There are car guys who are dedicated to specific models, years or brand names because that brand, year or model grabbed them early in life.
That’s the story behind this 1960 DeSoto two-door hardtop.
Jerry Sutherland
Dominic Zanella’s first car after he moved to Canada was a 1955 Chrysler New Yorker. This was Virgil Exner’s entry year into what would become the Forward Look era under his watch as a designer at Chrysler.
Dominic was hooked on the Forward Look cars, so his next car was a 1958 Chrysler New Yorker followed by a ’61 New Yorker. He never lost his links to Chrysler products after that—in particular, Exner fin cars, so he went on a search for another classic car from that era.
He found this 1960 DeSoto Adventurer five years ago after a lengthy search, so he popped on the deal. This was one of those as-is-where-is deals so he bought the car based on faith in the seller and photos of the car. Dominic admitted he got a great deal on the DeSoto.
Dominic wasn’t disappointed because this was a decent car. The only unexpected thing was the condition that he had to take a trailer load of parts as part of the deal. Dominic liked that condition because the deal included many trim parts and body parts like a hood in great condition.
There were a few things he didn’t like. The paint job was substandard, and the suspension needed a lot of attention–but the DeSoto was very clean underneath. Dominic said, “There was a lot of metal work done to this car so there’s no rust anywhere.”
Dominic is an auto tech, so he wasn’t worried about the mechanical side because this car had sat for awhile, so he took the 383 2-barrel V-8 apart and went over it in detail. He looked at the heads and seals and did what was needed,plus he replaced things like the water pump. He said the transmission is in good shape, so that’s something he doesn’t have on his list.
He said the DeSoto wanders a little on the highway, so his winter project is to completely rebuild the front end to make it a little less sketchy on the road. Dominic likes to drive his vehicles and this 65-year-old DeSoto is no exception.
Dominic also wants to strip this car down and give it a much better paint job. He’s fortunate because his son is an autobody tech, so he can keep this project in the family.The interior is in reasonable shape, but Dominic wants to “redo the seats” to make sure the car looks good inside and out.
This DeSoto is at a 90% completed stage, but it’s going to be 100% complete once Dominic knocks off the few items left on his project list. He wants this car to be good enough to make it a graduation ceremony car for his grandkids—they’re huge fans of the DeSoto.
The moral to this story is simple—fin cars are a family thing.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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