[FWDLK] Fw: This week in Auto History
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[FWDLK] Fw: This week in Auto History



 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 8:20 AM
Subject: This week in Auto History


This week in automotive history
Chrysler's DeSoto, named after Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, was a hit even before the first model was built in the summer of 1928. When Walter P. Chrysler announced that his Chrysler Corporation intended to build a mid-priced vehicle boasting six-cylinders, dealerships signed on immediately, and in the first 12 months of production, the DeSoto set a sales record that stood for 30 years. The innovative designs of the DeSotos of the 1930s were as daring as their namesake ... 1934 saw the introduction of America's first affordable automobile with aerodynamic styling, and the 1937 DeSoto was hailed for its safety innovations. The large and gracious 1940 DeSoto was advertised as "America's Family Car," and the American family agreed, giving DeSoto its best sales in the first few years after World War II. During the 1950s, the DeSoto became adventurous again, and the 1955 DeSoto featured power styling to match its powerful engine. By 1956, DeSoto was 11th in the industry. In 1958, DeSoto's designers introduced their most flamboyant cars ever, the Firesweeps, Firedomes, and Fireflites, but the public failed to embrace these new models, and all but the Fireflite was dropped in 1959. On Nov. 20, 1960, Chrysler announced the termination of the DeSoto marque.

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