DeSoto Adventurer
The DeSoto Adventurer was a passenger car manufactured by Chrysler under the DeSoto brand from 1956 to 1960. During this time, the Adventurer was the brand's top model. In 1956 it was only offered as a hardtop coupé, in 1957 a convertible was added, in 1960 a four-door hardtop model and a sedan.
1956
In the 1956 model year, the Adventurer was a sub-series of the top-of-the-line Fireflite and was only offered in small numbers in three-color white / black / gold. The first Adventurer had a high-performance V8 engine, double exhaust pipes and the best equipment. The standard equipment included two exterior mirrors, gold-colored hubcaps, radio, electric clock, padded dashboard, windscreen washer and reinforced chassis. A total of 996 pieces were made in the first year of production.
1957
In 1957 the Adventurer got Chrysler's " Forward Look Design" like other models of the brand. In addition to the hardtop coupe, a convertible was offered and the only color combination was still white / black / gold. The car was introduced in December 1956, especially the editor of Mechanix Illustrated , Tom McCahill , boasted DeSoto that bestgestylten cars of the Chrysler Group for 1957 to produce.
As was the 1956 model had the Adventurer 1957 Chrysler high-performance V8 engine, which is now 65 cm 3 had more capacity and 345 bhp (254 kW) made. The engine, equipped with two quadruple carburetors, had 1 bhp per cu.in. (= 1 bhp per 16.08 cm 3 ). This year 1,950 units were produced.
1958
The 1958 model was a revision of the new styling introduced in 1957. In addition to the annual changes in equipment, the car received a new grille with a mesh insert. The new cars were introduced at the Chicago Auto Show in January 1958. DeSoto offered injection carburetors (from Bendix ). The cars without fuel injection continued to have double quadruple carburetors. The shortened model year, together with the 1958 recession , dropped sales to 432 units, 62% less than 1957. But at DeSoto, overall sales were in free fall and all series in the model range clearly missed their sales targets.
1959
The DeSotos, which had been redesigned for 1959, looked increasingly similar to the more expensive Chrysler. Also in this model year there was only one three-color paint job for the Adventurer and it was again the best equipped DeSoto. It was also still powered by the V8 engine with 6,161 cm 3 , which developed 350 bhp (257 kW) at a speed of 5000 rpm. 687 units were made in 1959, more than in 1958, but nowhere near enough to offset the 40% lower sales of the other DeSoto models.
1960
In the last year of production there was no longer a convertible, but a 4-door hardtop sedan. Instead of a limited special model of the top series, the Adventurer was now just this top series of the DeSoto range, which now only consists of two model series. The ram-air system (increase of the suction pressure by the airstream; thus a (small) increase in performance) was reintroduced for the models with four-way carburettors. 1960 was also the only year the Adventurer was available in colors other than the traditional three-color combination. Of the entire series, 11,597 copies were made in this best year.
At the same time, however, rumors surfaced that Chrysler wanted to discontinue the brand, and so prospective buyers bought cars from other brands. The similarity of the DeSoto models to the Chrysler models also hurt the brand, as it drove customers to Chrysler, where they got the almost identical-looking Windsor , where they did not have to fear that they would soon find themselves with a car of a no longer manufactured brand .
In the last year of DeSoto, 1961, only one model series with two types of body was offered. Chrysler announced the closure of DeSoto in November 1960; the production was kept up until the prefabricated DeSoto logos were installed.
source
Gunnell, John (editor): The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975 , Kraus Publications (1987), ISBN 0-87341-096-3 .