Charles Phoenix JOYRIDE - 1958 DeSoto Fireflite

1958 DeSoto Fireflite
OPTIMISM IS THE STYLE GUIDE ...
Everything about the divine design of the 1958 DeSoto is the absolute epitome of 1950s automotive styling. The smooth lines, sweeping side styling, and triple tower taillights take it to the outer limits of mid-century motoring. This low-mileage SURIVOR CLASS Fireflite is among the finest examples on the planet. Enjoy the JOYRIDE !!! ..

[@__J_O__]

4 doors with no B pillars really knocks it out of the park. Absolute gem!

[@timr31908]

Those were the days my friend I thought they'd never end the USA was at its peak never again will we ever have anything that good

[@TuckerSP2011]

Beautiful color scheme too. The car just looks towards a bright, optimistic future. I can't believe how good it looks for it's age.

[@jonboy9912]

You talking about the car or Charles? I know!

[@johnmaki3046]

GREAT CAR!

[@LuckysMotorcycles]

See your DeSoto dealer today , and tell them Groucho sent you !

[@johnmaki3046]

GREAT ADVERTISING! GREAT CAR!

[@coldwarmotors]

Hard to believe such nice original examples still exist! Treasures today, but for many years they had little value. Someone really loved this one and kept it inside, even when no one wanted them. Thanks for the drive and close-ups of this fabulous specimen. Must be one of the very best around! Cheers from Canada...

[@UnionPacific1997]

There was actually a time when these went for nothing and were viewed as just another used car.

[@raylocke282]

They would rust out in three winter on salty Canadian winter roads.Push button trans would screw up in one year.All around POS !

[@SnepperStepTV]

a friend of mine just got one of these after hearing about the '48 custom sedan i'm building from the ground up. considering your go at combining two cars, i think you'd appreciate the 1975 approach to a custom restoration that mixes middle 70s homegrown flamboyant muscle cars and superfly chromemobile contemporary cadillacs and lincolns. (and mercurys and chryslers and buicks and oldsmobiles and chevy monte carlos....)

[@frasermcburney270]

BEING 3/4 OF A CENTURY OLD AND GROWING UP IN THE 50s I JUST LOVE YOUR PRESENTATIONS OF THE CARS YIOU SHOW. BRINGS BACK SWEET MEMORIES OF YOUTH.

[@MrMarkOlson]

The cream and sage are a BEAUTIFUL color combination. Gorgeous!

[@gene978]

Nicest example I have seen. If it was 1958 I would have a real tough time picking a car.

[@johnmaki3046]

NEVER a Cadillac, though! I owned two!

[@davidkastin4240]

58 was possibly the best year for styling on all 🇺🇸 cars. This one's breathtaking!

[@cristianabarsuglia629]

I have to agree with you on that (at least for Mopar and Ford). And the DeSotos were at the very pinnacle!

[@bobmckinlay483]

Close 59 was.

[@johnmaki3046]

I DOUBT I could ENDURE another "Charles Phoenix" video, though!

[@derekgaliee4351]

​@@johnmaki3046not nice

[@johnmaki3046]

@@derekgaliee4351 The DeSoto had MORE POWER, BETTER STYLING, AND BETTER BUILD! Not "nice", but TRUE!

[@armedinbama]

That is a breathtaking piece of machinery!

[@cjdesign5700]

Could not be more of a perfect period dream car.

[@tombrown1898]

My grandfather had a 1958 DeSoto Firedome, white with green interior. Lots of memories here!

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Beautiful DeSoto........ 😍👍

[@rustynailmendlesohn8710]

Just a totally gorgeous automobile. My birth year. Wouldn't this be a nice gift LOL. Interior was fabulous, I know :)

[@daveslastchance]

I came across one of these on the road yesterday and followed the driver until he pulled over so I could ask him about the car. It was a 4-door hardtop, just like this one, but in a solid coral color. The driver told me he was just the 2nd owner and the car was all original with only 38,000 miles on it. Push-button auto. trans. 354ci engine. Dual exhaust. Gorgeous. There is nothing like the styling in cars from the late 1950s. And, Chrysler Corp. was certainly at the head of the styling. Each year was exciting to see the new models. Not at all like today when all cars look exactly alike.

[@johnmaki3046]

They DO LOOK ALIKE! They ARE ROLLING PLASTIC "high tech" GARBAGE CANS! OVER-"teched", OVERSOLD, OVER-PRICED CRAP!

