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1931 DeSoto listed as a 1932 on craigslist....


keiser31

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http://bend.craigslist.org/cto/4571968176.html

This used to be my friend Mario's 1931 DeSoto. Somehow, they turned it into a 1932 (according to the ad).

You are certainly correct that it is a '31 SA. Thanks for your msg. They really did a number on the car-- they have installed a down draft carb which must have been a real test. I looked on Craigs List and can't find it. I would like to contact the owner to add it to my SA website....Any ideas??

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The Engineering Department classified model years on a calendar year basis (sort of) while the marketing people used the model year that began in July of the year. This was the era of the "1st series" and "2nd series" model years. Chrysler started their dual model years in the late 1920's and carried through to the 1932 model year. Graham, Pierce-Arrow, Studebaker, Oakland-Pontiac, Hupmobile, and others went through a dual model year scheme during this time. Hupmobile was the last with its 1935 2nd series 518-D and 521-O models becoming 1936 1st series 618-D and 521-O in September, 1935. Their real 1936 models appeared in November - the 2nd series 618-G and 521-N.

Which is probably how this 1931 SA became a 1932 SA. If the owner checked any copy of Branham, NADA Used Car Guide, Blue Book, etc., of the era he would find out the DeSoto SA was introduced as a 1931 model in January, 1931, but on July 1, 1931, became a 1932 model. The SA became a 1932 model (1st series) at serial number 5020807 while the CF* Eight became a 1932 model at serial numbers L-129-EW and 6001889. The SC was classified as a 2nd series 1932. There were no 1st/2nd series models again until the 1949 model year when the postwar 1946-48 models (Engineering Dept years) became 1st series 1949 models on December 1. 1948. The "true" 1949 models went into production in February, 1949.

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  • 7 months later...
I figured as much , they look nice, If a remember right reading in my '33 Chrysler booklet that the Chrysler archive people gave me the color options were either a dark green/blue with black fenders or a solid dark color..I could imagine the options for Desoto were similar..It's like model A fords you see them restored some really nice colors...but they are not even close to stock Model A colors. Benny

I have an original chip chart for the 31 DeS. The brown/tan is not a factory color

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