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Ken Leonard | all galleries >> Galleries >> Classic Car gallery #1 > 1955 DeSoto Fireflite Coronado Sedan - Click on photo for much more info
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1955 DeSoto Fireflite Coronado Sedan - Click on photo for much more info


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Guest 12-Jan-2011 21:59
The color, by the way is not blue, but Turquoise and was the only color you could get the Coronado in. My dad, who thought the sun rose and set with Walter P. Chrysler and bought a new Desoto every other year from 1955 until 1961, when he was forced to go to the New Yorker, tried to get a Coronado in coral(pink, sable(black) and white and was willing to pay the dealer 300 extra, which was lot of money in 1954 but was unable to get it ordered. He eventually settled for white and sea foam green on his '55 fireflite.
Guest 12-Jan-2011 21:54
at least 25K froma dealer and more likely closer to 50. Very rare in any kind of decent condition and the only one I saw sold at auction in the last ten years was at Auburn four or five years ago. That was not as nice as this one appears tobe and went for 35.
Jim Stodolka 26-Oct-2010 12:57
I also have a 55 coronado and I'm looking at a 54. both need restoration. I've never found anything on the production of the 54 model, does anyone know? Jim
Ken Leonard08-Sep-2008 17:59
For sale ads NOT permitted here.

Ken Leonard
Photographer
Bob Daniels 07-Jul-2007 21:13
In the summer of 1954 my dad bought a new Desoto Coronado V-8. It only came in a light blue and creme color scheme. His was creme top and blue bottom. The interior was white plastic with a blue broadcloth insert. It had power brakes, steering, windows, radio with rear speakers (switch (3 way) was hidden under left side of dash), clock and heater. As i was only 15 then, I wanted daul pipes and gave him the money from my paper route to have them installed. The only way he would put them on. It was a top heavy car as I remember. One day when he and my mother were not home, I took it out for a spin and turned the corner of our block on two wheels. Last time I tried that. I remember that the carburetor (Carter) was water heated. The engine was a silver color that I polished several times since I couldn't drive it legally. I have some black and white photos but none in color. It was his first V-8 and I was really excited about. During the delivery, I irritated the salesman as I noticed he had given dad a 6 cylinder owners manual at first. He thought that kids should stay out the way. It was a big, heavy car that rode soft and with glass packs, it was loud. Needless to say they didn't stay on long. The powerflite tranny was a vast improvement over our 52 Dodge with gyro-matic and a 6 cylinder engine. Chrysler made the color scheme available on their cars that year also and they resembled each other from a distance. Dad kept it until 1962 as a second car. They were great cars in their day. I think the 55 had a better and much lower style
Norm 17-Jun-2007 13:37
I'm looking for a 1956 Desoto Fireflite convertible any help would be appreciated.
Keith 26-Apr-2006 02:32
Help,

I just got a 1955 Desoto Fireflite Cornado from Arizona. I need to learn more about this car and where to get parts. I would appreciate directing me to any websites or chat rooms. Vin of the car is 50350295. The car has been repainted primary color white and spear green. It does appear that the spear was black, and the primary color was grren. It is complete and unrestored but runs and drives well enough to get on a transport. What do I have here?
Thanks,
Keith
mynoonie@yahoo.com
Rick Johnson 16-Apr-2005 07:12
1955 DeSoto Fireflite Coronado Sedan. The "Coronado" was first introduced in mid model year 1954 as a luxurious sedan in the Firedome series. It had special designated Coronado identification badges and trim, and was only available in turquiose and ivory with a plush color coordinated matching interior.

In 1955, the first of the Virgil Exner designed "Forward Look" DeSotos appeared, and DeSoto sales increased from 77,000 to 115,000 units. The new DeSoto featured a "toothy" grille for the last time. This had been a DeSoto styling tradition introduced for the first time in 1941. The '55 was lower than previous models and had the new wrapped windshield that was the latest industry styling trend. There was a new "gullwing" dash. The automatic transmission lever was located on the dash and not on the steering column, as was true of all Chrysler Corporation cars that year. There was a new top of the line Fireflite series that was available with a new color sweep accent option that was the choice of most buyers. DeSotos shared a 126 inch wheelbase with that year's Chrysler and had a 291 cubic inch HEMI rated at 200 horsepower on the top of the line Fireflite series.

In 1955 the "Coronado" sedan returned as a "spring special" offering in the Fireflite series. It was priced at a $100 premium above the $ 2,800 regular price of the Fireflite sedan. It is of special interest because it was one of the first cars in the industry to have a three-tone paint job. It was only available in the turquiose, black, and white paint job as shown in Ken's excellent photograph. The car in Ken's photograph is the finest surviving example of a 1955 Coronado DeSoto I have seen.

DeSoto was first introduced by Chrysler in 1928 and it was a sales success in its first years. When Walter Chrysler decided to add the DeSoto line, it was to bridge the price gap between the low price Plymouth and premium priced Chrysler. He did not know the Dodge Brothers Car Company would become available, but when the opportunity presented itself, Mr. Chrysler bought Dodge Brothers, and that eventually resulted in Dodge and deSoto often competing for the same customer base. Chrysler gradually "repositioned" DeSoto between Dodge and Chrysler, and DeSoto became more and more based on the Chrysler. DeSotos had a reputation as solid dependable durable cars. The Suburban models were a favorite of cab companies in the years immediately following World War II. By the early 1950's Chrysler had slipped from second to third behind GM and Ford. But then, the early Exner years from 1955 through 1957 proved successful for Chrysler, thanks to its styling and engineering advances, and gave Chrysler hope of increasing its market share. These years were likewise good for DeSoto, especially 1956 and 1957. The Desotos were long,low attractive cars with their sweeping fins,triple verticle taillights, and integrated dual exhausts bumpers. In 1957 DeSoto added a new third Firesweep series to their line up based on the Dodge wheelbase and chassis. The senior series Desoto Fireflites and Firedomes remained based on the Chrysler chassis and wheelbase. The new Firesweep series sold well and deSoto had a very succesful 1957 as did all Chrysler cars, including Imperial. But then came the 1958 recession. Also, Chrysler's 1957 unprecidented increased demand for its cars. Strained capacity production resulted in very poor quality control, and unhappy customers turned away from Chrysler in droves.

DeSoto suffered most of all. Sales steadily declined, and very shortly after the 1961 models were introduced, production ceased. DeSoto was a casualty of the recession, people desiring smaller, more economical cars, and failed marketing strategy by Chrysler.
In the end, deSoto lost its market niche and identity to Dodge and Chrysler. In 1961 Chrysler introduced a new lower priced Chrysler called "Newport" that cost virtually the same as DeSoto. Not surprisingly, customers opted for the prestige of the Chrysler nameplate over the virtually identical DeSoto. It's strange and ironic that DeSoto's demise didn't come so much from GM & Ford as it did from competetion from within the ranks at Chrysler.

Today, DeSoto has a devoted following and national car club. It's DeLightful ....It's DeLovely.....It's DeSoto!!!!!!!!!!!!!
paul shay 18-Mar-2003 18:56
Any idea how much this beauty is worth? My grandparents had one just like it.

Thanks,

Paul Shay
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