DeSoto Archives – Automotive American

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Like any full-size SUV on the market today, this 1946 De Soto Custom Suburban for sale on Hemmings.com is big. Big enough for three rows of seats. Big enough to hold all sorts of stuff. Big enough to make any trip comfortable. Big enough to require calling ahead to the next zip code to see if it’s okay to change lanes

Unlike any full-size SUV on the market today, it does not have the four-wheel drive necessary for venturing out in half an inch of snow to hoard all the milk and bread from the grocery store.

Nor does it have a massive V-8 that allows one to set the cruise control at 85 and road rage at the people whose bumpers one rides up on. Make of that what you will.Like any full-size SUV on the market today, it’s far from a barebones workhorse. Wood accents, chrome, leather.

That dashboard is a thing of beauty.

Unlike any full-size SUV on the market today, no gadgets other than a radio and clock and that spot lamp. Less to go wrong, but also less to keep the kids entertained on long trips.

Read on

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Gotta love the Airflows

Seller’s Description: 1 of 6,269 SG-Series Sedans Produced for 1935
Complete Frame Off Restoration Finished in 2011
Formerly of the Binder DeSoto Collection
Finished in Yellow over Brown Interior
242 CI / 100 hp L-Head Six Cylinder Engine
3-Speed Synchromesh Manual Transmission
Lockheed Hydraulic Drum Brakes
Rear Fender Skirts
Color Matched Disc Wheels
Whitewall Tires

More info from Wikipedia

The DeSoto Airflow was an automobile built by DeSoto during model years 1934, 1935 and 1936. DeSoto received the then-revolutionary Airflow model due to its price structure relationship to larger and more expensive Chrysler brand cars.^[1] The 1934 Airflow models are noted for their unique styling. They generate interest for their engineering innovations.^[2] It has a 115.5 in (2,934 mm) wheelbase.^[3]

The Desoto Airflow was a result of Chrysler Corporation policy of badge engineering, being mostly similar to the Chrysler Airflow.

Airflow streamlining

This aerodynamic, radically designed car debuted to much fanfare alongside its more luxurious stablemate, the Chrysler Airflow. From the front bumper back, the Airflow’s design represented the first major attempt to smooth away the wind catching objects and channels found on cars of the era. Headlights were moved from their traditional pods forward of the radiator, and housed in flush mountings on either side of the broad waterfall-styled grille, which lacked the traditional upright radiator throat and decorative cap ornament. In place of the flat windshield that most cars had (and which caught the brunt of on coming winds as cars moved through the atmosphere), the Airflow split the windshield into two panes of glass, each angled to better redirect the air around them. Front and rear fenders received smoother, more form fitting curves. In the rear, Airflows encased the rear wheels through the use of fender skirts.1934 DeSoto Airflow coupe

In addition to the benefits of its smoother exterior design, which translated into a quieter passenger compartment than on previous DeSoto models, the car featured wider front seats and deeper back seats with more leg room.^[1] Passengers sat on seats which were a good distance from either axle. They reminded one of a Victorian era davenport (sofa).^[4]

Because of the car’s unibody construction, passengers rode within the frame of the car, not on top of the frame as they did with most other American makes. It also boasted a stiffer body and better weight distribution through the engine placement over the front wheels, in contrast to the common practice of placing the center of the engine’s gravity just behind the front wheels. The automotive press gave the cars positive reviews for their handling and acceleration.