DeSoto Powermaster

The DeSoto Powermaster was an automobile built by DeSoto during model years 1952 to 1954. The car debuted during DeSoto's 25th anniversary, taking the place of the entry-level DeSoto Deluxe.[1][2]

DeSoto Powermaster
1953 DeSoto Powermaster Six Four-Door Sedan
Overview
ManufacturerDeSoto (Chrysler)
Production1952-1954
AssemblyWindsor, Ontario, Canada
Los Angeles (Maywood) Assembly
Wyoming Road Assembly
Body and chassis
Body style2-door coupe
4-door sedan
LayoutFR layout
RelatedDeSoto Suburban
Dodge Meadowbrook
Plymouth Cranbrook
Powertrain
Engine251 cu in (4.1 L) DeSoto I6
265 cu in (4.3 L) DeSoto I6
Dimensions
Wheelbase139.5 in (3,543 mm)
Chronology
PredecessorDeSoto Series S-10
SuccessorDeSoto Firedome

The Powermaster was a full-size car, offered in pillared two and four-door sedan and station wagon models, and powered by Chrysler's 251 cu in (4.1 L) DeSoto I6 engine. For both of its years in production, the Powermaster was available as an eight-passenger sedan through the use of jump seats, called the DeSoto Suburban. The Powermaster was also built on a longer wheelbase (139.5 in (3,543 mm)) than regular six-passenger DeSotos (125.5 in (3,188 mm)). A version of the long wheelbase model was used as a basis for the DeSoto Taxi, seen in many Hollywood movies from the late 1930s through the mid-1950s.[1]

The cars also featured a curved windshield, replacing the two piece windshield used on previous models. Passenger compartment heater, electric clock, power brakes, power steering and white sidewall tires were all available as options.

Powermasters built early in the 1953 model year had minimal chrome trim due to Korean War demands; more trim was added as defense demands decreased.

Chrysler of Canada built the DeSoto Powermaster in both 4-door sedan and 2-door hardtop body styles, the latter not offered in the United States. The Canadian DeSoto Powermaster also used Chrysler's 265 cu in (4.3 L) flathead I6, an engine that first appeared in the 1952 Chrysler Windsor.

The Powermaster was dropped at the beginning of the 1955 model year, when DeSoto transitioned all of its automotive models to DeSoto Firedome V8 engines.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to De Soto Powermaster.
  1. Flory, J. "Kelly" Jr. (2008). American Cars, 1946 to 1959; Every Model, Year by Year. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-3229-5.
  2. Gunnell, John, ed. (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Kraus Publications. ISBN 0-87341-096-3.


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