SMS TV Episode 3 - 1961 DeSoto: End of the Line

In this episode, Mike Martin shows us the 1961 DeSoto he has recently restored, complete with an interior from SMS. These are increasingly rare classics, and this was one of the last DeSotos ever produced.
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[@slumpyb]

You did an incredible job bringing that rare care back to life!

[@gustaverayl1811]

Love the roofline and the modified fins of that era. You sure can tell the styling that Plymouth Chrysler adopted.

[@steelrolex]

An act to preserve history, very well done!

[@fido0825]

That is simply a beautiful restoration...brings back very fond memories of my childhood!

[@gusturner4741]

What a first-class job you have done there, looks like it has just been delivered out of the showroom. Lovely car, beautiful. Keep rockin' Gus. The UK.

[@bruceraykiewicz6274]

Wonderful job of saving that rare car. BTW, my sister and brother-in-law owned, from new, a '61' DeSoto 2 dr. hard top, white, with a powder blue interior. They owned the car for 9 years. Garage kept. they finally sold it privately in 1970. I don't know what happened to it after that. thanks again for the fond memories.

[@louislamonte334]

Beautiful job and a beautiful car. The '61 Desoto was unfairly maligned as having "controversial" styling. I think the '61 was a very attractive car and certainly far, far superior in styling to ANYTHING on the road today!

[@phorobierre2884]

better than the same year Plymouth Fury 3...imo

[@Chris-jm4zk]

Great uncle sold them then Plymouths in Haverhill, Mass . Thanks for sharing and an absolutely fantastic restoration.

[@billdescoteaux]

I have a 1:18 die-cast model of one of these. That's cool that your great-uncle is from Haverhill. Most of my dad's side of the family is from there, my dad was born there and grew up on 11th Ave.

[@desoto1961]

Beautiful car!! Great job!!

[@Idelia412]

Nice job in the restoration on such a rare car. Thanks for sharing!

[@rumcove07]

Stunning. Makes me miss my 60 Adventurer that left my possession all those years ago....

[@bonniebairn844]

Ditto.

[@rick0e295]

Absolutely Delightfully DeSoto at its best 👌 1961 DeSoto and 1961 Imperial LEBARON are my absolute favorite dream cars. Thanks 😊 for sharing.

[@RichadTheLionHeat]

I attended the “Saturday In The Park” car show in Meridian, Idaho this pass weekend. There was a 1960 DeSoto at the car show. They are absolutely just breath taking! 👍🏻😎👍🏻😎🚗🚙🛻😉

[@usmale49]

Beautiful work Mike Martin. That DeSoto is one fantastic automobile! Thanks for the great video!!

[@edwardpatterson1237]

Magnificent restoration, you performed a true work of art. It sparks my childhood memories of Chrysler's Modernism. So cool.😁

[@Kinseydsp]

SMS Auto Fabrics So Very Beautiful.

[@RichadTheLionHeat]

Sir, thank you for sharing your beautiful American Automotive Classic. Just beautiful! 👍🏻😎👍🏻😎🙏🏻✝️🇺🇸

[@kfl611]

My goodness, I think I could eat off of that engine, it is so 'showroom' clean ! What a great looking car, I hope you get many decades of enjoyment out of it. I like the lights in the back of the car.

[@jasperjones6962]

Nice restoration job. I just bought a four door hardtop neatest car I have ever owned.

[@m42037]

You have a 4dr Desoto? 61? I'd love to see it.

[@billsalvaggio6355]

Spectacular car. Incredible restoration. I’m quite close to getting my 1975 Chev Caprice classic - convertible - back home. It’s had a ground-up resto. Just waiting on the new top and interior then she’ll be coming back home. Exciting feeling.

[@michaelwhite2823]

Beautiful! You did an amazing job and should be proud of that beautiful, rare car. A red 1961 DeSoto two door was shown in the film Mississippi Burning. Since they are so rare, could it gave been the same car loaned to the film production company? The movie was filmed in Canton Mississippi.

[@restaurantandbarequipmento3087]

Yes, this indeed is the same car used in the movie Mississippi Burning. A body was tossed out of the car in the movie. My great grandfather bought this car new, and our family still owns it. Many thanks to Mike for bringing it back to life for us.

[@m42037]

@@restaurantandbarequipmento3087 What a awesome story! Did this car come with factory AC? I think most of these rare gems did

[@here_we_go_again2571]

Fantastic restoration! What a beautiful car. Thank you for sharing. :)

[@barryzoll9772]

That’s a top notch restoration. Congratulations and enjoy!

[@fundamentos3439]

You sure did a fantastic job. The car is a real beauty. Thank you for sharing.

[@Hungry_Hunter]

Magnificent restoration it's a great looking vehicle.

