DESOTO IS STAR OF BARRETT-JACKSON
DeSoto’s premier flagship Adventurer model was introduced in 1956, but the Adventurer was not just adventurous in terms of where it would take you, but also in its design. Penned by the great Virgil Exner, Chrysler Corporation’s head stylist at the time, the Adventurer would go on to highlight American car styling to the extreme. The 1959 model year would be the apex of Exner’s Forward Look design language. It was a rolling sculpture, a daring assortment of swooping lines and big fins. It was perfect for the Fifties and perfect for the jet age and was built for the ‘super-highway’, it was a flagship car for – as Chrysler put it – “kings, potentates and maharajas” and one of these very special vehicles will be going under the hammer at the 2021 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction.
Offered with no reserve at the auction, now rescheduled to March, this DeSoto Adventurer convertible is one of just 97 built in 1959. This classic boulevard cruiser was affectionately named Alan as a nod to founding member of the International DeSoto Club, Alan Ralston. Meticulously restored, the Adventurer’s interior is lavish with accessories, including Chrysler’s patented Sports Swivel Seats, a tri-tone interior with gold sparkle trim, Trinidad black and gold flaked carpet and multi-coloured speedometer. Additional accessories include a padded dash, signal-seeking radio with foot control, rear view MirrorMatic dimmer, power windows, power convertible top and tinted glass.
The car offers as much go as show, for beneath that beautiful hood is a 350bhp V8 motor, topped with dual-quad carbs, the 383cu in V8 Wedge engine features a dual-point distributor and dual exhausts. The transmission is a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic ’box which is operated by push-button controls on the dash. Additionally, the Adventurer features Torsion-Aire suspension for supreme handling and comfort. DeSoto described the Adventurer’s suspension as “engineered to handle like a thoroughbred and built to ride as softly as passing summer clouds”.
The DeSoto Adventurers were distinguished in the line-up with special colour schemes only available in black or white. This example is painted in a rich black finish, beautifully accentuated by the gold-stamped aluminium side sweep, anodised gold radiator grilles and rear quarter-panel emblems. The car rides on chromed and golden turbine-style wheel covers wrapped in whitewall tyres.
For more information or to bid, go to www. Barrett-Jackson.com