Harold Walton says he waited for 65 years to finally own his 1936 DeSoto Airflow. `I'm a patient man,' he adds, with considerable understatement.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The DeSoto Airflow's art decco waterfall grille flows smoothly from the front bumper up over the curving hood.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
This old Airflow isn't exactly a showroom stock version, as the twin carbs and aftermarket air box under the hood prove. It produces a pleasing rumble through the split exhaust manifold and dual glasspack mufflers.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Harold Walton believes the upholstery in his DeSoto Airflow may be original; the front seating is spacious and looks like an expensive couch.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Who wouldn't feel welcome climbing into the inviting confines of Harold Walton's 1936 DeSoto Airflow, with its wide-open doors beckoning?
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The curved, sloping roofline flowing into the subdued deck was what captured Walton's imagination back in the day. A closer look reveals dual exhaust tips under the back bumper.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Designers even spiced up the beautiful fender skirts with decorative diecast winged emblems.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A pair of streamlined air vents mark each side of the engine compartment and help to route heat out from under the hood.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Hood emblems were bold design statements in the 1930s, and the DeSoto Airflow was no exception, with a winged woman topping the grille shell.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Even the exterior door handles were artistic expressions on the Airflow, with a series of arches complementing the horizontal levers.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Overstuffed elegance is the only way to describe the seating for rear passengers; button-tufted upholstery and armrests were standard equipment.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The DeSoto Airflow came equipped with full instrumentation, including a clock in the passenger-side glove compartment. The driver had his own glove box; the cranks atop the dash open cowl vents for ventilation.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The steering wheel is smaller than one might expect for a car not equipped with power steering. The three-speed transmission is moved through the gears by a long floor shift lever, while the overdrive is controlled by a dash-mounted button marked `Gas Saver.'
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The rear passenger assist bar and woodgrained trim panel complete the back of the front seat.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The spare tire nestles under a wooden platform in the trunk, which features a power radio antenna, added after the car was converted to a 12-volt electrical system.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Diamond tufted upholstery was an unusually fine touch for a Depression-era automobile.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ginny Walton's brother, Ed, restored their dad's 1965 Barracuda coupe, built the year she was born. Two years ago on Father's Day, Harold Walton presented the car to her.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ed Walton ensconced in the engine bay of one of his MoPar projects.
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Ed Walton / Courtesy
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