[@wildcat64100]

Absolutely gorgeous! The best styled car of the 1950s. A dream car brought to life and preserved! This car leaves me dizzy with delight.

[@johnskinner4826]

Forgot the trunk and engine bay, also underneath shots would be cool! Thanks for the ride Mr. Phoenix!!!

[@matskarlsson3219]

It can´t get better than this! The best of the American cars from the great 1950s.

[@GenXtra65]

One of my earliest “car memories” was staring at those chunky cleated pedals when I sat in between two adults in the front seat because I couldn’t see over the dash! My grand mother’s car had a set of clear green tinted floor mats that lit up in sunlight and that kept me entertained since the adults always talked over the radio! During most summer days, the air would flow well through these cars and they were tolerable, but on the worst days you could see a perspiration stain on the seat when you got out! The 392 hemi would push you into the seat like a roller coaster! Somebody REALLY loved this car because the paint was usually the first cosmetic casualty, no matter how much you Simonized it!

[@orwellknew9112]

You hit the nail on the head. There was so much optimism in those days and you can see it in the automobile design and the wonderful colours that people loved so much.

[@charlesb7019]

Absolutely stunning work of art. Styling perfection.

[@Markybug-Keira-Cody]

Beautiful car! nice to see you back Charles! I KNOW!

[@michaeltaylor1603]

A true "time machine" back to when cars were REALLY special! I can just hear Groucho Marx pitching a sale of one of these. Thanks Charles!

[@steves9905]

jaw dropping...the forward look mopars really knocked it out of the park. you would feel light and effortless in being, in that minty green open-air hardtop...how could you not smile

[@robertd8572]

Mesmerizing! The most beautiful tailfins ever designed, in my opinion!

[@christopherkraft1327]

Wow Charles, this DeSoto is stunning inside & out!!! An original survivor of the fifties, it doesn't get any better than that!!! DeSoto Discovers The Mississippi!!! 👍👍🌲

[@TheDejael]

Gorgeous car! Exner Excellence! Both 1957 and 1958 models are exceptional space age futuristic dream cars!

[@roscoefoofoo]

Absolutely gorgeous. One of the highlights of American design--of anything. Thanks for posting this. Well done!

[@fob1xxl]

These years at Chrysler 1957-1959 were their most popular. They took the fins to a new dramatic level. Unfortunately, when the fad died down, they were slow in moving on. Still a beautiful design. This car is a real find ! TRIVIA: You can still see this car in the closing credits of the old "Leave It To Beaver" TV series when Wally and Beaver are walking home from school.

[@roscoefoofoo]

I think the one ending "Beaver" is actually a '59......

[@jamesfox2579]

I would proudly own AND drive this Car over ANY Car built today!💕

[@jeffreyrwilliams9345]

Magnifique!!!

[@marccherry7409]

Style wise looks superb from every angle inside & out. The sage green & white two tone really does this superb car justice. Love it!

[@asteverino8569]

Thanks Charles! Beautiful original car. 😘😘😘

[@aitechnasus1041]

Absolutely Beautfiul Gorgeous Car That Was Ahead of Its Time .

[@chrisjeffries2322]

That DeSoto is to the Max!

[@falsehero2001]

It's bitter sweet that DeSoto did not survive past 1961. They went out on a high note, as the quintessential mid-century automobile. Better to die a hero then live long enough to become the villain.

[@tholmes2169]

Always a hypothetical but given DeSotos place in the market it would have been interesting if Chrysler green-lighting a DeSoto muscle car to compete against the 442 and GS.

[@Red_Spirit11]

Sadly the Ford Falcon ended Desoto 😢

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

What an INCREDIBLE car!!

[@nightflyer914]

Mr Phoenix you are entertaining and you have beautiful products to show

[@josephconsoli4128]

Spectacular Charles! Your taste in cars never disappoints. The colors, the design in and out - WOW!

[@johnmaki3046]

TASTE in cars...YES!

[@roylcraft]

Make my day! Charles ...I know!

[@ronpanozzo5213]

Keep those cars coming 👍

[@jaelinsmith5207]

Charles, you are always a very Classy about cars

[@ramongonzalez2112]

Simply gorgeous and in seafoam green😃👍

[@jeremymutz4745]

It's a treat to get to see it. I bet it was a treat to drive!

