Trailblazers paid the price for being first. Their technological or stylistic achievements were greeted in the marketplace with hesitation and suspicion. They are wonderful mid-1930s cars with unmatched drivability.The History of the Automobile is littered with tales of cars so advanced that they flopped. I feel the sedans are slightly more underappreciated and undervalued. All Airflow Coupes, including the De Soto Coupe, are sought after, but still remain, in my opinion, a real bargain. While all Airflows were looked at with raised eyebrows in an era where long, square hoods connoted power and prestige, their somewhat stubby, rounded appearance seems to be more accepted today. Most, if not all, of the 'firsts' embodied in Airflows found themselves incorporated into all automobiles before too long. They are certainly historically significant and influential. He continues, 'I think the De Sotos in general-and the 1934 model in particular-are a bit undervalued. It is much closer, as finally produced, to the prototype Airflow, the Trifon Special, and is the true embodiment of the Airflow intent: 'Fashioned by Function.' The Chrysler Airflow added two cylinders, some length and girth and a bit more luxury, but the 1934 De Sotos are, in my opinion, more artfully trimmed out, with far more Art Deco influence and a bit more 'bling' than the Chryslers.'

'I believe the 1934 De Soto is a highly desirable and collectible car. The upscale Brougham and Town Sedan range from $12,500 to $29,500, while the incredibly streamlined Coupe commands between $13,500 and $42,000.įrank Daly, president of the Airflow Club of America, weighs in on this model. According to recent NADA Guides, our feature Sedan has values ranging from $11,500 to $27,000.

The De Soto Airflow Sedan's $995 price was not inexpensive in that Depression era: It's the equivalent of $17,700 in 2015 dollars, and that's roughly the average value of this model 81 years later.ĭe Soto also offered the Airflow in two-door Coupe and Brougham trims, and as a four-door Town Sedan. The buying public stayed away in droves, with total production amounting to only 13,940 cars, 11,713 of which were the six-passenger, four-door Sedan seen here. Chrysler-branded Airflows are more recognizable, but it was the De Soto subsidiary that went all-in for 1934, the Airflow's debut year while Chrysler offered conventionally-designed cars in its 1934 lineup to appeal to less adventurous buyers, all De Soto models that year were Airflows. This model-called the 'Airflow De Soto' in period advertisements, emphasizing the body design over the model-was, along with its Chrysler equivalents, a clean-sheet design that would set the standard for coming decades. What about a car that was largely rejected by the buying public when it was new? Could groundbreaking design and engineering make up for low recognizability and limited production numbers? For the 1934 De Soto Airflow, the answer is no, but that's why it's remained an incredible collector-car bargain for decades.

One of the standard measures in determining the potential collectibility of a vehicle is to look at how popular it was when it was new this explains the enduring appeal of cars like Ford's Model A and Tri-Five Chevrolets.

1934 desoto airflow for sale