1929 Desoto 6 Cyl. '6-Wheel Equipped' Sedan (RHD)

Description

Named after the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who discovered the Mississippi River in 1541, Chrysler introduced the De Soto marque in the middle of 1928 as a 1929 model and it proved phenomenally successful, eclipsing the previous first year sales records of Graham-Paige, Pontiac and Chrysler. In fact total production of the Series K in 1929 exceeded 80,000 cars and from an initial signing of more than 500 dealers, the network grew rapidly to exceed 1,500 by the end of the first year. Sharing many components with the Plymouth, the 1929 De Soto was a conventional car in many ways, with a sturdy six-cylinder motor of 175-cid under the hood, developing 55 hp at 3000 rpm and driving through a three-speed gearbox, enough to endow the De Soto with lively performance. Braking was via a Lockheed hydraulic system and the De Soto rode on artillery-spoke wheels, with wires an optional extra. Standard equipment included Delco-Remy ignition, Lovejoy shock absorbers and rubber-mounted motor suspension. Seven different body styles were catalogued, raning from a two/four-passenger roadster through to a five-passenger sedan and all were priced below $1,000. Unsurprisingly the stock market crash and subsequent Depression somewhat dampened the public's initial enthusiasm and sales plummeted over the next few years but De Soto managed to soldier on as a separate line until 1960. The De Soto was distributed in Victoria through local agents Automobiles Pty Ltd of Flinders Street and the sedan had a list price of £364 in 1929, being billed as ?Distintly Original? in promotional literature.