New for 1949, the Station Wagon body style returned to the DeSoto range for the first time since the Cantrell-bodied chassis of the 1930s. With shorter overhangs and a taller roof, it featured an updated tooth-like grill with a center peak and taillights set within tall, narrow housings. Like parent-company Chrysler’s concurrent Town and Country models, the DeSoto DeLuxe Station Wagon featured beautifully crafted ash-wood exterior framing. A surprisingly rare automobile, its mid-year production start resulted in only 850 wagons for the 1949 model.

This example is said to have been delivered new to Quincy, Illinois and subsequently purchased from the original owner by another resident of the town. In 2005, it entered the esteemed collection of Sonny Schwartz.

Finished in maroon over brown, it features a spotlight, sun visor, driver side mirror, and yellow tinted fog lamps, which enhance the exterior presentation. The interior is equally charming with its faux-wood dash housing a clock, radio, and heater. Under the hood is DeSoto’s L-head inline six-cylinder engine paired with a three-speed Fluid Drive transmission.

Given the limited production and beauty of DeSoto’s attractive ash-wood-framed station wagon of 1949, this represents a rare opportunity for collectors of off-beat American automobiles and those seeking a companion or alternative to the Chrysler Town and Country.