single frame: DeSoto

21 comments on single frame: DeSoto
1 minute
Carmel Artomobilia 2017

DeSoto
Pentax ME, 50mm f/2 SMC Pentax-M
Fujicolor 100
2017

DeSoto seems like such an odd name for an automobile. But until it went defunct in the early 1960s, I’m sure it seemed as normal as Chevrolet.


Comments

21 responses to “single frame: DeSoto”

  1. Dan Cluley Avatar
    Dan Cluley

    Nice shot. I believe that the two headlights & Dodge style fenders make this a 1957 Firesweep.

    I also think your initial feeling is correct. DeSoto is an odd name for a car. Off hand the only other car I can think of that was named after an explorer is Cadillac, and he was the founder of Detroit.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I do love to shoot cars. And Chrysler styling had it going on in the late 50s!

  2. J P Cavanaugh Avatar

    In follow up to Dan, I can also think of the LaSalle as another car named for an explorer. Chrysler introduced DeSoto the year after GM introduced the LaSalle, so I wonder if the early explorer theme was hot at the time.

    DeSoto was also one of the few cars named for a Spaniard at a time when English and French names seemed to predominate.

    And is it just me, or is Oldsmobile knocking on the door of the Odd Name For A Car club?

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      When I learned about Ransom Olds, suddenly the name made sense. So I dunno!

    2. Dan Cluley Avatar
      Dan Cluley

      I knew somebody would come up with more. GM also briefly had Marquette, but again he had Michigan connections.

      Buick & Studebaker don’t really roll off the tongue either.

      It’s hard to believe that nobody named Smith or Jones ever started a car company.

  3. Reinhold Graf Avatar

    Your pics of cars are wonderful.
    I still have to learn with mine and focus more on the details.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I do love my old cars. I’ve shot hundreds of them and with practice came some level of skill.

  4. Reinhold Graf Avatar

    Hm, Old(s)mobile … indeed odd. Oh, … and another odd car name seems to be DeLorean ;)

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Another car named after it’s maker: John Z. DeLorean!

  5. Mike Connealy Avatar

    That’s inspiring work with the Pentax ME. I’m hoping to get some more pictures from mine shortly.

    My parents bought a new ’56 DeSoto wagon when I was sixteen, so I spent a lot of time driving it. The main thing about it I remember is the push-button gear shifter. Otherwise, it seemed pretty unexciting for a sixteen-year-old.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I imagine the DeSoto did not inspire excitement for most of its run. Not until The Forward Look anyway!

  6. DougD Avatar
    DougD

    Love those late fifties Mopars. I looked for your reflection in the chrome but don’t see you, a well set up shot that you hid the photographer.

    My Dad’s first car was a 1938 DeSoto, so the name has always seemed normal to me. I would love to find one.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      They are beautiful cars to be sure!

  7. Andy Umbo Avatar
    Andy Umbo

    DeSoto always reminds me of this McCall illustration: DeSoto discovering the Mississippi:

    https://i.pinimg.com/736x/18/b1/0a/18b10a2f9e6418b0a6e5755a6fc77a6e–mississippi-magnets.jpg

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I heard of the automobile long before I ever knew of the man. So when I hear “DeSoto discovers the Mississippi” I imagine a car parked at the banks!

  8. Dave Jenkins Avatar

    Buick was founded by David Dunbar Buick and was the original division of General Motors. Chevrolet was founded by Louis Chevrolet, a noted race driver who competed in the Indianapolis 500 four times, and William Durant, Chevrolet became part of General Motors sometime after 1915. The Oldsmobile, as mentioned, was invented by Ransom E. Olds, as was the REO truck. The Pontiac was named after Chief Pontiac of the Ottawas.

    Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle was the French explorer who first traveled down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the territory for France and giving it the name “Louisiana,” for King Louis XIV of France. This was the territory the U.S. acquired from France in 1803 as the Louisiana Purchase.

    We had a LaSalle, a 1934 model, I think, in the late 1940s. It was a very luxurious car for its time, but well-used when we got it.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Thank you for sharing that historical knowledge!

  9. jon campo Avatar
    jon campo

    Very nice picture Jim. I’ve noticed folks really respond to your car photos. You do seem to have a talent for it.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Thanks Jon! Yes, people do seem to respond. Makes me want to shoot more cars!!

  10. Heide Avatar
    Heide

    Wonderful photo, Jim — you really have a knack for bringing out the most beautiful angles in old cars! Just as you have a knack for making me reconsider the world in new ways. I expect I’ll spend my evening commute thinking about strange product names. Thank you for that. :)

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Oh, why thank you! I really do love photographing cars. Maybe this year I should make it a focus to go to more car shows.

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