On the Road to Gettysburg

Last month, Randy Poole set out from his Virginia home, headed for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. With his wife Holly, daughter Amber and father-in-law Joel, his destination was the Annual Convention of the National DeSoto Club, of which he is a long-time member. Not surprisingly, they saw lots of DeSotos, Randy's favorite being a nifty '34 Airflow coupe, with its art deco ornamentation. He also gazed in wonderment at the phalanx of fins.

One afternoon, while driving in the area, Holly spotted an interesting old car beside the road. It turned out to be a 1947 DeSoto Custom Suburban, the signature edition of Chrysler Corporation's long-wheelbase sedans and limos. Offered only as a DeSoto, the Suburban had a wood paneled interior that extended through to the trunk, and a roof rack on top. Suburbans were built from 1946 to 1952. The owners were not home, so it took a few cell phone calls to jump-start negotiations, but by the following Tuesday a deal had been struck and the next weekend Randy and Joel went back to retrieve the car.

Dennis David went to Gettysburg, too. He kept his camera clicking away, snapping DeSotos from start to finish, from ambulance to pace cars. While Randy was taken with the Airflow, Dennis captured an Airstream, the alternative, and better-selling, DeSoto. Everybody likes the Miller-inspired 1932 and '33 DeSotos, and I waxed nostalgic about the 1940 S-7, a dead ringer for my only DeSoto ever. There were plenty of DeSoto parts for sale, and lots of beauty to be seen, including the iconic goddess that adorned the 1932 models. Desirable accessories included the hard-to-find DeSotomatic steering wheel clock. By afternoon, the row of S-11s was tired and yawning for a nap.

Dennis and his family took the battlefield tour and visited Eisenhower Farm, home of the late 34th President. There were no cars on display, but in the barn was Ike's Massey Ferguson, which ran on Citgo long before Hugo Chavez became a big shot.

Randy, meanwhile, discovered the gathering of the National Chrysler Products Club, right next to the NDC clan. On hand were Chryslers ancient and modern, including a pair of spiffy station wagons. Plymouth was in a Fury, and flagship of the event was a very nice 1955 Crown Imperial.

When Randy got his Suburban home, he was very pleased with his new treasure. While the seats are a bit sorry, the wood is good, on doors, bulkhead and floor, and the woodgrain dashboard is quite presentable. The roof rack was included, inside the car, and it's equipped with spotlight, grab handles and clever little heater ducts. The Suburban seats eight, though the rearmost seats are a bit spartan. Randy and Joel got it running last weekend. Now they just need to do the brakes, so that it will stop as well as go.