Welcome to 1960s Cars – Chrysler DeSoto
Chrysler did not start the Sixties in very good shape. Their compact model Valiant didn’t do well against GM’s or Ford’s offerings and even AMC with the Rambler managed to get ahead of Chrysler. One of the victims of this lack luster performance was DeSoto. With only big cars to offer sales, which had been falling for two years, suddenly plummeted. Even though in ’61 a token attempt was made 1960 was the last real model year for the DeSoto. Dropped from the line and forgotten much like Ford’s Edsel.
1960 DeSoto Adventurer
The line was reduced to just two models,
the Fireflite and the Adventurer (shown)
both were little more than retrimmed Chrysler Windsors
they kept the fins and the boomerang tail lights which were uniquely DeSoto
DeSoto instrument panel
1961 DeSoto
Only 3034 of these 1961’s were built
the slim niche that DeSoto had enjoyed evaporated with the new decade
in late 1960 Chrysler decided that it was too expensive to continue building them.
Had Chrysler itself been on firmer financial ground DeSoto might have survived
