- Offered from the collection of Jack Dunning
- Very rare survivor of the "baby" Airflow
- Well-maintained restoration in fine condition
- A highly advanced design, and a wonderful tour car
Walter P. Chrysler expected the streamlined, futuristic Airflow
models of 1934 to take the nation by storm. Far ahead of its time,
it featured a hood extended past the front axle, fully skirted rear
fenders, and more advanced styling, including faired-in headlamps,
a rounded radiator grille, and a modified vee'd windshield. Its
body was styled in a wind tunnel, the first American production car
so designed, and built partially in unit with the chassis. Because
all passengers were seated within the wheelbase, they enjoyed a
fine ride, and the handling was also considerably more modern than
other automobiles of its time.
In the inaugural year of production, 1934, the Airflow design was
used both for most Chrysler products and for all DeSoto models. It
failed to move buyers, many of whom were unprepared for such a new
design, and accordingly was not a sales success. For 1935 a more
conventionally styled SF-Series DeSoto debuted and would outsell
the last of the original SG-Series cars by a factor of over three
to one. For 1936, the DeSoto Airflow was gone for good.
The Airflow sedan offered here, one of the more recent additions to
the Dunning stable, is a high-quality body-on restoration, equipped
with the rear-mounted spare, driver-side mirror, rear fender
skirts, and artillery-style wheels mounted with factory hubcaps and
wide whitewall tires. Both the paint, in colors similar to the
factory Bellevue Beige and Columbia Beige, and the houndstooth
cloth interior remain in very good condition, and the car is
reported by Mr. Dunning to be a fine driving example, capable of
running nicely at 50 mph.
This is a thoroughly charming example of that great rarity, the
DeSoto Airflow, one of the most misunderstood, advanced, and
enjoyable mid-priced cars of its time.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
