34K-Mile Barn Find: 1950 DeSoto Suburban
This 1950 DeSoto Suburban Custom eight-passenger sedan has been hidden away in a barn for longer than I’ve been alive, which is saying something because I’m old. This one has been hiding away for six decades which is pretty amazing. The seller has this huge car listed here on eBay in Apple Valley, California and there is a single bid of $7,000.
The opening photo is the only one showing the whole car which is disappointing but it is a nineteen-foot-long car and most people use their smartphones to take photos these days which may or may not have wide-angle capabilities. The seller says that this car was parked in a barn in 1961 and only very recently taken out, so that’s sixty years. The tires look as if they could be originals, and they sure look like bias-ply tires to me. Whitewalls and full chrome wheel covers were optional as was two-tone paint. The roof rack is fantastic, in fact, this whole car is really enticing but it’s a huge project because of its size.
Having been parked in a barn for sixty years also means that it has only seen eleven years of street use which explains how it only has an ultra-low 34,705 miles on it. My first thought when I hear of a vehicle named Suburban is, of course, the Chevrolet Suburban but I also think of my favorite Suburban, the Plymouth Suburban which is a two-door station wagon made during this same time period from the late-1940s to the early-1950s. The DeSoto Suburban was made from 1946 to 1954, basically from post-WWII, through the Korean War, and shortly thereafter. Many of you may remember that Tom Bosley’s character on Happy Days, Howard Cunningham, drove a car like this Suburban and Fonzie modified it into a fire-breathing engine for a drag race in one legendary episode.
Other than a few dings and dents on the exterior, I don’t see anything too alarming about the exterior of this DeSoto. The interior looks good, too, aside from a cracked steering wheel that’s crying out for a leather cover. Or better yet, a perfect replacement. The interior is huge as you’d expect in an eight-passenger or was that a nine-passenger car, depending on which source a person believes.
With a 139.5″ wheelbase, this car could carry either eight or nine passengers in relative comfort. The front seat appears to have been reupholstered at some point, or maybe it’s just been cleaned? The two back seating areas look original to me. Not being a station wagon but a long sedan, this one has a trunk and it looks good back there, too. This car would clean up very nicely and polishing that paint would be a fun project.
Suicide doors, another outstanding feature. Sadly, there are no engine photos (I know) but this one came with one engine choice, a Chrysler 236.7 (no more rounding up or down for me) cubic-inch L-head inline-six with 112 horsepower. The seller hasn’t tried to turn it over but I would bet that it’ll start without too much trouble. This is one incredible survivor car, all or mostly original and Howard Cunningham-approved! Any thoughts on this sweet Suburban?
Comments
Ken C, it’s time to get the band back together again. Great find Scotty, have a great New Year!
It’s the perfect band car! Happy New Year, Mike!
Funny you should say that Mike!
My new GF suggested the same
thing. She came to Old Man Frank’s to hear me sing before
Christmas and we’ve been together since then. And yes I
owned one of these albeit for a
short time. Mine was a 2-tone
green with a taupe interior. Had
it a couple of months before
selling it to someone who just
had to have it. That’s when I bought my ’50 Packard limo.
Great to hear from you Mike!
Happy New Year to all!
Arthur Cunningham
Howard is correct Arthur is Fonzi’s name
The front end has jack stands under it not sure why maybe a tire loses air fairly quick
Oops lol. Yup, you are correct. My bad!
Ya gotta wonder why old Howard would choose a car like this, basically an airport limo, with only two kids (Chuck doesn’t count, he was gone after a couple of episodes).
Haul hardware?
I don’t think Howard’s car was an eight passenger. Just a regular Desoto sedan.
John, according to everything that I’ve seen about it online, it was a 1948 DeSoto Suburban Custom, exactly like this one but two years older and a different color. So, a Suburban 8-9-passenger sedan.
When did Fonzie modify Mr. C’s ride? Was it before or after he jumped the shark?
Scotty, as someone who was born in the Fifties, anyone born in the Sixties is still a pup. 😉
Definitely one of the earlier episodes. Fonzie jumped the shark during the later part of the 70s.
Jeez, I was born in 1950. Does that make me the oldest one here? (and the fact that I was 4 when this car was built REALLY depresses me!)
