DeSoto Suburban
Encyclopedia
The DeSoto Suburban is an automobile
produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto
automotive brand from 1946 through the 1954 model year. The Suburban was a continuation of DeSoto's long-wheelbase models, first introduced in 1946.
While in production, the Suburban was available under the DeSoto Deluxe
, Custom
and Powermaster
model designations.
The Suburban differed from other DeSotos in that the four-door sedan rode a 139.5 in (3,543 mm) wheelbase, creating a car that was capable of carrying eight passengers as shipped from the factory. The car accomplished this eight-passenger capacity through the use of factory-installed jump seats. Suburbans were powered by Chrysler's inline six-cylinder engine, which delivered sufficient power to move the factory-complete car; at nearly two tons, the vehicle mated to this engine was capable of cruising speeds, but not jack-rabbit starts.
Most Suburbans were shipped with an optional rooftop luggage rack. With no station wagon in its line-up, the Suburban was at once a car for consumers who needed a large-capacity automobile, and a car almost ready-built for the taxi cab industry.
The Suburban also formed the base car for DeSoto's Custom Limousine model, an automobile seldom built on speculation, but more realistically upon customer orders. DeSoto dropped its limo build-outs at the end of the 1949 model year, finding it cheaper to sell and ship the cars to third-party vendors for customization.
Despite its popularity with taxi firms, DeSoto being the second most popular manufacturer to the industry leader Checker
, Chrysler's planned 1955 restyle and the spin-off of Chrysler's Imperial
into its own distinct series spelled the end of the long-wheelbase Suburban at the end of the 1954 model year.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto
DeSoto (automobile)
The DeSoto was a brand of automobile based in the United States, manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961. The DeSoto logo featured a stylized image of Hernando de Soto...
automotive brand from 1946 through the 1954 model year. The Suburban was a continuation of DeSoto's long-wheelbase models, first introduced in 1946.
While in production, the Suburban was available under the DeSoto Deluxe
DeSoto Deluxe
The DeSoto Deluxe is an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto brand from 1946 through to the 1952 model year. While in production, the Deluxe was DeSoto's entry-level car, and was offered primarily as two and four-door sedans. The Deluxe range also included...
, Custom
DeSoto Custom
The DeSoto Custom is an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto automotive brand from 1946 until the 1952 model year...
and Powermaster
DeSoto Powermaster
The DeSoto Powermaster was an automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation for sale through its DeSoto division during model years 1952 to 1954...
model designations.
The Suburban differed from other DeSotos in that the four-door sedan rode a 139.5 in (3,543 mm) wheelbase, creating a car that was capable of carrying eight passengers as shipped from the factory. The car accomplished this eight-passenger capacity through the use of factory-installed jump seats. Suburbans were powered by Chrysler's inline six-cylinder engine, which delivered sufficient power to move the factory-complete car; at nearly two tons, the vehicle mated to this engine was capable of cruising speeds, but not jack-rabbit starts.
Most Suburbans were shipped with an optional rooftop luggage rack. With no station wagon in its line-up, the Suburban was at once a car for consumers who needed a large-capacity automobile, and a car almost ready-built for the taxi cab industry.
The Suburban also formed the base car for DeSoto's Custom Limousine model, an automobile seldom built on speculation, but more realistically upon customer orders. DeSoto dropped its limo build-outs at the end of the 1949 model year, finding it cheaper to sell and ship the cars to third-party vendors for customization.
Despite its popularity with taxi firms, DeSoto being the second most popular manufacturer to the industry leader Checker
Checker Motors Corporation
Checker Motors Corporation was a Kalamazoo, Michigan based vehicle manufacturer and tier-one subcontractor that manufactured taxicabs used by Checker Taxi...
, Chrysler's planned 1955 restyle and the spin-off of Chrysler's Imperial
Imperial (automobile)
Imperial was the Chrysler Corporation's luxury automobile brand between 1955 and 1975, with a brief reappearance in 1981 to 1983.The Imperial name had been used since 1926, but was never a separate make, just the top-of-the-line Chrysler. In 1955, the company decided to spin it off as its own make...
into its own distinct series spelled the end of the long-wheelbase Suburban at the end of the 1954 model year.