SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE: Discover This 1959 DeSoto Adventurer Convertible at the Scottsdale Auction
December 4, 2020
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by Eric Becker
Fabulous fifties style: This 1959 DeSoto Adventurer Convertible will be selling with No Reserve at the 2021 Scottsdale Auction.
Launched by Walter P. Chrysler in 1928, DeSoto was a brand predicated on offering the American public a stylish and affordable automobile. The name was inspired by images of romanticized exploration and adventure intrinsic in American folklore. Chrysler named the company DeSoto after Hernando de Soto, the 16th-century Spanish explorer who was the first European to discover and cross the mighty Mississippi River. To Chrysler, the spirit of adventure associated with the name De Soto was irresistible, reinforcing the idea of freedom and the open road resonant in Americana and helping personify the automobile as a propellant of the next great American adventure.
It was justifiably fitting, then, that DeSoto’s premiere flagship model would be earn the name “Adventurer.” Introduced in 1956, the Adventurer was not just adventurous in terms of where it would take you, but also in its design. Penned by the great Virgil Exner, Chrysler Corporation’s head stylist at the time, the Adventurer would go on to highlight American car styling to the extreme. The 1959 model year would be the apex of Exner’s “Forward Look” design language. It was rolling mechanical style, a daring assortment of swooping lines and big fins. Perfect for the 1950s, perfect for the jet age. It was built for the “super-highway,” a flagship for (as Chrysler put it) “kings, potentates and maharajas.” And come the 2021 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, it can be yours.
Offered with No Reserve, this DeSoto Adventurer convertible is one of just 97 built new in 1959. The classic boulevard cruiser was affectionately named “Alan” as a nod to founding member of the International DeSoto Club, Alan Ralston. Meticulously restored, the Adventurer’s interior is lavish with accessories, including Chrysler’s patented Sports Swivel Seats, a tri-tone interior with gold sparkle trim, Trinidad black and gold flaked carpet, and multi-colored speedometer. Additional accessories include a padded dash, search-tune radio with foot control, rearview MirrorMatic dimmer, power windows, power convertible top, tinted glass and more, much more. Indeed, this ’59 DeSoto is certainly lavish enough for any king, potentate or maharaja.
The car offers as much go as show, for beneath the beautifully creased and ornamented hood is the 350hp power plant. Topped with dual-quad carburetion, the 383ci V8 Wedge engine features a dual-point distributer and exhales through dual exhaust. Power is routed through a TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission fitted with the much-lauded push-button controls. Additionally, the Adventurer features Torsion-Aire suspension for supreme handling and comfort. DeSoto went so far as refer to the Adventurer’s suspension as “engineered to handle like a thoroughbred and built to ride as softly as passing summer clouds.”
The DeSoto Adventurers were distinguished among their rivals with special color schemes only available in black or white. This example opted for a rich black finish beautifully accentuated by the gold-stamped aluminum side sweep, anodized gold radiator grilles and rear quarter-panel emblems. The car rides on chromed and golden turbine-style wheel covers wrapped in whitewall tires. The brilliance of this classic needs to be seen to be believed; no wonder it earned the nickname “Golden Adventurer” in the period.
The finned beauty is ready to hit the road once again, beginning an all-new adventure with one lucky bidder at the helm.