The year was 1949 in America. The 50s decade was just a year away. TV was still something of an anomaly. Mostly stations in New York City. It would change, of course. TV sets, with the rooftop antennas attached to an electric motor, with a wire running down to that box on top of the set you could turn the antenna to get the best signal. Names like Zenith, RCA, Admiral. All forgotten now.
And so is the Desoto. It was created in 1928 by Walter Chrysler. The marque lasted until 1961. Chrysler was always in third place versus No. 2 and No. 1 General Motors, which, during the late 1950s into the 1960s controlled over 50 percent of the American vehicle market.
Was there ever anything special about a Desoto what would compel a collector to pay millions of dollars for a restored example.
Nah!
In 1949 it was just another overdone heap of Detroit steel thanks to still cheap steel and lots and lots of chrome plating.
There is nothing particularly interesting about the design of the 1949 Desoto. In that year, all the Big 3 were producing cars with what I would characterize as having a massive look. Imagine how much the front lid of the hood weighed with all that thickly made, but nonetheless, still cheap steel. It took some "oomph" to raise it until you somehow take one arm and hand to put the hooked rod into the notch.
I like to post images of convertibles. There is something about a convertible that expresses style and pizzaz. Living large. Wanting to be seen.
This image of a 1949 Desoto convertible, in about as red as it comes, foretells the 50s decade of styling excess in American automobiles. The chrome bumper and the shark's teeth grill, which, if anything, appeared truly menacing. Along the side, that strip of chrome meant to imply a sense of power and speed. The 1949 Desoto was nothing but. Plus a few more chromed decorations near the rear wheel well.
Above all else, the total body design implied a sense of massiveness. We won the war. We were on top. We could afford excess. And later on, even more excess.
