If the Chrysler Corporation hadn’t killed off the DeSoto division, the 1962 model probably would have looked something like this.

In the early spring of 1959, there was still serious thought at the Chrysler Corporation to continuing the DeSoto division, as shown in this beautifully rendered proposal for a 1962 four-door hardtop by Chrysler stylist John Samsen, above. But as we know now with the benefit of hindsight, the situation at DeSoto was in fact rapidly deteriorating. There were only two DeSoto models for 1960, Fireflite and Adventurer, and only a single model for 1961, which was discontinued in November of 1960—only 47 days after its introduction. (See our feature on the final 1961 DeSotos here.)

But if there had been a 1962 DeSoto, Chrysler insiders say, it would have looked much like the car shown just below and also in the lead photo at the top of the page. Based on the same 122-inch wheelbase platform as the Chrysler Newport, the studio mockup wore DeSoto Adventurer badging, ’59 DeSoto wheel covers, and a distinctive two-tone paint motif on the roof and sail panels—the latter no doubt to provide visual differentiation from the rest of the Chrysler corporate lineup. This proposal was actually approved for production for the 1962 model year, it is said, before the entire DeSoto division was killed outright in November of 1960.

But wait, there’s more, as they used to say on late-night TV. As hardcore Mopar fans know, there was a DeSoto in 1962, but not in the United States. Chrysler of South Africa (below) badged and sold a version of the Dodge Dart 440 that year as the DeSoto Diplomat. (DeSoto Diplomat was a recurring name for Chrysler export and international models.) There was also a South African version of the Dodge Lancer  in ’62 that was marketed as the DeSoto Rebel. And oddly enough, there was also a DeSoto truck produced in Turkey well into the 21st century, but that’s a story for another day.