Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Muscle Car of the Week: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite

The 1956 DeSoto Fireflite isn't as beefy as some of the muscled-up rides we profile on this site. However, it had a great body design, a HEMI engine came standard and it was an Indy 500 pace car. Take a look at the picture. How could we deny a car with the tagline, "The car designed for the super-highway age."

Wider and longer than its predecesors the '56 Fireflite came with a fang shaped panels, wrap-around window design and a PowerFlite automatic transmission.

Under the hood the '56 had a V8 HEMI that cranked out 255 horsepower during chassis dyno testing. It had a top speed of 110mph and a 0-60 time of eleven seconds.

This model sold very well for DeSoto (115,000 produced). However, production halted just a few years later.

The 1956 DeSoto Fireflight could make for a great restoration project. Its got muscle, but more importantly its got style. This is a car you cruise with your elbow jutting out the window giving everyone you pass a glimpse at 50's cool.
Photo Credit: car.swap-meet.damox.com
Photo Credit: automotive.speedtv.com

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2 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 2, 2012 at 12:41 PM

    You have so many amazing cars on this blog. Thanks for posting these! I've been thinking about getting into restoring hot rods lately. Is it hard or expensive to start out?

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  2. The Insurance GuyApril 24, 2021 at 10:25 PM

    Very...just be director start with a car or truck thats going to be worth what you spent on it. I have a British ride I've been thinking out for over a year now. Its restored value is over 100 euros, but will take at least 90 to 100 to restore. Just not a worthwhile deal.

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