Jump to content

Is De Soto Radiator Grille Guard Commercial?


Bingster

Recommended Posts

I was watching a  1947 "Thin Man" and the taxi was a De Soto S-11 with an "inverted 'U' shaped" radiator grille guard.  My S-11 has the guard as well, and I wondered if the guard meant that the car was at one time a commercial vehicle.  I bought it here in Iowa. It's black but remnants of paint show that it at one time was probably blue, not a common taxi color.

 

The guard was obviously an accessory, but most people buying that type of car wouldn't want the guard "ruining" the appearance of the front of their car.   Personally, I like the look of the guard bar.  Even though it breaks up the grille look, it lends an air of "road machine" to the automobile.

 

If anybody has any info on the guard I'd be curious to know. Thanks. Happy New Year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not believe that the grill guard implies a commercial vehicle, per se.  While it may well have been a standard item for commercial vehicles, which were basically "ruggedized" versions of the regular cars, the same style guard was available as an accessory item, too.  I've seen them on Dodges that were just family cars.     

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use