Changes were few and modest: an upper-grille molding that extended beneath the headlamps, optional lamps atop the fenders, and the elimination of hoodside moldings. The opulent New Yorker Brougham boasted standard leather, velour, or brocade upholstery, plus shag carpeting, "test-tube" walnut appliques, and filigree moldings. Fireflite offered all these plus a convertible; Firedome was the same but had no wagons. Deluxe interiors were the big attraction: jacquard cloth and textured vinyl, plus pull-down center armrests. Reflecting its true character were interiors upholstered in crushed velour or vinyl with brocade cloth. Identified outside only by small nameplates and inside by luxurious leather and Bedford cloth trim, it sold for about $75 more than the regular Town Sedan. At $4369, the '58 Adventurer ragtop was the most-expensive DeSoto ever, though Chrysler's convertible 300D cost nearly $1300 more. Among them were two new "Turboflash" DeSoto engines. Much bolder, fully up-to-date new Exner styling and more-powerful engines stood to turn things around for 1955. Firedome (the "d" no longer capitalized) now played "second banana" to a new uplevel Fireflite line. The 440s stood pat for 1968-69, but the 383s were retuned to 290 and 330 bhp, this despite the advent of federal emissions standards.

A reminder, but not a revival, of the great letter-series in 1970 was Chrysler's 300-H. The "H" stood for Hurst, maker of the floor-mounted shifter used for the TorqueFlite automatic. As a result, letter-series volume dropped from about 1600 for '61 to just 558. Arriving as 1963 "spring specials" were a 300 Pace Setter hardtop and convertible and the New Yorker Salon hardtop sedan. The last of the true letter-series cars was the 300L of 1965. It saw 2845 copies, including a mere 440 convertibles. Engine choices for '65 involved 270- and 315-bhp 383s for Newport and 300, a 413 with 340 or 360 bhp for New Yorker and 300L. The more-potent 383 gained 10 horses for '66, when a huge 440 big-block arrived as standard New Yorker fare, rated at 350 bhp. Rated horsepower was 185 for Firedomes, 200 for Fireflites. Horsepower seemed to climb right along with sales.

Sales sank mightily in the wake of the first energy crisis despite a completely redesigned crop of 1974 models, still on a 124-inch wheelbase but about five inches shorter than the "fuselage" generation. The '86 figure was even better, reflecting the fact that it was one of Detroit's strongest sales years of the decade. Standard wheelbase was four inches longer at 125.5, but boxy, upright styling hid the fact. Wheelbase was a trim 109.5 inches through 1965, then 110.9 (113 for wagons). LeBaron got greater emphasis for 1978 with the addition of downpriced S versions and a brace of Town & Countrys, the latter replacing full-size Chrysler wagons. All offered 90- and 110-bhp versions of the hoary 225-cid "Slant Six" as alternatives to optional 140- and 155-bhp 318-cid V-8s. Engines and power ratings swelled, but the complex Hemi was ever costly to build, so Chrysler began switching to cheaper wedgehead V-8s for '58. Minus the Pace Setters, this lineup repeated for '64 with largely untouched engines and styling. CJ. The venerable Jeep Station Wagon, first introduced in 1946, had remained in the lineup through 1965 despite being overshadowed when it was joined, in 1963, by the all-new Wagoneer. The '58 lineup returned along with a new Firesweep convertible.

Adventurers carried the 305-horsepower 383 from the now-departed Firedome; Fireflites had the 295-horsepower 361 from the '59 Firesweep. A low-cost Firesweep series based on the 122-inch Dodge platform joined the line in an effort to extend DeSoto's market territory. Carrying a new 341-cid, 320-horsepower Hemi, it was part of that year's expanded Highland Park performance squadron along with the Chrysler 300B, Plymouth Fury, and Dodge D-500. It was all part of a planned, protracted rollout intended to build buzz for the new T-Bird. You don't mess with success in Detroit, and Ford didn't with the '56 T-Bird. But help was already onboard in the person of newly named chairman Lee A. Iacocca, the recently ousted president of Ford who'd arrived in late 1978. He arrived none too soon. But a new philosophy was emerging that echoed some 1958 remarks of then-outgoing president K.T. Energy use corresponds to power multiplied by time. It was also fairly thrifty, returning up to 22 mpg with gentle use. To help prevent field paint adhesion issues with galvanized deck, it’s best to use a galvanized and prime painted finish when a galvanized metal N roof deck is to be field painted.