[@Rick1959]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[@rickg.5171]

Beautiful restoration. This car belongs in a museum.

[@restaurantandbarequipmento3087]

Well, it sits inside my parent’s garage. It just barely fit! Every once in a while it sees the light of day for a local show or event.

[@TheDejael]

Exner excellence! Last year DeSoto of the Forward Look!

[@joek81981]

I wish this was filmed today.

[@jamesfox2579]

Beautiful Beautiful Beauuuutiful Car!💕

[@brettster3331]

Mike, I am so impressed with your superb work on this rare car. Thank you for showing this.

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

INCREDIBLE work!!!!

[@MrRJDB1969]

Excellent !

[@discerningmind]

Beautiful! Very clever use of fluorescent light lenses.

[@Brisbanesdaddy]

Beautiful work!!!! Congrats!

[@MAC-ws8fz]

Good job Mike! Fins forever!

[@MarkinDC]

Incredible, just incredible. Factory AC no less, probably not a lot of DeSotos built like this. The red/white/'black is pretty eye-popping too! THANKS for posting this.

[@Pisti846]

After market A/C.

[@takoma5]

Woow thats a beauty...a car to be proud of :)

[@sreginkc]

You have a beautifully restored museum piece. Thanks for sharing.

[@anthonymokelkie9360]

thats when they made nice cars , WOW thats beauty that one

[@somersetdc]

Fantastic job!

[@drewdemien481]

Great looking car for sure. Bittersweet.

[@plophlegm]

Thanks for saving an American Original! What a wild design, now it can live on, gotta love it! Thanks

[@dmunoz5999]

Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@christopherjohnson2422]

When I was in my 20s, my dad let me drive his old 1961 Dodge Dart Seneca. The car would have been about 10 years old at the time. The styling of the interior was essentially the same as this DeSoto’s interior, albeit not as fancy. One unique feature was the placement of the rear-view mirror on the dash. Note also the long horizontal speedometer. The Dodge Dart exterior was somewhat different (e.g., less chrome, no fins). But seeing this beautiful restoration reminded me of that rusty old Dodge.

[@tonygoulart3693]

I have dealt with SmS Auto fABRICS AND THEY ARE TRULY THE BEST. THEY ARE NOT FAST. IT WILL TAKE A WHILE TO GET THE PRODUCT BACK TO YOU, BUT THIER WORK IS SECOND TO NONE. i have a 1960 Plymouth and a 62 RAMBLER cLASSIC THAT NEEDED SEAT AND DOOR PANEL RESTORATION AND IT TURNED OUT GREAT!!

[@spitfirekid1]

LOVE IT,

[@richmcintyre1178]

WoW, just wow.

[@lesgriffiths8523]

Thanks Mike....................well done mate...................,stunning motor car. Les Griffiths Australia

[@1hugeturdsundae]

Wow!!

[@Phonejag1]

Beautiful sharp car, truly stunning interior! Thanks for showing us your obvious difficult effort and fine results! I would have done the same thing you did, with having an aftermarket “Vintage Air” unit installed for Southern States, (I’m in South Florida, so know the importance of good air conditioning. It makes all the difference in the world to enjoy the car to its fullest. I’m curious about the air conditioning outlets though, as the only one I see is over to the left of the steering column on the driver’s side, appears to be an original outlet from a Chrysler or DeSoto of that era. So where does the cooled air come from after the evaporator, and... is the cooling balanced? Thanks...

[@nsidor1234]

Like a fighter jet on land... 👍🏁

[@DBAllen]

Truly rolling mechanical artwork!

[@m42037]

Excellent! Brand new Desoto, Groucho would be proud! The AC I think most 61s came with factory AC the car's were very expensive back then. In 56 you could get front and rear AC in DeSoto's. Great job, SMS is a great company for sure they have original fabric for so many of the vintage car's. My guess is this would sell for about 75,k

[@rick0e295]

There is actually a DeSoto commercial with George Fenemen out here as well as Rock Hudson doing a 1959 DeSoto ad. 1961 was best year for styling to me. I learned to drive on a black 55 Firedome.

[@m42037]

@@rick0e295 I watch Groucho almost every night in bed before sleep, never gets old. George was funny when him and Groucho got in a little arguments. Yes this is how I knew a 56 DeSoto came with optional front and rear AC, I'll bet that was a expensive option! Then seat belts (first in 56 in America, standard in 64, lap belts)

[@rick0e295]

@@m42037 If you check out here, you'll find multiple commercials for DeSoto. One features George, another has Rock Hudson with 59 DeSoto. There are some others including, I think 🤔 the 🎵. The secret word is DeSoto commercials. 😎

[@angeloavanti2538]

wow mike. i'm late to the party but i hope the car is still going strong. stunning job!