[@philipstreechon4523]

Another fantastic review as only you can do I LOVE IT FOR ALL OF MY VEWING PLEASURE I AM IN LOVE WOOOW

[@eugenepiurkowski5439]

When Dad traded in our 53 DeSoto, as a working class guy, a 58 Plymouth Belvedere Sport Sedan was at the top of our budget. But I never forgot the Fireflite Sportsman four door in the showroom. Red and white. I still think it was the most beautiful car ever. Tried finding one to restore some years ago, but never found anything. So our classic is a 71 Dodge Challenger convertible. Not bad, for a second choice, huh? Thanks for the memories.

[@judygarnet425]

Now that's a car! Love it!!! ❤️

[@rayinpau.s.a.6351]

Charles , You Sir are the center of attention in your videos . We Know !

[@user-er3xl3bv6e]

there will never be cars like this again there will never b prosperity like the golden days of the fifties and sixties. I m so fortunate to have gotten to experience it

[@bradhampton6457]

What a awesome DeSoto. 👍

[@marstondavis]

My dad bought a '57 De Soto. It was a fireflight, too. Fast, smooth and bigger fins than anybody else on the block. Nice going Earl. You were stylin'.

[@nastybastardatlive]

Virgil Exner styled these cars, Harley Earl styled GM cars.

[@dbradley8805]

Omg what a beauty! I always loved these cars, their styling is just amazing!

[@tonydagostino6158]

All my Italian aunts had the same vinyl upholstery covers on their living room furniture in the late '50's. Kids still weren't allowed to sit on them but I suppose we would be allowed to sit in the car

[@johnmaki3046]

DeSoto was the GREAT RIDE in "the era"! I rode in a '57 DeSoto "Fireflite" and OWNED a '58 Cadillac "Series 62"...The DeSoto was FAR SUPERIOR!

[@toddbonin6926]

I get so excited each time I see a new video from you in my feed. This was the best one EVER!!!

[@deanberg4033]

Divine Indeed!

[@gimmesomesugar]

Gorgeous car, love those wide whitewalls!

[@kayeninetwo3585]

Thanks for another awesome car, Charles! I didn't know that Sportsmen versions were no post. I learned something! I'm coming to the opinion that four door hardtops may actually be cooler than two door hardtops! (Just don't tell the street rod guys I said that...they may get angry. 😄)

[@johnskinner4826]

They are cooler for the passenger in my opinion, roomy and less blind spots, maybe not as safe in a rollover though

[@nastybastardatlive]

The 4 door sedan was actually more of a rigid structure, which made it quieter and smoother driving.

[@bear4pozcle]

Charles! I LOVE LOVE LOVE all your car reviews! You are the QUEEN of all cars!!! Keep up the great work!!! ♥

[@_charlesphoenix]

Glad you like them!

[@emjayay]

The Fireflite is the top model, hence the incredibly beautiful door cards.

[@nastybastardatlive]

Second to top model; the Adventurer was top dog.

[@frankmartinez4856]

Charles, you did it again! Another Winner! 😊also love ❤️ the Shirt!! 😮

[@coreyjones1518]

Wow... Just Wow!

[@nightflyer914]

Looks like a friendly suburb you're driving through

[@501rivet]

....and I bought a '58 Edsel four door in 1974 as my hold on 50's era "modern" design, which i still own. Watching this im feeling jilted by my decision ! What a beautiful car. Thanks for sharing.

[@LeSiZmOr]

Stunning. Great find CP!

[@hafizmasoud]

Great Video ... Best Car I have seen

[@kbc163]

Another beauty, Charles. Keep 'em coming! If you could feature a '57 T-bird that would be great. 👍

[@smsstuart]

What a beauty. I believe the color name is *Willow Green*

[@donspinney4595]

I love it when you blow the horn!

[@orionwarren4244]

That one's minty fresh!

[@Caddyboy56]

Great Video ! Glad I checked it out, love those 50's motorcars! Becoming a subscriber allows me to see these beautiful machines (not land yachts) from an era gone by .

[@joeG9100]

Great looking car. My Dad had a 57 and a 60. models 57 was the last of the hemi engine . His 60 had ram induction with dual 4 barrel carbs.They were great. handling cars and also fast. The build quality was horrible new cars had to be fixed many times to get things to work. His 60 DeSoto was so bad they gave him another car.That car was fast and with the torsion bar suspension it handled and rode great.

[@lesgriffiths8523]

Nobody on the planet made cars as beautiful as the Americans did in the 50s...........nobody. Just stunning. Les Griffiths ( Australia)

[@vincentl.9469]

probably more steel used in that car than in the whole of Australia too !

[@kipbrown1549]

Outstanding !!

[@devonvictor3210]

Love it!!!!!

