The world's oldest De Soto

One owner wondered what to do with the world's oldest De Soto. Display the relic for the whole world to see, of course. John LeeJun 28, 2021

The De Soto in all of its glory.
Curt McConnell has the world’s oldest De Soto, but he has a problem: What should he do with it?

McConnell bought the car about five years ago in a condition a bit worse than shown here, which isn’t saying much. He was apparently the first person in more than 90 years to appreciate the significance of the extremely low serial number enough to research it.

Chrysler Corp. launched the new car, named De Soto for the 16th Century explorer remembered for sailing up the Mississippi River, on Aug. 6, 1928, as a 1929 model.

A rancher in Colorado bought this Model K two-door coach new, and he didn’t put it in the garage, up on blocks, to preserve it so he could sell it 80 years later for many times the $845 original price. It was used as any family car would be, and on a ranch that didn’t mean just driving to town on a paved highway on Saturday night.
Spectators had the chance to take a look at a true relic of the past.
It may have been the cracked cylinder head — McConnell noticed right away that it had been welded — that caused the De Soto to be taken out of service after some 78,000 miles of use. The story he was told, third-hand, was that it was garaged for many years, but at some point that space was needed and this car was set outside. However, it remained with the same family until 2015, and only the arid climate of the western Colorado mountains prevented it from rusting into the ground.
McConnell related that he first saw the De Soto at the AACA swap meet in Chickasha, Okla. The owner told McConnell that he’d had his eye on the car for some 35 years as he traveled to that area to hunt elk. He had repeatedly asked if they would sell the car and always received the same response: It was not for sale. It was not until 2015 when the current family member in charge said they would sell it. But when the buyer got it back to Oklahoma and weighed his age against what another full restoration would require, he realized the time to undertake such a task had passed.
The 55-hp. L-head six engine
McConnell bought the De Soto and with it inherited the dilemma of exactly what to do with it. “I won’t restore it,” he said. “After all, they’re only original once. But I may improve some things, like the shredded upholstery, and get it operational for low-speed driving.”