1959 de soto infro

[kiwi mopar]

Hi guys.

a friend has just broght a 1959 De Soto Diplomat Deluxes.

he is just started to rebuild it.

all he knows is it was build in Canana for export (right hand drive) 6 cycl

does anyone know anything about them. how many made etc.

thank.

[Andydodge]

Kiwi, just checked my John Lee Standard catalog of Chrysler and it doesn't list a De Soto with a 6 after 1954......but its for USA stuff, the Canuks did some strange things like we did in Oz, so maybe the fellow Empire lads above the border maybe able to help.......pip,pip and tally ho eh what.......lol.....andyd

[Plymouthy Adams]

probably another model being disguised..(suspect Plymouth) check internet for export model information..maybe even a quick note to our members Bill Watson or Lee Exline, both should have a good knowledge of this varmint

[greg g]

Diplomats were export versions of plymouth bodies.

check the allpar site and search diplomat.

http://www.allpar.com/world/photos/index.html#dip

[BobT-47P15]

There was a 1951 export (to Japan) DeSoto around here a while back.....it looked just like a Plymouth.....and had a six cyl engine.

As I recall, you could still get a 6 in a 59 Plymouth.

[Lee Exline]

Sorry for the delay in responding I just found this thread.

The Plymouth base car for your buddies Diplomat was available with the 6 cylinder powerplant unlike American production cars that were all V-8.

I would assume that the car was originally exported to Australia but they actually imported RHD Firesweeps like the one used in the movie Mad Max.

When he gathers parts to fix it he will need to look for Plymouth parts primarily. The front clip (guards and bonnet?) are Desoto Firesweep series that was the American 122" wheelbase car and was built on the Dodge assembly line. But the rear of the car is a plymouth with 59 plymouth tailfins instead of the Desoto triple tails.

I will include some images of othe 59 Diplomats and you buddy can even get a model of his car since Dinky made a 59 Desoto Diplomat sedan toy car in france

Edited June 27, 2009 by Lee Exline

[Lee Exline]

Some more images

In some markets there was even a 4 cylinder diesel powerplant available in The Diplomat line.

the white car below is an Australian Firesweep to show the differences in body styles

I own one of those really weird Australian Desoto Diplomats. It is a 56 but it looks like a 54 Plymouth except for the toothly grille and nameplates. it also has the Utility coupe body style that was only made in OZ.

[B-Watson]

The DeSoto Dipomat was undoubtedly exported from Canada directly to New Zealand. Unlike Australia, New Zealand did not have the restrictions on imported vehicles to encourage local manufacture as New Zealand was too small. And the auto companies in New Zealand were independent of their Australian cousins, at least in those days.

The export Plymouth-based DeSoto first appeared in 1938 with all models built in Detroit. In 1946 the models gained the Diplomat name and in 1960-61 were based on the Dodge Dart.

Chrysler of Canada built the export Plymouth-based DeSoto starting in 1939 and continued through to 1961, with the exception of 1955. Unlike the American-built models, which built virtually every Plymouth model as a Diplomat including the 1959 Diplomat Adventurer (aka Sport Fury), Chrysler of Canada built only a few body styles. Also, the Plymouth-based DeSoto was never sold in Canada - it was strictly export only.

For 1959 the Canadian plant built exactly one Diplomat model - the Diplomat Deluxe 4-door sedan. They also built the Dodge Kingsway Deluxe sedan and the Plymouth Belvedere sedan for export markets. All had the 250.6-cid flathead six engine and all were RHD.

As to production, grand total 1959 Diplomat production (US & Canada) came to a total of 2,364 units - 1,309 sixes and 1,055 V8 models. The only figures I have by body style are for the 1959 Diplomat Adventurer - fourteen 2-door hardtops and eight convertibles. All were built in Detroit and all had V8 engines.

As stated, the 1959 DeSoto Diplomat used a Plymouth body with a DeSoto Firesweep front clip. Actually, the front clip was basically the same used by the 1959 Chrysler Windsor with the major differences being in the front grille and bumper.

Side trim for the Diplomat Deluxe is the same as the Kingsway Deluxe, Belvedere, and Mayfair. The nameplates are unique to Diplomat. The interiors were the same for all the same series, although the RHD instrument panel differs from the LHD models.

Except for the engine, the powertrain of the Diplomat is the same as the U.S. Plymouth. American-built Plymouths, etc. used the smaller 230.6-cid flathead six.

Bill

Vancouver, BC