[@m42037]

Why wouldn't it? They don't salt the roads down there and I doupt he even drives it in the rain

[@bobbybishop368]

Is he even still alive ?

[@Mickt6]

absolutely fantastic wonder how many hours , days or months it took to restore this car .

[@mrwcp63]

Wow beautiful

[@williamlovely450]

always wanted a 61 desoto two door

[@brianmars3370]

Fine car. Nice resto.

[@joepilbeam4722]

Beautiful.

[@phillipthethird42]

It is a jem. Good job. Save the greats.

[@TheItsmegp46]

Beautiful car, amazing restoration. Its no surprise Chrysler Corp discontinued the DeSoto, it looks so much like it's Chrysler kin.

[@Phonejag1]

itsmegp46: Well, part of the genius behind the DeSoto, is that it shared so much with the lesser price Chrysler’s... the Windsor, and didn’t need much tooling on its own. But towards the end, when it was inevitable that DeSotos were done, they made them almost exact copies except for the badging, to further the same design and lower production costs. Look at the ‘60 and ‘61 models. Same front ends, same body panels, dash, window and door hardware, same taillights, just little pieces of stainless trim slapped over one or the other of them to differentiate it slightly. Those cars were almost entirely interchangeable! And as I mentioned, the writing was already on the wall... why pay to make a completely different car from the big sister Chrysler?

[@1575murray]

@@Phonejag1 DeSoto just got squeezed out as Dodge cars got bigger and more upscale and Chrysler introduced the Newport which took too many sales away from them. There wasn't room at Chrysler for a fourth brand any more. Plymouth doesn't exist any more for similar reasons as they became badge engineered versions of Dodge.

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

@@1575murray - There were actually 5 divisions at Chrysler until the '61 model year. The hierarchy went, from low to high: Plymouth; Dodge; DeSoto; Chrysler; Imperial.

[@bobgarcia2623]

It's awesome, I do have favorites that I truly love, but I'm say this I do love 70s 60s and 50s regardless of brand such as this Chrysler they're MARVEL'S any brand, I just love cars.

[@ramongonzalez2112]

Great job on a rare car!👏🇺🇸

[@rogerbaker2068]

Delicious....Delectable... Deluxe. Desoto....

[@YOUGOTIT210]

Beautiful restoration and a beautiful work of art. Do you still own the car?

[@seadog2396]

EXCELLENT RESTORATION. RESPECT. Louie, get a gimbal....

[@stardustdreamfactory1947]

Nice!

[@fredhuck266]

Beautiful car!

[@thespeez]

Wasn't this car featured in an edition of Collectible Automobile? Beautiful machine!!

[@highgate4767]

Beautiful car! I wonder how much it would bring at the Mecum auctions.

[@m42037]

75k, maybe close to six figures

[@billmagorian490]

Did you repaint it and how much body work was required. Also how about chrome replateing? Your car is beautiful. It looks brand new.

[@rayfridley6649]

That instrument panel is identical to the 1960 Dodge.

[@chagall56]

Back in about 1985, I got a call from a friend who said he met an older lady who had a 1961 DeSoto two door hardtop for sale. Just $500! Was I interested? This was in San Diego. I already had a 1948 DeSoto 3 window coupe that I was restoring, so regrettably, I said no! My friend said but she is the original owner and $500 for a car in excellent running condition was low even back then. So my friend wound up buying the car, which he drove as an everyday car for the next eight or so years. Then he sold it to a guy from Sweden. Just another dumb thing I did in my life!

[@summitdrinker]

WOW nice car

[@swissman5643]

Beautiful work. Very bad jumpy video.

[@oldie1946]

Plastic Lens can be copied and reproduced on a 3-D printer. You would have to borrow a set to scan into the computer to send to the 3-D printer. Just think how much better the front would have looked without that top "grill".

[@alanstrong3295]

I would delight in owning a car like this. You own a cherry!

[@williamg2552]

This was the last year for the DeSoto, 1961. Unlike FoMoCo's Edsel, which was pretty much a flop from Day One, DeSoto was a successful American Car line for many years, built by the now-defunct DeSoto Division of Chrysler Corporation . It's demise was caused, in part, by a squeezing out of it's traditional market by it's corporate siblings, Dodge from below it and from Chrysler from above it . Dodge moved upmarket , while Chrysler moved downmarket, cutting into DeSoto's market...leaving it nowhere to go...but into oblivion. A sad end to a once great American car make. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeSoto_(automobile)#Brand_management_and_marketing

[@bobbybishop368]

So where did Plymouth fit in in this dilemma ?

[@WarpOne]

@@bobbybishop368 below Dodge, as the corporate price leader. Competed with Chevy and Ford.

