DeSoto tried bolting Bendix fuel injection onto the 1958 Adventurer — it was so unreliable and pricey that almost nobody kept the option.
Lead trim: Adventurer 361 cu in wedge V8 (1958) · up to 350 hp
DeSoto Adventurer1958–1960
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a DeSoto Adventurer yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactDeSoto tried bolting Bendix fuel injection onto the 1958 Adventurer — it was so unreliable and pricey that almost nobody kept the option.
The 1958 Adventurer updated the 1957 styling with a mesh grille and dual headlights (debuting at the Chicago show in January 1958); the Hemi was no longer available and a 361 cubic inch wedge head was used, with dual-quad carburetors or troublesome, expensive Bendix fuel injection that few cars got; production fell to 432 (350 hardtops and 82 convertibles). For 1959, introduced in October 1958, it was restyled with more Chrysler traits and the wedge-head 383 V8 tuned to 350 bhp at 5,000 rpm; 687 built (590 hardtops, 97 convertibles) with standard swivel-out seats. For 1960, its final year, the Adventurer lost the convertible but gained a four-door hardtop and sedan and became the top trim rather than a limited edition, with ram induction on quad-four cars, a variety of colours for the first time and unibody construction: 11,597 were built, its best year, as DeSoto was ended in November 1960.
Collectors Spotted in the DeSoto Adventurer Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the DeSoto Adventurer yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventurer 361 cu in wedge V8 (1958) | 1958–1958 | V8 | 345 hp | 400 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Adventurer 383 cu in wedge V8 (350 bhp at 5,000 rpm, 1959) | 1959–1959 | V8 | 350 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
DeSoto tried bolting Bendix fuel injection onto the 1958 Adventurer — it was so unreliable and pricey that almost nobody kept the option.
DeSoto made the first Adventurer deliberately hard to get: a limited-run two-door hardtop sold in exactly one color combo, white, black and gold.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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