1958 Desoto Firedome

In 1957, DeSoto introduced the Firesweep to take the Firedome’s place as the entry level model for the brand, while the Firedome moved back up to mid-level. A new engine was made available for the 1958 model year, a 361-cu in. 5.9L V8 that made roughly 300 horsepower. Chrysler offered the Firedome in 26 different solid colors and 190 different two-tone variations. The Firedome was well received, but ultimately, the Firedome was not enough to save the brand. It is understood that over 100,000 Firedomes were built during the car’s short production run.

This Firedome was painted a bright, pastel orange and features a white roof and side stripes. The paint is in good shape, there are some scuffs and chips which will be pointed out, but there are no waves or areas with immense damage. There are a handful of scuffs located on the driver’s front quarter panel, a chip in the paint behind the driver’s door, two chips on the passenger side rear quarter panel, and there is bubbling occurring at the bottom of both rear quarter panels. Glass around the car is clean and free of chips or cracks, and chrome around the car is straight and free of wrinkles. The underside of the grille could use a polishing but nothing else about it raises alarm. It appears that the original quad-exhausts are no longer functional. A rear shot of the vehicle exposes a side exit pipe on each side of the car behind the rear wheels. All badging for the car is present and in good condition, and the hubcaps appear to be clean as well. Overall, this Firedome has a clean exterior with minimal damage correction necessary.

The door panels and seats inside this Firedome have been done in a two-tone, off-white leather and cloth orange houndstooth pattern. The dash appears to be bare metal and the dash pad done with light gray leather. Overall, condition inside is nice, but there are some obvious imperfections as well. Starting off with the good, the gray headliner and both sunshades hang tightly in place, the black carpets lay perfectly flat in their respective positions, and the metal dashboard is clean. All the various switches and gauges mounted up front are clean and easily readable as well. Onto the ugly, the gray dash pad appears to be coming loose on the passenger side of the car by the door, and the orange houndstooth cloth is fraying and coming undone at the edges, particularly up front. Happily, the off-white leather shows no holes or tears, but both benches and just about every door panel has at least one scuff or discoloration to clean up. This could likely be taken care of with a regular deep cleaning.

We are happy to report that the undercarriage of this Firedome harbors no major damage. The frame and floorboard look solid, the suspension components are tidy, and the exhaust shows discoloration that is commensurate with the age of the car. Under the hood, things are roughly the same. The engine bay is cleaner just by nature of location, but everything besides a battery is present and nothing looks majorly damaged.

Based on the documents available to us, we believe the seller took ownership of this vehicle sometime in March of 2019. Three years isn’t a very long time, but it’s clear to us that the seller took a fair amount of care to ensure that this vehicle was preserved nicely.

The Firedome is just one of a number of brilliantly styled American vehicles from DeSoto. Loaded with features, a powerful engine, and gorgeous styling, the Firedome was destined to reach a larger audience. Unfortunately, poor organization by the Chrysler Company forced all their brands to fight one another for market share, and DeSoto was forced to close its doors far too soon. Today’s example trades a mostly clean exterior for a bumpier interior, but nothing comes remotely close to needing major repairs. This leaves us feeling confident that this Firedome will have few issues hitting its $10,000 - $20,000 estimate.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BIDDERS

It should be noted that this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

We have not started or driven the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.

Please note that the title for this vehicle is in transit.