Parked 30 Years and Revived: This 1961 DeSoto Marked the End of an Era

Although US sales of Fargo trucks were discontinued in the 1930s, the division remained active overseas until 1978. Plymouth survived much longer than that, entering the history books in 2001. DeSoto was the short-lived division, discontinued in 1961 after only 33 years on the market.

A lesser-known Chrysler brand, DeSoto was created to compete with automakers like Pontiac, Hudson, Studebaker, and Willys in the mid-price class. Initially positioned above Plymouth and below Dodge, DeSoto was moved above the latter in 1933. The division gained access to Chrysler's streamlined Airflow bodies and eventually built one of America's first production models with hidden headlamps in 1942.

DeSoto was a successful brand until the 1958 economic downturn hurt sales of mid-priced automobiles. Sales dropped by a whopping 60% compared to the previous year and continued to slide in 1959. Rumors that Chrysler would discontinue DeSoto were confirmed in late 1960. The 1961 model year was the division's final appearance in showrooms.

The company dropped all series designations that year, with its cars simply called 1961 DeSoto. The lineup included only two-door and four-door hardtop models. Production started in August and came to a halt in late November. Records show that only 3,034 vehicles were assembled, making the 1961 DeSoto the rarest of the bunch. The four-door you see here is one of those rigs.

One of only 2,023 four-door hardtops produced for 1961, this DeSoto spent a whopping 30 years in storage. That's enough to turn a steel classic into a rust bucket. Late DeSotos are also a more common sight in junkyards than on public roads. But this one got lucky and found its way into a Mopar lover's collection.

Tom from Rocket Restorations found the DeSoto at an estate sale in Montana and brought it back home alongside a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. Jamie of Dead Dodge Garage immediately stepped in to work on the car, and the sedan is running and driving again. It's obviously far from road-worthy, but like most classics handled by these wonderful Mopar nuts, the DeSoto will eventually become a solid classic.

The sedan appears to have received a repaint before it went into storage, but it's pretty much all-original apart from that. It has only 60,000 miles (96,561 km) on the odometer, it's rust-free (at first glance), and it still relies on the original powerplant.

The 1961 DeSoto was available with only one engine, a 361-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) V8. The mill was rated at 265 horsepower and 370 pound-feet (502 Nm) of torque when new. Transmission options included a three-speed manual and a three-speed Torqueflite automatic.

It's unclear how many 1961 DeSotos are still around, but they rarely pop up for sale. This also makes it difficult to estimate their market value, but the few examples that crossed the block over the last decade barely exceeded the $10,000 mark.

But while they may be cheap and undesirable, the 1961 DeSotos are definitely worth saving for their last-of-a-breed status. Much more so when they're not plagued by rust or missing key components, like this four-door hardtop.