[@timothykeith1367]

@@bobbybishop368 By '59 you could get a big block 361 v8 in the Plymouth, but the '61 Plymouth was an unusually styled car that wasn't popular and probably didn't hurt DeSoto sales much. The U.S.A. was in a recession from '57 to '62 and the automakers began to build economy cars like the Valiant in 1960. The '61 DeSoto looks good to me. The '61 Dodge Lancer based on the Valiant was supposed to be a DeSoto.

[@martinklein3785]

Hi back driver’s seat is interesting.

[@Hjoral1]

Hi! First of all, lemme say this car is absolutely STUNNING! Just one question: since I'm an Italian writer who's trying to understand more about the '61 DeSotos (my main character will drive it), I'd like to know if it's plausible for a guy in 1999 to buy an old but still working DeSoto in Ohio by a private seller and drive it without any problem along Route 66. Thank you in advance for the help!

[@larryfoster4455]

If the car has been driven regularly, serviced well and usual parts (hoses, brakes, etc) and waxed carefully it could still look new. I have the 1956 DeSoto Fireflite dad bought new in Oct 1955, this is 2018 and the car still looks near new and can be driven anywhere with original paint and interior i

[@mikedrown2721]

👍👌👏😊❤️

[@jasperjones6962]

Hi I see you restored this beautiful Desoto. I have a 1961 Desoto I bought a nice set of trunk letters they have two posts on them but looking in the trunk letters on my car only one of the pins is where you can get at it. How do you get the letters off the trunk?

[@LastAyleidKing]

I wonder if this was used in the fil Mississippi Burning with Gene Hackman

[@jaynareynolds3684]

Next time get a camera operator without Parkinson's Disease. BTW - excellent job restoring the car. Looks real nice when I pause the shaking video.

[@MrTrack412]

Thank you Mike Martin and SMS for your work on this car! We have classic car shows in Hastings, MN where I live and yet if one of these showed up I would about kill myself if I missed it. These were the coolest of the cool cars no doubt and especially one like this which is so close to original.The question I always have for people: Did these cars really ride so low or is that only because the original shocks cannot be found?

[@restaurantandbarequipmento3087]

My dad commissioned Mike to do this restoration, and he did a fantastic job. I grew up seeing this car sitting under my grandmother’s carport. Jed, I was actually born just “down the road” from you in Rochester while my dad was training at the Mayo Clinic. My parents were there for 10 years before returning to Mississippi. Maybe we can bring it up to a show in Minnesota!

[@YOUGOTIT210]

Many of the cars produced in the 1960's were designed with 14 inch rims in order to get that low to the ground stance. The 1960's were the decade of lower cars and this was a big change from the post war and some 1950's models.

[@WarpOne]

That's the stock height. Shocks are easy to find. The front torsion bar is adjustable and the rear leaf springs can be built to obtain any desired ride height. This one looks great.

[@JackF99]

Of all the cartoonishly styled Virgil Exner gingerbread cars of the era, the '61 DeSoto has got to be the champ!

[@johnvinga5446]

DeSoto wasn't cartoonish like the Plymouths were at the time.

[@scottrogers2971]

Was this the same car that appeared in the Mississippi Burning film?

[@restaurantandbarequipmento3087]

Yes, this is the car from the movie! It had sat for decades in a parking lot. Somehow they got it running long enough to toss a body out of it in Mississippi Burning. It then sat for many more years under my grandmother’s carport, until my dad commissioned Mike to do this tremendous restoration.

[@rayhope7957]

If Christine had a cousin...

[@brianandglendaharkin9457]

👍🏻💯🇦🇺⛽️

[@MrTrack412]

Mike Martin must be 7 feet tall!

[@bobbybishop368]

Those cars were large and long but low to the ground.

[@rajanrairealty8979]

nice adventurer

[@WarpOne]

It's not an Adventurer, nor is it a Fireflite. There were no model names for the '61 DeSoto. They were simply 'DeSoto'.

[@lockheed6859]

Who’s here because of Sam And Max

[@hebneh]

I am major fan of the Exner designs for the Chrysler Corporation, but the front end of the '61 DeSoto is tragic.

[@bk14nyc]

Beautiful car, but the Aftermarket A/C killed it!!!!!! YUK!!!!!!

[@larryhawkins3294]

That car is in the Mississippi delta so air conditioning is needed..not only that the unit appears as if it could be period correct.

[@restaurantandbarequipmento3087]

Not exactly the delta, but yes we are definitely in Mississippi. And it’s very hot and humid here. The vintage AC makes this car much more enjoyable. Sorry that you don’t approve of its addition.

[@bobbybishop368]

No it didn't. It didn't alter the original cosmetic beauty of the car in any way.

[@OSUBuckeyes1]

Beautiful ugly car