For Fan Car Friday this week we bring you Bob P. and his subtly custom 1955 DeSoto Fireflite. Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. We have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. This post was made with written consent from the owner.
“Back in 1996, friend and hot rodder Bob Matejzel and his son were looking for a new project. Not finding anything interesting around the neighborhood or advertised, they went to a junkyard. Bob’s son zeroed in on the style and uniqueness of the DeSoto. They dragged it home and did their magic.
Recognizing the keen stying, the Matejzel’s minimized changes. Beyond the nose, deck and door handle removals, all trim and style lines are as Virgil Exner designed them back in the day. They won a number of awards in; the biggest one …Dupont’s “Top Gun” for paint. the colors are fuchsia and ivory. The fuchsia being a custom mix from Bob M.. You cant’ see them in the pics but the car has subtle pinstriping throughout.
When the car came to me, it retained it’s stock Hemi drive train and tuck and roll interior. Over the last few years I’ve added a TH700R trans, reworked the dash, renewed parts of the interior, installed 2′ dropped spindles and disc brakes up front and dressed up the engine.”
The DeSoto Fireflite is an automobile which was produced by DeSoto in the United States from 1955 to 1960.
The Fireflite was introduced in 1955 as De Soto’s flagship model. It was wider and longer than previous DeSoto models and it came equipped with
a V8 engine producing 200 hp when equipped with the 4 barrel carburetor (190 kW) and PowerFlite automatic transmission. The transmission was
operated by a Flite-Control lever located on the dashboard. The car weighed 4,070 lb (1850 kg) and cost US$3,544. AM radio was a $110 option.
The 1956 model car was best known for its long, tapering tail fins, often accentuated by a two-tone exterior finish. The interior offered bench
seating that could accommodate six passengers. The Fireflite had a 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration time of 11 seconds and a top speed of 110
mph (175 km/h).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeSoto_Fireflite
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Beautiful car, unbelievable job, definitely one of the nicest I’ve ever seen.
Thanks Bob. Sometimes less is more!!
Still a beautiful car. lot of hours and love. Thank you Bob P for keeping it great.
Bob M
Tnx Bob. It’s s pleasure to care for an icon!
Very sorry your show is canceled .
Guess we’re relegated to programs with a dumb shit clown as a co-star as several of them have
Your no nonsense style of business is why I watch and enjoy the superb quality workmanship you put out.
Please shop your program to other networks and hope to see more of you
My email name is my all time favorite car 33 41 are the best IMHO
Beautiful Car. Always like seeing something unusal that has been saved from the crusher. Fantastic detail. Bet you get pleanty of “thumbs up” when on the road.
Right you are Doug. It’s a rare unit to start with. Virgil Exner was at the top of his game with his Mopar body designs and this was always a fave of mine. Way to cool to perform big custom mods on but the little tweaks make all the difference. Glad you approve!
Bob