Chrysler introduced the DeSoto Adventurer, a high-powered, two-door hardtop similar to the Chrysler 300, on Feb. 18, 1956.
DeSoto was born in 1928 to slot above Plymouth and eventually targeted the growing middle of the postwar American car market, competing with Oldsmobile, Mercury, Hudson, Willys and Studebaker.
The Adventurer name debuted as a four seat, high-performance sports coupe concept car — designed by Ghia — in 1954.
The Adventurer — available initially in a combination of gold with black or white paint — packed a high-output 341-cubic-inch Hemi V-8 engine with 320 hp, a dual exhaust and custom trim. Standard appointments on the limited-run car included dual outside side mirrors, gold wheel covers, a radio, an electric clock, a padded instrument panel, windshield washers, dual rear-mounted radio antennae, full instrumentation and a heavy-duty suspension.
The vehicle rode on a 126-inch wheelbase and was 220.…