DeSoto Firedome (1955) – Enthusiast Wanted

DeSoto was a brand of the Chrysler Corporation. In fact, DeSoto was Chrysler’s budget brand and thus the answer to Pontiac and Studebaker, who were also fishing the pond of the American middle class. The Firedome came on the market in 1952 and lasted until 1959. It was available in four body styles: coupe, four-door sedan and station wagon and two-door convertible. From 1955 there is a 4.8-litre V8 under the hood, 300 cc more than in previous model years. The result is 185 horsepower. As a customer you had the choice between two types of gearboxes: a manual three-speed gearbox or a two-speed (!) automatic.

The test of time. Literally.

This copy has such an automatic transmission, which means that you will only feel a break in the endless gears while accelerating. So make sure to sit down and relax. Unfortunately, sitting in this car is not really a party anymore. The driver’s seat seems to have been completely eaten away by the ravages of time. Or by a colony of guinea pigs, because the tattered interior of this Firedome seems to have had more of the function of a kind of snack bar. According to the seller there are only 18,157 kilometers on the clock. And yes, the odometer shows 11,282 miles. It should be noted that the counter only has five digits and can therefore already have gone round several times. Given the condition of the car, it is also not inconceivable that it has been rotting in a shed for a long time, which could possibly explain the low mileage.

In short, work to be done. The seller says that the engine should be able to run ‘with a little help’. The outside of this DeSoto looks relatively neat, apart from the state of the paint and a hole under the trunk lid. Most of the work goes into the interior, although you never know what you will encounter under the skin of this type of classic. The do-it-yourselfer can possibly have a unique car for just under €8,000. Would you dare to take the job?