One-Owner Barn Find! 1951 DeSoto Custom
American car makers began slicing and dicing the market into socio-economic niches back in the 1920s. Over at Chrysler, Walter P. was late to the trend, as Ford and Chevrolet already had low-, middle- and high-end offerings. The brand-new DeSoto was a key player in that landscape. Creating DeSoto was a bold move since Chrysler already had a lot on its plate: he was about to introduce the Plymouth brand in the low end, his Maxwell division was dying, Dodge was on the block – and Walter P desperately wanted to buy Dodge. In this tumult, the new car was built quickly, on a Plymouth platform but with a sportier six-cylinder motor and upscale trim. The market responded, and DeSoto was off and running. Today’s example represents the first post-war refreshment of the nameplate and a countertrend to Harley Earl’s longer/wider designs at General Motors: the new DeSoto was narrower and sleeker than its predecessor with a prominent, toothy grille.
Along with a mild sheet-metal refresh, the ’51 DeSoto received a larger engine at 251 cu. in. Still a flathead six-cylinder, output was up to 112 hp. The transmission is a three-speed manual, though an innovative semi-automatic was also available. Chrysler also introduced the Oriflow tubed shock absorber in 1951 – considered a revolution in ride quality. This one’s odometer reads less than 20,000 miles, and the car has been parked since the 1980s, most likely near its current Clarks, Nebraska location.
Given its decades-long storage, this DeSoto’s interior has held up very well, from the plaid upholstery to the sleek headliner. Perhaps mice do not like living in Nebraska. The Custom offered buyers a heater, dual sun visors, and a wider variety of color and fabric choices than the Deluxe. More noticeably, all ’51s had to make do with minimal trim both inside and out thanks to materials shortages brought on by the Korean War. A few parts can be seen lurking in the trunk.
T.J. found this DeSoto for us here on facebook Marketplace. Two prices are listed – a rather difficult-to-swallow $20k buried in the verbiage of the listing, and then $12,500 in the ad’s banner. I’ll believe the $12,500, and even at that, despite the low mileage, one owner, dry storage, and fairly decent cosmetics, I think this DeSoto will be a tough sell. Running, driving Customs can be had for mid-teens to mid-20s. But maybe this little car resonates with someone just as it is, price and all; what do you think?
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Comments
Great writeup Michelle! I love the post-war Mopars up through ’48, but these stodgy/poofy iterations just aren’t sexy in the least.
Here’s where Howard’s theory of undesirability actually applies! Good luck getting that 20K for this car.
Agree Rex. ’48-;52 is stylistic dead zone or Mopar, Makes you wonder how Chrysler sold any cars at all, Dodge Wayfarer fastback one of their cheapest offerings was the only glimmer. Funny weren’t 3 window coupes cheapest in most line ups in the ’30s? Yet they are considered some of the best looking and most desirable today. Still agree with you this is a stylistic doggie. Saddly compare it with a ’38 Desoto with its exquisite art deco nose..
Still for sale?listed price or OBO?I’m in eastern, Pa. Do you know of any reliable transporters?
Crickets on this one. A shame, say 30 years ago, a car like this was a hot item, maybe a grand as is, and 6 months worth of tinkering got it to the point you could actually drive it to a car show, and would be welcomed with open arms. I suppose it’s pretty well known by now, I just don’t see any attraction whatsoever here and certainly the seller has a clouded view as to what this may be worth. While riding high on Groucho Marxs approval, the show ran from 1950 to 1961, I think the 1952 DeSoto with all new power steering, was the 1st car he pitched. Since nobody today knows what a DeSoto was or who Groucho Marx was for that matter, the only way this will be sellable is with that LS motor and clown wheels.
Comment on PS made me laugh.I have a 1957 DeSoto salesman’s book that says the all new PS kept customers from having a heart attack.
It almost gave heart attacks while new owners were acclimating to it. Full time power, and turned so easy and fast, folk ran over curbs.
I learned how to drive in a 56 DeSoto three on the tree and it was not pitched by the great Groucho Marx use to watch his show on TV black and white 10 inch screen
HoA- Spot on . 1500 tops. Though I love the period correct seat covers. Probably original. They dont make them in China! Crazy what people think their cars are worth. Whats the equivqlent of 1500 today? Five grand? And I like De Soto though I never liked those engines
It would be hard to get $12,500 even if it was cleaned up and running. The market is quickly moving away from cars of this era without a strong following, especially 4 doors. There aren’t enough dedicated followers of early-50’s 4 door Desotos to justify the price. This will need to be a value purchase for someone looking for and older car to take to shows, the problem is there are way too many turn key cars, from the 1950’s through the 1980’s available in better condition for significantly less money.
