DeSoto 1936 Airflow Walkaround

DeSoto Airflows were produced for model years 1934-1936.  As the link explains, they never sold well.   Although Airflows had advanced engineering features for their time, what most likely affected sales was their awkward-looking early aerodynamic body design.

Reacting to the disappointing 1934 sales, Chrysler Corporation began facelifting Chrysler and DeSoto Airflows to make them appear less aerodynamic and more conventional.  For example, I blogged "DeSoto Airflow Facelifts" here.

Today's post is a walkaround of a nicely restored 1936 Desoto S2 Airflow Sedan, photos via Mecum Auctions.

Gallery

All DeSoto Airflows suffered from having a stubby appearance.

That was due to a shorter wheelbase (115.5 inches, 2934 mm) than Chrysler Airflows.  The latter had inline-eight cylinder motors whereas DeSoto engines were inline sixes.  So DeSotos had shorter hoods that enhanced the appearance of stubbiness.

From this perspective, the car seems pretty typical of 1936 styling.

That integral trunk appeared for 1936.  Before that, Airflow sedans had sloped rear profiles, no trunk lid, and the spare tire mounted externally where the trunk lid might have been.

Integral trunks were common on American cars by the mid-1930s.  The original Airflow profile was also altered at the front beginning in 1935 with the appearance of raised hood lines.  The little wing-shaped air vents near the front fender strike me as being silly, but perhaps didn't in 1936.

The grille design was a wider version of that used on conventional Airstream DeSotos.

Doors wide open.

The dashboard and front seat.  In those days instruments were often placed in the center.  This made it easier to configure cars for sale in England and other tight-hand-drive countries.