power robbing combustion chamber deposits. DeSoto was overly modest about the FireDome. One 1952 DeSoto television advertisement chose not to mention the V8. Instead, the commercial pictured a stark, black, six cylinder DeSoto sedan that the announcer described as having chair high seats, plenty of interior room, and a smooth ride thanks to Oriflow shock absorbers. A happy family piled into the DeSoto and rode away smiling. Regardless of the 45,830 DeSoto FireDomes that were built, overall DeSoto production had fallen from a disappointing 106,000 (est) in '51, to an abysmal 88,000 (est) in '52. That same year, Chrysler Corporation was overtaken by Ford as the country's second most prolific auto maker. Labor problems and war production priorities were partly to blame.
"Motor Trend" magazine hurled its 4,120 pound FireDome from 0-60 in 15.5 seconds, nearly 5 seconds faster than the similarly priced Kaiser Manhattan tested in the same issue. Of course, the 600 pound lighter Kaiser was hindered by its 118hp. six. Performance enthusiasts wondered what DeSoto's V8 would be capable of in a lighter, more aerodynamic body. DeSoto gave a strong hint with a two-door show car called Adventurer. |
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| 1955 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman 2-door |
DeSoto was equally new on the inside. PowerFlite automatic was operated by an intriguing Flite-Control lever mounted on the dashboard. The dashboard was dramatically styled with a dual cockpit gull wing theme. Even the view out was improved with DeSoto's first wrap around windshield.
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| 1955 DeSoto Fireflite |
Of course, sales were high. 114,765 DeSotos found happy owners for the 1955 model year. The calendar year total of 131,753 was the best since 1946.
Then something curious happened.
The dynamics of DeSoto's demise were already in motion. Top management at Chrysler Corporation suggested Chrysler drop its bottom line Windsor to allow more room for DeSoto. Chrysler protested. Since 1946, Chrysler had fostered its low end products and by 1956 was dependent on the 2/3s volume provided by Windsor. Besides, Chrysler no longer had the option of moving up-market.
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| 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman 4-door |
Like a brilliant avenging angle with her wings out stretched, the golden Adventurer stormed into the horsepower race. The finned hardtop colossus scorched Daytona Beach at 137 miles per hour, and surged through Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds banked oval at 144 miles per hour. It even leapt the height of Pike's Peak serving as pace car for the year's competition climb. Nothing from the opposition, not the Thunderbird, Corvette, or Studebaker's Golden Hawk, could match the Adventurer's enormous power and high top speed.
Adventurer's motivation was an enlarged DeSoto hemi sized at 341.4 cubic inches. Horsepower was rated at 320 which was more than any other engine offered in DeSoto's price class.
Adventurer achieved its stunning performance without sacrificing luxury. Standard equipment included push button control Powerflite automatic, power steering, power seat, power windows, power brakes, windshield washers and electric clock. On top of these, the Adventurer delivered a custom interior with padded dash, dual rear view mirrors and dual radio antennas atop the fins.
As was true with legions of DeSotos before it, the Adventurer was a lot of car for the money. It came with more glitter, more features, comparable performance, and a marginally better power to weight ratio than the base Chrysler 300. Yet, the DeSoto cost $567 less. In six weeks following the Adventurer's February 18 introduction, all 996 examples built sold at $3,678 a piece.
In a rare extroverted moment, DeSoto flaunted its many virtues by pacing the 1956 Indianapolis 500. The DeSoto chosen for the duty was a shimmering gold and white Fireflite convertible decorated with Adventurer trim. While most onlookers mistook the modified Fireflite to be an Adventurer convertible, they couldn't mistake the brand. "DeSoto" was painted on the doors in large block letters and signs on the raceway proudly declared "DeSoto Sets the Pace."
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| Irv Woolson |
The exotic Adventurer aside, the DeSoto Fireflite came with more standard horsepower than most cars in its category. At 255hp., the Fireflite V8 was more robust than anything from Mercury, Oldsmobile, or Pontiac, and equal to Buick's biggest engine. Zero to 60 took an effortless 10.9 seconds and the top speed was 110 miles per hour (170 km/h).
