6 Responses to “How DeSoto won the West in 1957”

  1. Allee Willis

    I’m partial to DeSotos, still owning my 1955 black, white and aquamarine hemi engine Fireflyte. It doesn’t have the massive wings of its two-year younger sister pictured here but it’s still sharp as a tack. I went wild for the colors when I bought it and it’s like driving a living room on wheels with its matching black, white and aquamarine interior.

    Back in the day I remember DeSoto being advertised as more of a middle-class family car then something a cowboy would tool out to the range in so this ad seems to be reaching out to a whole new class of customer, which makes sense as the company tanked after ’61.

    Love the Desoto station wagon although it’s sad they couldn’t incorporate more of the massive fins seeing as they stuck with the triple taillights embedded inside of them. The 1958 Cadillac sitting in front of it and what looks like the back of the ’56 Caddy in front of that are probably more what I would wander into but, trust me, I’d be happy in any of them.

  2. MyFunCloset

    The 50’s cars were so amazing. Every year had its own personality. We had a white ’57 Chevy with wings, across the street, ’57 flamingo pink Chrysler with wings, another ’57 black & white Ford with cat’s eye light. Aunt & Uncle, a two tone pink and grey DeSoto. Every car screamed “see me”.

    • Allee Willis

      I would have to be hospitalized if I ever came across that two tone pink and grey DeSoto. Everything I owned in the ’50s and ’60s, providing I had a say over it, was pink and gray, still to this day my favorite color combination in the world. Baby pink and light gray. Just like my ’50’s Columbia girls’ bike that I can’t even bear to think about it so sad I don’t still own it.

  3. windupkitty

    Wow, yes, this looks like an off road vehicle that a cowboy should be driving through uncharted territory, for sure……What a beautiful,amazing car though….I can’t understand why car design has taken such a horrific turn since 1973!!!!
    I grew up working on cars like these with my dad, but I guess they mostly fords and chevys,cometo think of it……my great gandfather still had his model t in his garage and he’d actually drive it into town to run errands etc (why buy another car when that one still ran!?)…it was impossible for a kid my size to crank that thing up, but I loved to see it done…
    Allee….post some pics of your baby!!!! My love of classic cars is right up there with my obsession for music and art (classic cars ARE art!)…Anyone been to the Blackhawk Musueum? It’s tiny and out of the way, but it can’t be beat for car worshipping fanatics….The collection is astounding!

    • Allee Willis

      The DeSoto is up on blocks in my storage garage waiting for mommy to fully restore it but I definitely have some old pics that I’ll put up soon on my Kitsch O’ The Day blog. It’s seriously one of the most comfortable cars I’ve ever been in. But I know nothing about cars other than loving what vintage ones look like and spent half of my life sitting on the side of a freeway waiting for a tow truck to come and get me and the DeSoto out of the way. So I vowed that until I had the money to really cherry it out, including completely overhauling everything under the hood and switching from 6V to 12V that it would just look pretty sitting on the blocks and save me all the towing bills and mental heartache. But I dump every dime I make back into my career, not the least of which is the building of this social network, and so the restoration of my DeSoto as well as my 55 Studebaker Commander go farther and farther back on the burner. But let me tell you, to say I’m happy and lookin sharp driving around in those two vehicles is the understatement of the century!

  4. windupkitty

    Oh wow, you have Studebaker too!? Wow, Yeah, I can imagine that it’s not cheap to do what you do..we’re all so lucky to have you doing it too! YOu’re sacrifices don’t go unappreciated..but yeah, it hard to restore old cars too…very expensive, hard to find parts, ya gotta find someone you trust etc etc….I know what you mean about having to let go a bit…I drove our limestone green, 1973 ford f150 with a big camper on the back of it for years…she was a sweetheart and i love her no end…i always knew she would would take a rest at the first stop sign down the block from house,even after being warmed up…she never let me get stuck though…i remember once when i was babysitting, i put the kid down for a nap, popped the hood and took care of a vacuum leak i could hear on the way over…you could fix anything on that truck with duct tape and twist ties! later, my dad “sold” it (for pennies) to a good friend (and a much younger man than he) cause he just got so tired of fixing her and needed something to get to work with that wouldn’t “rest” on the way over! i had been ill for awhile and we weren’t sure how long i’d be around, so it seemed silly to keep her…she went to a really good home, got some restoration and i’m pretty sure i’ll be able to buy her back when the time comes…i love that truck…i miss our 63 chevy nova four door too…she was a sweetheart of a car…now you see them all souped up for drag racing…kinda breaks my heart…..hmmmm….i don’t know much desotos and studebakers….my dad’s talking about retiring in a year….my wheels are turning!…maybe some day i can help you get those girls back on the road! i would love that, but i’d certainly have a good bit to learn first! I bet it’s the best feeling in the world to be behind the wheel of those cars! no reason why you shouldn’t be able to on a regular basis!