Poll: Which '58? (11/4/2021)

DeSoto. To me the 1958 Buick and Oldsmobile are the worst styled Big Three cars of the 1950s. I wouldn't call the DeSoto an oil painting either, but it seems to be cohesive at least.

The GM styling cues do it for me in 58.

I voted for the DeSoto because I do not like the '58 Olds at all. But...I never liked the idea of the part-Dodge, part-DeSoto Firesweep model. Nor do I like the '58 - '59 Chrysler Windsor for the same reason!

DeSoto for me. It is not my favourite DeSoto but I find the 1958 Oldsmobile particularly ugly. Eye of the beholder, I guess.

DeSoto please.  '58 Buick/Olds the Astec of the 50's along with the '58 Edsel cars I consider ugly.

DeSoto. My feeling regarding the Olds have already been mentioned above.

The photos offered to compare these two cars is not really representative of the beauty of the '58 Oldsmobile.  To my eyes, though the '58 Olds didn't have the classic look of the previous years cars, it was miles ahead in looks when compared to anything that Chrysler Corp. or Ford Motor Co. offered.  I guess you can figure by my comments that I voted OLDSMOBILE.  And I offer this photo of a '58 Oldsmobile as a better example than the one offered above.  

@georgeschire - George, both cars pictured in my compare are entry level models. Your example is a high end Oldsmobile on not comparable to the entry level DeSoto. 

Posted by: @sizedoesmatter

@georgeschire - George, both cars pictured in my compare are entry level models. You example is a high end Oldsmobile on not comparable to the entry level DeSoto. 

Thanks John, point made.  I still choose the Oldsmobile. 

Sorry George no amount of pictures can make the 58 Olds look good. My biggest problem is the front fender trim and rear fender trim have no correlation to each other... one designer did the front and another did the rear and nobody stepped back and said" these don't go together". I'm guessing the body of the car probably looks pretty good underneath the mismatched overdone chrome laden trim but we'll never know.

I really like both of these Fiftiesmobiles. The swooping fins and Dodge-sourced chassis/styling are great on the DeSoto and I always loved the big, bold Oldsmobile (and all the GM Five for Fifty-Eight.) A neighbor had a beautiful black '58 Olds much like the one in the picture that I admired as a kid.  

DeSoto wins this one by a wide margin over the ugly Olds.   It is not nearly as nice looking as most DeSotos of the 57-59 era however.  To my eye this DeSoto grille detracts in a big way.

@jack-dodds 

I agree with you Jack, hence my comments above re: Firesweep. John did right to use it for his comparison of entry-level trim lines, but here's what a "proper" '58 DeSoto looks like from the front:

Desoto without a doubt!