There are a lot of people that are predicting an outright crash in the classic car market, this car and others like it are the poster children of that crash, not the traditional “muscle car”, which have had dedicated followers for decades.
Steve R
Agree with your assessment Steve R. This will probably end up as a nostalgia purchase for someone who grew up in one of these. Otherwise little interest, including from me who grew up in this era. $2 – 3k car.
Very well said.
I agree, and it saddens me. It makes me wish they could all be preserved in some sort of museum of antiquity like the cars we’ve seen and learned from all the way back to the 1800s. People should at least have a chance to look back on our early engineering and ingenuity and admire what was done.
Just another guy with a really bad case of Barrett Jackson Syndrome. I
like the car but I wouldn’t pay him what he’s asking for it. Though they were stodgy and out of step, De Sotos
were solid, reliable cars that gave their owners more than their moneys
worth. This one won’t take long to
revive as Chrysler cars of this era were very simple to repair and maintain. All ya’ gotta do is remember to hand choke it while you
turn the engine over– that is AFTER
you see if the engine turns by hand and you shoot a gallon of Marvel’s
Mystery Oil down the cylinder bored
to free up the pistons and several cans of Gum out for the carb. Motor
locked up? No problem! Not everything needs a Chevy engine. A
good running 318 and 727 Torqueflite
would fill the bill just fine. You’re gonna have to figure out how to reinstall the E brake though as on this car Other than that, it’s a straightforward swap
My first DeSoto experience was with parents friends 50 DeSoto Carryall 🤔? It had a fold down rear seat, allowing greater capacity for loading. Did any other Chrysler products have this feature? And the DeSoto hood ornament (like Pontiac Indian head) lit up when lights were on. The high profile can be attributed to K. T. Keller (then head of Chrysler) who insisted a man should be able to wear his hat while driving. By the 55s Exners Million Dollar Look took DeSoto in a better direction, while retaining its traditional Front Teeth grille. My parents traded our 50 Nash AMBASSADOR for a 55 Firedome. Loved both ❤. For 56,DeSoto lost the front teeth and began a new ADVENTURER moving into the FORWARD LOOK until Chrysler pulled the plug with a total of 3,200 61s. To the point, this poor survivor could be resurrected with MUCH time, effort and money. But as stated in another post, the price is Almost as high as the 57-61 fins.
Yes, one was written up couple years back.
https://barnfinds.com/hidden-surprise-1950-desoto-deluxe-carry-all/
Agree with you and everyone here-a tough sell, but as you’ve all said time and again there’s a butt for every seat. Just takes a little contouring sometimes..
GLWTS
I get it, the asking price is high. However, this looks like a solid vehicle which could be up and running without too much effort. And the interior looks very nice for a 73 year old car!
I too agree that the ask is double what the market would bear, but it’s quite the time capsule…a wash and some proper pictures in the daylight, along with removing the aftermarket seat covers would definitely help with the presentation.
Because it’s a DeSoto and it’s as old as I am; I’m compelled to comment. For whatever strange reasons; I am in the bag for DeSotos. So I clicked on this without hesitation. When I saw the asking price I thought it was a typo. Like one too many zeros. If it was able to drive safely and didn’t really need anything much more than some tweaking; it might be worth $5,000 tops. At least to me. But that isn’t the case here. And while l’m being snarky, I suspect that this car has spent some significant time exposed to the elements and not sleeping in the shed that it presently occupies. One clue; check out the picture showing the front driver side tire. That thing has been in the mud. Maybe I’m wrong but I would advise checking the frame with a screwdriver. As I always say: a seller can ask for any amount that they want. Getting it is a whole other matter. Provided that the underside checks out and the engine turns over; you might have a viable project here. These old flat heads are remarkably resilient. Another plus is that this car looks relatively complete. So realistically to me, I’m seeing $2-3K here. But you better be hands on and willing to live with the existing cosmetic conditions to keep from quickly becoming upside down money wise. To be honest, all of this armchair analysis by me is really just one old guy’s bantering on a rainy Friday morning. Realistically I am not going to be taking on any more car projects and neither are most of my old car guy friends. There’s no denying that the desirability of cars like these is waning. People like me who are interested in them are getting thin on the ground. Go to any car show and see how many of these late forties early fifties relics you find in attendance. I’m usually about the only one who brings something like this to the field in the shows I participate in or at cars and coffee anymore. Like Howard maintains; the majority of folks under fifty wouldn’t even know how to shift one of these. I really believe that in the next decade the market will be saturated with vehicles of this era as people like me age out of the hobby. Our progeny doesn’t want them except in isolated instances. So who’s going to buy them? Maybe I’m being too pessimistic and I hope I am. But I think that even the highly sought after collector cars aren’t far from peaking in price and demand. If you go to shows where the attendance is mostly under forty; you’ll see what they fancy. And it ain’t a 1951 DeSoto four door sedan with a slug six and three on the tree. Not a Tri-Five or a muscle car either.