[@tomguyone]

I learned to drive on my father's 1957 Desoto Firedome Sportsman 4 door 'hardtop convertible'. Much the same as the car in this video. Hemi V-8 power, pushbutton auto., pwr. brakes, pwr. steering with finger-tip control. It was 9 years old when I took my driver's test. Had to parallel park that beast!

[@emjayay]

The 1958 Chryslers switched to the new not-hemi wedge head engine that eventually went to 413 and 440 cubic inches, cheaper and lighter than the hemi from the early 50's. Known as the B block engine, modified to the RB and lasting until 1978.

[@Tomatohater64]

Perfect. I'll take it.

[@auntbarbara5576]

Aunt Barbara adores you! 😘

[@davidmann4533]

Fabulous

[@v1-vr-rotatev2-vy_vx31]

Park at 58 Chevy and a 58 Ford next to the DeSoto and the DeSoto looks like it's from the future.

[@LarsDcCase]

That is a gorgeous car. A neighbor of mine had one.

[@dave1956]

Here in Wisconsin these were rotting out, especially above the headlights by the time they were 4 years old. What a shame too. Neat 50’s styling.

[@Al-thecarhistorian]

Stunning sutomobile.

[@powerwagon3731]

Virgil Exner excellence!

[@ampcenter1]

beautiful! this is the one from her dads in bakersfield

[@christophercurry7410]

Very nicely done, Sir.

[@imagrandpa]

Looks really nice.

[@_charlesphoenix]

It was!

[@emjayay]

Even though the trim on Chrysler products was applied to a mostly unsculptured body it was usually done so perfectly you can't argue about it no matter how out there it might have been. It's too bad this one wasn't ordered with factory AC since Chrysler had a very good integrated system by then that could even dehumidify the defroster air, something no one had thought of yet, if you cheated with the controls a bit. On AC cars the defroster vents seen on the top of the dash flipped up to be upper AC vents, so you could just turn it to AC, not flip them up, turn the temp to high and get dehumidified defrosting (but the heat coming out of the lower AC vents, not the heater floor vents). There are companies that put in unobtrusive AC systems in old cars though. Not cheap, but to me to use one as more than a showpiece instead of a normally used car (which to me is the most fun) you really need AC to not be shortchanged compared to a modern car.

[@user-vi2mf2iu3w]

Idk how many times ive seen this video

[@everlybross]

mister Phoenix, is the brand new 58' DeSoto available at my DeSoto dealer yet?

[@cristianabarsuglia629]

This car was designed for comfortable interstellar space travel for up to 6 people.

[@wmason1961]

The plastic seat covers remind me of the ones my grandmas car had. They were a short lived fad.

[@roberthenry9319]

This is a truly beautiful DeSoto. It will be a treasure as a display. And your video of it is marvelous. But please, do not drive this gem except for a slow ride around your block. Keep in mind, this car and others like it are death traps. There are no seatbelts or shoulder straps ( if added, they will "ruin the original look"). The huge rigid steering wheel will crush the driver's chest with a head on crash at 20 miles an hour. The engine will intrude into the front seat with a head-on at 30 mph and into the back seat at 45 mph. The windshield glass and door glass will explode into thousands of razor sharp shards which cut to the bone with both front and side impact. The roof will collapse like a pancake with even a slow rollover. And that rollover can occur with a very sharp turn at 30 mph. The whole car will fold up tight like an accordion with a head-on, and the driver's door will kiss the passenger's door with a "T-bone". It is certainly true that "they don't make 'em like they used to". We can all be very grateful for that. Still, this is a great video and a lovely "blast from the past". That "blast", however, is a deadly one. All in all, thank you for a wonderful video. R. Hanson, M.D., FACEP (Fellow, American College of Emergency Physicians).

[@redirad7732]

WOW! Just add RediRad Model AM/N! Freedom Machine on parade!

[@shiftintohigh5564]

I know..right? If it could take off, I know it could fly. And yet, 3 short years later it was all done. How does this happen? I know right? Now we know, engineered crisis.

[@erichanson3961]

361 engine (first year for it) and 4 barrel. 10:1 compression (likes premium) and full dual exhaust made for a powerful and thirsty car. 315 hp.

[@nightflyer914]

And I am really looking forward to your hand sign book something I will treasure

[@kennelson3848]

Z - Best

[@a.k.a.A.E.]

hey , i have not see the 392 cu.in. hemi ! this is a 4 door harttop and he have the window closed !

[@garthk506]

wow