DeSoto Suburban History
A long-wheelbase eight-passenger DeSoto (1946–1954) — a roomy sedan-wagon hybrid for taxi, livery and large-family use.
Photo: “1947 DeSoto Suburban” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
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The DeSoto Suburban, built from 1946 through the 1954 model year, was a long-wheelbase eight-passenger car riding a 139.5-inch wheelbase — far longer than a standard DeSoto. Its versatile interior, roof rack, and fold-flat seating made it a roomy people- and cargo-hauler, popular with taxi, hotel, and airport-livery operators.
Powered by Chrysler's inline six, the Suburban blended sedan, limousine, and wagon roles into one body and is sometimes cited as a distant conceptual ancestor of the modern crossover. It was retired after 1954 as DeSoto moved into the V8, Forward Look era.
Generations
Long-wheelbase series · Eight-passenger Suburban
Photo: “1947 DeSoto Suburban” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Long-wheelbase eight-passenger DeSoto on a 139.5-inch wheelbase.
1946 Photo: “1946 DeSoto Suburban D11 Sedan” by Sicnag / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1947 Photo: “1947 DeSoto Suburban” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- Long-wheelbase sedan
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