Sorry Steve, I’m a 1947 baby, but I’m in Oz, so maybe I don’t qualify for the oldest.lol. Cheers
Made me think of Bobby Fleet and his band with a beat driving into MayBerry…eventhough its the wrong car.
Lyft approved!
Same here, Sam61!
https://barnfinds.com/mayberry-special-1947-cadillac-airport-limo/
Since the car has been in Apple Valley since 1961, which has an extremely dry climate, rust should not be a problem.
(BTW, I love the old California license plate.)
Still wondering why no engine photos . Looks to me to be sitting a little high in the front. Perhaps there may be a few accessories missing( radiator, manifold; etc . We know they are not in the trunk or backseat. ) Once again we see the obligatory wooden block by the front tire. Seller might want to take a few more photos and/or confirm engine situation. GLWTA
Frank I agree that there’s something funny about the way the front end sits up high. This is one car that a prospective buyer would have to see in person.
There are jack stands under the front end.
Would I like to have this one?You betcha! Unfortunately it won’t fit in my garage even if I could get the wife to let me use her side. I had a 1950 sedan from 1986 to 1996. I loved that old car. Sold it and my 1955 DeSoto Coronado to buy a 1972 Corvette. Quite a change! I have no doubt that if that old Mopar flathead is complete that I could get it running in an afternoon. Not so sure about the Fluid Drive transmission working but you never know. BTW Steve I am older than this car as well but you have me beat by a year. Happy New Year to all. I’m looking forward to seeing what finds await.
Steve Clinton, since I was born in 1936 looks like I have you beat! By the way, look at the wear of the floor mat by the accelerator and brake. Seems to represent lots more than the stated miles. Maybe 100K more? Average annual mileage back then was 10K, so depending on how this was owned/used, 134K miles isn’t an unreasonable guess.
I was born in the 30’s, too. About the whitewalls… my memory suggests that the shown width was not yet produced in 1950. I’m thinking later. So my guess is that those tires are not original.
Drop in a 426ci hemi, and watch Mr. C. fly.
0 to 60 I think you would have to time with a calendar. But this is a really neat car.
(and solid) I believe this body style was also used by some NYC taxi companies. The fluid drive must have been a big break for the cab drivers, just leave it in 2nd and not have to use the clutch very often. And yeah I think Mr. C’s was the older body style, ’46 to ’48.
‘ Thought I would be the “old guy” reporting in. I too was born in the ‘30s – but just barely – 11/27/1939. Age 82, going on 50. I learned to drive in my dad’s ’51 Mercury. To me, you guys born in the 1950s are just kids – and I’m VERY envious! Right now, it’s the cars and the working on them that’s keeping me going. Viva la old car hobby! Growing up, we knew a family who owned, in succession, two ‘30s Airflows, and then a ’48 DeSoto Suburban, wrecking each one in turn. Beautiful cars, although the ’48 was a different body style than this one. I remember polished wood door cards and leather upholstery. These cars had fold-down jump seats in between the front and rear seats.
Strictly speaking, that flathead displaces 236.6501 cubic inches.
Round away – let the nitpickers have their fun!
Ended:Jan 04, 2022 , 9:22AM
Current bid:
US $7,200.00
Reserve not met
[ 3 bids ] Not that it matters, I would have taken the cabbage.
Thanks, Mike!
There is at least 134k miles on this vehicle, and it’s possible it’s gone around a second time and it’s 234,000 miles. If this was stored inside and not exposed to the sunlight, that plastic steering wheel should still be complete. The drover’s floor area shows wear in the carpet near the gas pedal. The wear is all the way thru to the jute padding. The clutch and brake pedals are terribly worn, indicating very high mileage.
Very few Suburbans were sold to private individuals [typically large families]. Most Suburbans, especially ones equipped with roof racks, were sold to hotels and resorts, and used to pick up clients and visitors at airports and train stations. The wear and tear on the interior of this car suggests it was used on a regular basis for carrying passengers and luggage.
That said, I would love to own this car, but due to my age I’m getting rid of cars, not buying more. It’s worth putting money and time into it, but not if you have to buy it for $7k. A non-running car that has sat for 60 years and has 134,000 miles [or more], is going to need everything gone thru.