Back in the fifties, automotive evolution progressed at a frantic pace with car manufactures bringing out new models every two or three years. DeSoto was due for something new in 1957, but no one could have predicted how new the '57 DeSotos turned out to be.
Image Via James List
1957 DeSoto television commercials merrily sang, "The most exciting car today is now delighting the far highway. It's DELOVELY! It's DYNAMIC! It's DeSOTO!" The jingle didn't exaggerate. The 1957 DeSotos were amazing cars, perfect for the space age. |
| 1957 DeSoto Fireflite |
Credit for DeSoto's appearance goes to Virgil Exner, Chrysler Corporation's head stylist and perhaps the post war era's most gifted designer.
Unlike other cars of the day, the '57 DeSotos were slim. They were fascinating visions of an aerodynamic future. The fins actually served a purpose. They increased stability at high speed and reduced the effects of wind buffeting.
Stability was more important that ever, for beneath the '57 Adventurer's sleek new hood was America's first standard equipment engine producing one horse power for every cubic inch of displacement. Three hundred and forty-five horses bolted from 345 cubic inches at 5,200 rpm.
Those horses were harnessed to Chrysler Corporation's new TorqueFlite three speed automatic transmission. Though the unit was among the best in smoothness of operation and efficiency, it was the futuristic push-button controls that kept America talking. It seemed almost insignificant that DeSotos also came with Torsion-Aire torsion bar front suspension - a giant leap forward in riding comfort and handling.
The 1957 DeSoto line was the biggest in the make's then 28 year history. The DeSoto Adventurer became available as a convertible as well as a hardtop. Station wagons appeared in the Fireflite series. A new Firesweep nameplate was added at the bottom of the DeSoto price ladder. Firesweep offered three cars costing less than $3,000 in addition to DeSoto's least expensive wagons.
DeSoto's triple punch of styling, performance, and price made 1957 a memorable model year. As sales at Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac plummeted, DeSoto gained by 7,096 units. 117,514 DeSotos were built for the model year.
'57 was a good time for DeSoto. It was also a tragedy. Corporate wide quality control problems resulted in some horribly built cars. It's said that DeSoto four door hardtops built at Los Angeles leaked so badly in the rain that occupants were wise to exit the car to avoid drowning. One 1957 DeSoto Adventurer was incapacitated for four of the total 18 months it was owned by its first owner. The car went through four transmissions, three power steering units, two new double point distributors, new valve guides and a new radiator. Reportedly, it took considerable effort and the attention of Chrysler's Chairman of the Board to have the car corrected.
Stories like these and a propensity for early rust out angered DeSoto's traditional clientele. DeSoto had always been a well-built car until 1957. Worse, those who had never bought a DeSoto before and were seduced by the styling resented the car's inability to live up to appearances.
Quality control was a problem throughout Detroit in the late fifties. However, the sin seemed greater at DeSoto in light of the make's previous high standards.
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| 1958 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman |
DeSoto delivered an improved product that year. The cars were consistently better built. A lighter weight, less expensive wedge-head V8 replaced the heavy, complicated hemi. Performance increased. A DeSoto Firedome with the optional 305hp., 361 cubic inch V8 flew from zero to sixty in 7.7 seconds. Top speed was 115 miles per hour.
Ironically, as DeSoto struggled to regain buyers, the high profile Adventurer embarrassed itself with an engineering blunder. For $637.20, performance enthusiasts could boost the Adventurer's 345hp. to 355hp. via Bendix electronic fuel injection. Though futuristic, the system proved nearly inoperable and most all Bendix EFI cars were recalled and fitted with dual four barrel carburetors. The unfortunate occurrence gave ammunition to those who found the wedge-head engine an inadequate successor to the hemi.
As DeSoto production dived nearly 70%, Chrysler Corporation panicked. DeSoto was unceremoniously yanked from the Wyoming Ave. assembly plant it had occupied since 1936. From July 1958 forward, senior DeSotos would be built along side Chryslers on Jefferson Ave.
