Russ Bischoff rode in the front seat of the family’s 1959 DeSoto and his three brothers rode in the back when they were kids.
That memory could have been just a memory except Russ still has the car.
Jerry Sutherland
Russ remembers how he and his brothers used to coax his dad into “making the speedometer go red”—and his dad always obliged until his mom threw a flag on the play. Making the speedometer go red meant his dad had to push the ribbon speedometer from green into red—well into highway speed.
The DeSoto was retired out of general family duty—but it never left the family. Russ’s older brother drove it for awhile, then passed it down until Russ became the current owner. The car had been sentenced to long-term hibernation until Russ and his brothers decided to rescue the 280,000-mile 383 4-barrel DeSoto from a grim future.
Russ said all the pieces were still there—that’s a bonus because ’59 DeSoto trim pieces are so rare you need a second mortgage on your house to pay for them. Another major piece was that Russ had a brother who was a body technician, so he applied his skills to the family DeSoto.
Russ got his hands dirty too because he did a lot of sanding under his brother’s expert supervision. His two older brothers solved a major piece of the puzzle when they both signed up for an upholstery course. The DeSoto’s seats became their class project and contributed to their final grade.
The second part of the combination is the 1959 Glasscraft boat. Russ’s brother spotted the boat rotting away in a pond on a farm. It was a mess, but his brother was convinced it was worth saving—this was another case where Russ learned how to work with fiberglass and paint, so the 200-dollar boat became a partner with the ’59 DeSoto.
Russ said the boat runs great, so he’s had it on the water several times. Russ and his brother came up with a great idea for trailer lights.
He rescued the taillights from a ’56 Dodge (Canadian version)–they are actually ’56 Plymouth lights but they function as brake and signal lights for the trailer. They look like a factory feature from the Forward Look (Chrysler fin cars). The name Peggy Lee was found under the paint, so Russ had it lettered in exactly the same place and font.
Russ is now behind the wheel of this family legacy and he’s having fun. He said the car is incredibly comfortable on the road because it’s smooth, comfortable, and solid on the road. It had bias tires when he got it, but radials really tamed the road feel of the DeSoto.
There’s a reason why Russ and his brothers saved this car—their dad was a restoration guy and he liked to restore Model Ts in his spare time. The DeSoto was a great way to celebrate his memory as Russ explained.
He passed that passion for restoration on to his four sons.
Russ Bischoff
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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