1956 De Soto Adventurer convertible. Photos by Teddy Pieper, courtesy RM Auctions.
De Soto never offered a droptop Adventurer during the first year of the nameplate and likely never intended to do so; given the fact that the Adventurer was seen as De Soto’s version of the Chrysler 300, and that the Chrysler 300 didn’t come as a convertible until 1957, it stands to reason that the Adventurer would follow suit. That said, with the right mix-n-match of parts, it wouldn’t take much to build a 1956 Adventurer convertible, and one such creation will soon cross the block.
Taking its name from a pair of Virgil Exner-designed concept cars, the Adventurer bowed in February 1956 – in hardtop form only – as a sub-series of the Fireflite line (which did offer a convertible – in fact, it was a De Soto Fireflite convertible that paced the Indianapolis 500 that year). Befitting its close kinship to the Chrysler 300, the Adventurer got a special 320hp, 341-cu.in. dual-quad Hemi V-8 (which the regular Fireflite didn’t get) along with a pushbutton PowerFlite automatic transmission and heavy-duty suspension. Standard equipment included everything from power windows and power brakes to an electric clock and whitewall tires. Due to the late introduction, De Soto only sold about 996 Adventurers in 1956.
RM Auctions, which will offer the 1956 De Soto Adventurer convertible at the upcoming John Staluppi collection sale with no reserve, doesn’t specify in its auction description who converted a regular 1956 Fireflite convertible (chassis number 50383976) into an Adventurer, but notes that it includes the 341 Hemi, the requisite Adventurer trim, and all the Adventurer’s standard equipment, along with one additional accessory: a Hi-Way Hi-Fi underdash record player. The pre-auction estimate for the convertible ranges from $150,000 to $200,000.
Along with the 1956 convertible, the John Staluppi collection includes a legitimate 1957 De Soto Adventurer convertible in matching black with gold inset, one of 300 1957 Adventurer convertibles built and equipped with the 345hp 345-cu.in. dual-quad Hemi. It too will cross the block at no reserve and with a pre-auction estimate of $150,000 to $200,000.
RM’s John Staluppi auction will take place November 30-December 1 at the Cars of Dreams Museum in North Palm Beach, Florida. For more information, visit RMAuctions.com.
UPDATE (3.December): The Adventurer sold for $156,750.