If management was ready to write off DeSoto, the styling department wasn't. In May of '59, a radical prototype emerged from Virgil Exner's "back room" studio. It was a convertible with an aggressive new interpretation of the Forward Look. The hood was noticeably longer than the trunk and accentuated by menacing fender blades. It had no fins, but rather sculpted quarter panels and a smooth sloping trunk. Significantly, the nameplate on the hood proudly read "DeSoto." The concept was dubbed the S-series and approved for the coming 1962 model year change. Chrysler's other brands were instructed to take their inspiration from the new DeSoto.
For all the glitter, 1959 was a dubious year production wise. Almost 6,000 more DeSotos were built for the calendar year, but model year production fell again. At 45,724 cars, DeSoto was one of only two manufacturers to score lower sales in 1959 than in 1958. Simultaneously, DeSoto celebrated its thirtieth anniversary and built the two-millionth DeSoto.
DeStop
Unlike Mark Twain, the rumors of the DeSoto automobile's demise were not greatly exaggerated.
Image via Flickriver
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| 1960 DeSoto Fireflite 4-door hardtop |
The Firesweep and venerable Firedome lines were dropped. Station wagons and convertibles disappeared. The once glamorous limited edition Adventurer was demoted to Fireflite status. Fireflite in turn was pushed down to replace Firedome.
Although they were few, the 1960 DeSotos were good. Both Fireflite and Adventurer boasted Chrysler Corporation's new Unibody construction. Along with Unibody came sounder build quality and an elaborate seven step rust proofing process.
Drivetrains remained exemplary.
Newly optional was a Ram Charge V8. The 383c.i.d motor utilized twin four barrel carburetors perched atop ram induction tubes. The tubes accelerated intake velocity at certain R.P.M. creating a turbo-like horsepower boost. The induction system was matched by dual exhausts. DeSoto thoughtfully provided 12 inch brakes.
The Ram Charge option was available only on the Adventurer, which already delivered 305hp. Fireflite customers had to be content with 295hp.
At the corporate level, scandal hinted at the mismanagement that debilitated DeSoto. William C. Newberg, who had been with Chrysler for nearly 30 years, became president of Chrysler Corporation April 28, 1960 when L. L. "Tex" Colbert stepped down. That June, Colbert's carefully groomed successor was fired by Chrysler's Board of Directors. It was alleged Newberg had a "conflict of interest" at Chrysler, namely financial holdings in companies which supplied Chrysler Corporation. Newberg's removal was followed by other resignations and a year-long battle.
The primary victim was DeSoto. As Chrysler collapsed on itself, the stunning S-series DeSoto prototype and its Chrysler offshoots were canceled. Suddenly, DeSoto had no future.
Sales of the 1960 models were understandably low. Chrysler Corporation had done everything possible to weaken DeSoto's position. For the 1960 model year, 25,581 were built. It was the worst model year since 1934, but it wasn't the last. Half-heartedly, a 1961 DeSoto was introduced October 14, 1960. Set up to fail, it was the last DeSoto.
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| 1961 DeSoto 4-door hardtop |
Like the 1960 model before it, the last DeSoto used a 122 inch wheel base, the same span used by full size Dodges. The dash board, with its three tier design and raised speedometer, could be traced back to Dodge. Even the engine, with an uninspiring 265 horses, came from DeSoto's less prestigious sibling. The days of lanky 126 inch wheelbases and sparkling performance were clearly over.
In its oddly beautiful '61 dealer brochure, DeSoto made one final, rambling plea:
"For 1961, DeSoto proudly presents a fine new car. It is a car rich in traditional DeSoto quality, fresh in the way it looks and performs. It puts into your hands the most all-around value in its price class. The 1961 DeSoto is not a former middle priced car scaled down in any way to attract the mass of low priced car buyers. Nor is it for those who are willing to pay a premium for a status symbol. Rather, the 1961 DeSoto has been deliberately designed for a particular kind of person who appreciates the additional roominess, the distinctive refinements and the reassuring "feel" of an automobile in DeSoto's class. It offers all these things, in superior measure, at a price you will find surprisingly low. Surely, the 1961 DeSoto has much to offer you. In this brochure, you will find some of the reasons you should look into this new car. Your Plymouth-DeSoto dealer will show you many more."
