Story
The 1934 DeSoto – No One Wanted This Car!
- Published
- January 5, 2026
- Written by
- Rick DeBruhl
- Length
- 1 min read
The 1934 DeSoto was so far ahead of its time that no one wanted it! This segment of Rick DeBruhl’s Automotive Evolution looks back at the car of the future that couldn’t survive the present.
Rick explores a car that was revolutionary for its time but ultimately unsuccessful. He highlights the car’s unique features, including its aerodynamic design, unibody construction, and 50/50 weight distribution, and discusses why it failed to capture the public’s imagination.
This 1934 DeSoto Airflow SE sports an inline 6-cylinder engine generating 122 horsepower with a top speed of about 88 miles per hour via a 3-speed manual gearbox.
Be sure to see this beauty the next time you are at the Martin Auto Museum.