What a pair! Now THOSE are some fins I can relate to! ____________
Although the only Mopar car I have owned in my entire life is my current 1960 DeSoto Adventurer, the fascination of these beautiful cars designed by famed auto designer Raymond Lowey in the fifties, has been with me since my early childhood.
Throughout the fifties and into the early sixties, my aunt Annette Kompir was a billing clerk at Ray Rixman Dodge in Baden. Whenever a birthday or Christmas came around, I could always count on my aunt Annette to deliver a brand new Mopar car in 1/25 scale. The dealer ‘promos’ as they are called, came in a wide variety of body styles and colors.
Chrysler products were made by Jo-Han Models and while competitor AMT Models had full interiors by the mid fifties, the Mopars by Jo-Han came with frosted plastic windows and no interiors. But that didn’t matter to me. I couldn’t wait to see which one my aunt had chosen as my present. And to a car nut like me, no $20.00 sweater could match the thrill of that little $2.00 car.
__________________________________________________________Tri-Power Trivia questions: 1. What was the name given to the style created by Virgil Exner for the Chrysler Corporation cars of the mid fifties? 2. What was the range of years that were included in this period? 3. Firesweep was the entry level trim line (of four) for 1957. Can you name the three other models above the Firesweep? Answers at end of story.____________________________________________________
This past Easter Sunday, at the HCCM Concours de’Elegance, for the second year in a row, a Chrysler product won the FIN MAN fave award at the popular Easter Show. Last year it was a 1960 Dodge 2-door hardtop. This year, Scott Brandt and his associates at MotoeXotica Classic Cars, brought three cars to the show. The one that immediately caught my eye was the 1957 DeSoto Firesweep coupe shown on this page– all decked out in Black and Fiesta Red, a stunning two-tone color combination which was very popular on many brands during the mid fifties.
The roomy, 6-passenger, 2-door pillarless hardtop is powered by a 325 cubic inch V-8 with a two-barrel Carter carburetor and a horsepower rating of 245. A mere 13,333 models like this were produced… and to me, that’s one of the attractive things about this car. Not to disrespect the beloved ‘57 Chevy, but it’s a rare event that doesn’t have a handful of the icons on display? When was the last time you saw a ‘57 DeSoto? I rest my case. Chevy outsold DeSoto by a margin of more than 12:1, stamping out 166,426 BelAir coupes for the model year.
Above: Note, this is a page from the 1958 DeSoto sales brochure. Notice the similarities of the ‘57 and '58 models. Both share the same tailight bezel and lenses, roofline, fenders, doors, etc. There are three ways for dedicated fifties car spotters to tell the difference. Up front, the '57s had single headlamps and the '58s had quads. From the sides, the '57 models had a 'sweepspear’ that turned down at the back. The '58s, as seen above, turned upward. And finally, from the rear view, the '58 bumper exhaust ports had a 'dimple’ on the top edge. Personally, I liked the upswept sweepspear of the '58s (like the ones shown above), but preferred the '57 exhaust ports. But that’s just me, being anal.
DON’T MISS the upcoming auction of collectible vehicles including muscle cars, motorcycles, luxury cars, sports cars, classics and street rods, at MotoeXotica in Fenton, Missouri on Friday and Saturday, May 31-June 1. Over 300 cars are expected to cross the block during the two day event which also includes auto memorobilia. This one is a ‘don’t miss event’ for The FIN MAN,and you can be sure I, along with a TKCS Volunteer or two, will be spending some time there during the two day event. And honey, remember the ‘57 DeSoto shown here, will be going across the auction block. And well, you know… Father’s Day is just around the corner! ;-)
Also visit www.motoexotica.com for a complete description of this magnificent Mopar along with 63 photos of the car, top-to-bottom, front-to-back and inside-out. Call Scott Brandt at 636-600-4600for more information on the auction or the car… and please be sure to tell him The FIN MAN sent you! Thanks for reading the Old Car Column.
Tri-Power Trivia answers: 1. The Forward Look. 2. 1955-1961. 3. Firedome, Fireflite and Adventurer.
A huge turnout of participants and spectators, plus great weather, combined to make this year’s HCCM Concours d'Elegance one of the best in recent years. At the show with me was TKCS participating volunteer Lou Hernandez. Halfway through the show, I presented Lou with a Outstanding Achievement Award for his participation in 23 events between October, 2011 and October 2012!
The following list is of the 23 events which Lou attended from October, 2011 to October, 2012.
10-02-11Cadillac LaSalle Club Faust Park, St. Louis County
10-15-11Gary’s Automotive Florissant, Missouri
10-22-11Show Me Car Club Burger King, Oakville, Missouri
01-22-12St. Louis Auto Show St. Louis, Missouri
02-04-12Farm & Toy Show Maryland Heights, Missouri
04-08-12Easter Concours Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri
04-15-12Ranken Technical College St. Louis, Missouri
04-20-12Moon Club National Meet St. Louis, Missouri
04-22-12Gateway C. C. Spring Fling Fairmont City, Illinois
05-06-12Valley of Flowers Parade Florissant, Missouri
05-19-12Ranken Jordan Car Show Maryland Heights, Missouri
05-28-12Cobblestone Nationals St. Charles, Missouri
06-16-12MotoExotica Auction Fenton, Missouri
07-08-12Catsup Bottle Festival Collinsville, Illinois
07-28-12Chuck-A-Burger Cruise St. John, Missouri
07-29-12All FORD Show McDonnell Park, St. Louis Co., MO
08-11-12Fun FORD Weekend Gateway Motorsports Park, Madison, IL
08-19-12Edwardsville D.A.R.E. show Edwardsville, Illinois
08-25-12All FORD Nationals Vandalia, Illinois
09-21-12Outsiders Car Club Cruise Sonic Drive-In, Kirkwood
09-22-12Show Me Car Club Cruise Burger King, Oakville, MO
09-30-12Florissant Elks Club Car Show Florissant, Missouri
10-07-12Cadillac LaSalle Club Faust Park, St. Louis County