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| 1961 DeSoto 2-door hardtop |
After 32 years, DeSoto production came to a halt November 30, 1960. Dealers were notified by telegram.
Some people still wanted DeSotos.
In New Jersey, nine DeSoto dealers, angered by DeSoto's sudden cancellation, filed suit against Chrysler Corporation for breach of the Direct Dealer Agreement and malicious interference with a business relationship. Years later, the DeSoto dealers won their case.
1960 DeSoto Fireflite Four Door Sedan
1960 DeSoto Adventurer Two Door Hardtop Coupe
1960 DeSoto Adventurer Two Door Hardtop Coupe
"The Car You Will Either Own or Envy" claimed the above advertisement for the beautiful 1960 DeSoto Adventurer Two Door Hardtop. In 1960, Chrysler adopted a new unibody construction and so did DeSoto. The Adventurer was equipped with a eight cylinder engines rated at 305 and 330 horsepower.
1960 DeSoto Adventurer Four Door Hardtop
This 1960 DeSoto Adventurer four door Hardtop was priced at $3,727.00. The highest priced DeSoto for 1960. The Fireflite Four Door Sedan was the lowest at $3,017.00. Engine performance was down on the 1960 DeSoto's but the Fins were still flying high.
The 1961 DeSoto
The Last DeSoto
1961 was the swan song year for DeSoto. In fact, most production was completed by December 1960 and only 3034 DeSotos were built in 1961.The DeSoto was officially a fallen angel
1961 DeSoto Two Door Hardtop
Additional text and images via American Automobiles
Had there been a 1962 DeSoto,
it's probable it would have looked something like this.
Image via Allpar.com
By September 1959, DeSoto had finalized its styling
for the never-to-be 1962 DeSoto S-series line.
This is one of two final DeSoto S-series mockups shows
a relatively subtle "chicken-wing" rear fender.
What lies beneath...
Filling the Gap
With DeSoto gone, Dodge moved up a notch to fill the vacuum. The thing was, all Dodge models for 1962 were mid-sized or compacts - no full-sized cars! The hastily contrived Dodge Custom 880 - a 1962 Chrysler Newport from the cowl back and a 1961Dodge Polara from the cowl forward - became the car to fill the DeSoto's niche. It did the very job well and was in production through the 1965 model run.
Elwood Engel started his new position as Chrysler's Vice President of Design in November of 1961. And, after his first order of business – to pronounce that the 1963 models were commercially viable – he had to deal with the crisis brewing with Dodge.
The only full sized model available was the 122 inch wheelbase Chrysler Newport, and so the product planners devised a plan to use the 1961 Dodge Polara front clip, mated with the 1962 Newport. So, a test mule was constructed, finished in Black.
It has been said that Engel was in the Styling Showroom with the Mule, and a hodgepodge of emblems, medallions, moldings, nameplates, and bezels. There were stylists who taped each and every piece to the car to see how it blended in with the overall vehicle.
Front louvers, originally on the 1961 New Yorker were used in place of the Polara script on the front fender. A Dodge script badge borrowed from the 1962 Dart was added to the rear fenders, and Dodge block lettering was used on the hood and trunk lid. The 61 Hood was modified as was the grill but the end result was, it still "looked" the same.
The 880 was ready to go into production with the tooling bill for essentially a DeSoto replacement coming in at low $400,000. The Chrysler interior was left intact - another money saver - as were the tail lamps. Production began on January 22, 1962. During the first (abreviated) model year, Dodge sold over 17,000 Custom 880s in Coupe, Convertible, Sedan and Station Wagon forms. For 1966, the 880 was replaced by the Dodge Monaco.
Text and Images via Hooniverse
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