Carbob…your comment speaks the truth. Those old domestic cars, and us old people too, are on the way out. Sad but true. I love my 1940 Plymouth and 1980 Datsun 280ZX. Both are in good running condition. My grand kids who are 20 and 26 couldn’t care less for either car. When I asked them which one they would want when I finally quit driving, their response was..”don’t worry Pops, you can keep them”. Guess they will remain in my garage waiting on me to just come and sit in them from time to time while I reminisce about the good times we had together.
Hopefully you’re still driving them for many more years to come, Azzura. Young folks today don’t know what they’re missing, lol.
I agree with the above comments. Forget about restoring it – get it running, clean it up, and use it to take the grandkids out for ice cream. That’s what I would use it for, but how many of us are out there who are willing and/or able to spend money on a nostalgia project with little to no hope of recouping our investment in the future?
not that kind of money for a 4 door
And, there are much more recent, and actually driveable, cars for far less money. My ’93 Allante cost $3000, I had to put $2500 into it, brakes, radiator, some hoses, throttle body, all but the trottle standard Caddy issue, so for $5000, more or less, I have a modern, 80 mph all day, convertible, with an airbag for the driver, only one little spot of rust in one rear fender, ripped “bonded leather” in driver’s seat, but new covers are avaible, and, it is a toy but not a trailer queen, none of my kids, or grandkids, want it, so they have instructions to list it here, if I suddenly depart. Which I almost did on Saturday. Thanks to Medicare,so I do not have to worry about exhorbinant medical costs (saw 6 docs, a dozen nurses, or more, two hospitals, one helicopter flight all in the space of 16 hours) and great medical people, here I am!
We’re glad you’re still here with us, Charlie. Here’s to many more years enjoying your Caddy and all life’s pleasures.
Glad to hear you made it through, Charlie!
“The transmission is a three-speed manual, though an innovative semi-automatic was also available.”
Nope. This one has the “innovative semi-automatic” as it was standard on Customs and you can also tell by the small “Safety Clutch” pedal. “Tip Toe hydraulic shift with gyrol Fluid Drive” per the brochure. The manual was standard on the De Luxe trim level.
I’d say $5k tops for this car and even that may be optimistic. Get one a year newer and you could at least have a 160 hp hemi V8. Now if it were a ’42 with hidden headlights or an Exner-styled Forward Look fin car it would be a different story. But these are just meh.
I’m old enough to remember De Sotos on the road but there were never many of them. Neighbors in the ’60s had a ’53 Firedome and there was a ’58 Fireflite Sportsman around town that was a stunner. Mostly, though, you just never saw them.
I don’t know — maybe it’s just me — but I remember LOTS of DeSotos on the roads, particularly the 1946-1954 models. This one is sweet — I like the four doors — but, parked for decades and not running, they are out in space on the price! About $2,500, tops.
For me I like the vinyl plaid seat covers. Every car had them, As a kid I liked that because when I would ride in a car with mohair seats and short pants it would make my legs itchy. Wonder if they are reproduced.
Might be a nice project for a young car guy for $800.00.
My first car in 1960 was like this one. Same color and all except the upholstery. The upholstery in mine was kind of a mix between velour and burlap. The fluid drive, 3-on-the-tree transmission was fun to drive, but took getting used to. This was, without a doubt, the roomiest car I ever owned. A dream car for dating. The $75 I paid for it seems like an exceptional deal, now, as compared the the $12,500 asked for this in BF.
Crazy price for a non running 4 door, maybe for a 2 Dr hardtop version, but not this. $3500-$4500 tops. And that if she turns over. If it has a safety clutch it’s definitely a semi automatic. I have a 1948 Chrysler that’s a fluid drive, and there is a learning curve involved in driving them.
I was thinking the same thing about those ugly seat covers. There’s a good chance there’s some great looking upholstery under those covers.
Dang. What’s wrong with me. I like those seats!
I once saw an older 1949 Ford with those ugly plastic, plaid seat covers, and underneath were the originals that were still in pristine condition. Hopefully, this is the case with this one.
I like it, but then again I like most every old fifties car. This was the kind of car that the well off middle income families drove. I delivered newspapers in the late fifties and some of my customers drove Desoto’s like this. If this car was cleaned up and polished and had a set of new whitewall tires it would look very classy, and the seat covers would get attention at a cruise in. If I had the energy I would enjoy getting this car running so I could experience that fluid drive. We had several fifties Plymouths but never a Mopar with that “innovative semi-automatic.”.