Previously sitting the top-of-the-line the Fireflite had been bumped by the Adventurer. However, the Fireflite was certainly still a high-appointment car as you can see with this ‘Color Sweep’ two-tone Steel Gray and Pearl White two-door Sportsman.
Not many were made at the time as DeSoto we clearly in trouble and 1958 saw a serious economic downturn in the US so it was hard for everyone, not least the automobile industry. It’s no wonder that you don’t see many of these beautiful cars today.
This particular Fireflite has clearly been looked after its whole life and has traveled just 52,431 miles since it was built and has the historic paperwork to prove it!
At the rear was one of Desoto’s most distinctive styling features, the stacked taillights. The huge fins not only look great but help with stability at higher speeds.
Inside, Fiteflites used a Damask cloth and leather-like vinyl combination with aluminum finish incorporated into the door panels above the armrests. This particular car was redone back in 1985.
Under the hood sits the 361 cubic inch V8 that outputs 305 horsepower and was a new engine for 1958. This is paired with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission – both were standard on the Fireflite.
Options on this car include; power windows, power brakes, power steering and six-way power seat costing the original owner $106, $42, $106 and $101 respectively.
A Fireflite, 2-door Sportsman started at $3,675 during the 1958 model year and Desoto managed to sell 3,284 of them.
This 1958 DeSoto Fireflite is currently for sale on eBay. (follow the link for lots more photos)