1953 Desoto Club Coupe Black And Tan Editorial Photo

The DeSoto brand was marketed by Chrysler between 1928 and 1961. It was named after the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and the products were pitched against the mid-class offerings of General Motors, Studebaker and Willys-Knight. The Firedome model was introduced in 1952 and for 1953 replaced the Custom as the brand's top-of-the-range model. It was available in Saloon, Station Wagon, Convertible and Coupe guises and powered by a 4525cc (276ci) Hemi V8 engine that drove through a four-speed automatic gearbox. The engine's output of 160bhp was sufficient to launch the Firedome to 60mph in 15.5 seconds and on to 100mph. Prices in period started at $2,740 and some 64,211 examples were produced during 1953.