Sarah's mom was a car nut! Here she is tinkering with her 57 T-bird, but wait til you read about the Duesenburg!

ok, not a posed photo, and I bet someone got slugged for taking a picture of her butt in the air... but a cool photo.

Get the rest of the story though, Sarah's mom bought her a Model A and started restoring it for her, around 1967, tore it apart and was getting progress made, joined the Model A club and had a great time, and then her husband died.

Sarah says the hobby probably helped her cope, and in her own words "Oh yeah she bought a Duesenberg with leather straps over the engine for $200 that was in somebody's shed, but sold it for $700. I would go with Mamma to the junkyards and was her 'spotter' for old cars, I was taller than she was...She kept saying she must have been crazy to buy it, but she had always wanted a Duesenberg like Dolores del Rio.

Yup she was pretty awesome "


wow. That has to be the only Duesy bought and sold by a mom who was into old cars. Who ever heard of another? 

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Joe Martin Foundation's Metalworking Craftsmen of the Year award winner Louis Chenot and his 1/8th scale fully operational 1932 SJ Duesenburg

 Louis Chenot  has spent the past ten years building this incredibly detailed 1932 SJ Duesenberg LaGrande dual-cowl phaeton. Not only does it look good, but the engine runs, the lights work, the top mechanism functions and the transmission and driveline are complete. Lou started his research on this project over fifty years ago with the purchase of a book and through the following years collected many drawings and studied a number of Duesenbergs while they were being restored, taking photos and recording dimensions

Lou was presented with a special Lifetime Achievement award by the Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship in 2009. The model was nearing completion but the engine had not yet run. Now that the engine runs and the model is completed, Lou has been selected as the foundation's "Metalworking Craftsman of the Year." The award includes an engraved award medallion and a check for $2000.00. Lou is the 15th person to receive this coveted annual award. Because it is likely that this could well be the finest running model car ever built in this small a scale, Lou's award this year will be presented as the "Craftsman of the Decade." More can be seen on this car and some of Lou's other projects at www.CraftsmanshipMuseum.com/Chenot.htm


See the outstanding work of Lou and 99 other world-class craftsmen at http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/

Thanks Randall!

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A Duesenburg was at the Good Guys in Del Mar... and the back seat cabinetry indicates why these cars were them most desired and most expensive American cars ever made

I've never noticed the brake lights on a Duesenburg before, these are cool!

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Celebrities and their cars

 1909 WC Fields in the back of his American Traveler

1910 Teddy Roosevelt in the back of a Mitchell

 1921 to 1924 Jack Dempsey behind the wheel of a very special McFarlan roadster

 1926 Babe Ruth being given an Auburn roadster

 Clark Gable in his famous 1936 Model J Duesenburg body by Bohman & Schwartz

The wonderful Mickey Rooney (loved his performance in Black Stallion) in a 1949 movie The Big Wheel

all found on http://theoldmotor.com/

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Duesenburgs

Arlington Sedan body by Rollston, described by the factory letter below

 supercharged, body by LaGrande

convertible sedan with glass partition between passengers and driver, body by Rollston, cost 17 thou when new, the most of any car at the show it was debuted at

 wow. If you have to impress an audience with a car, this would be the one

transformeable phaeton

found while digging through http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/

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Duesenburg on Pikes Peak, 1916

found on http://hellformotors.tumblr.com/

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If you love Duesenburgs, and are in Southern California, you might want to run over to the Lyon Air Museum, as 10 of the 378 known are on a short time display

images are just 2 of a full gallery you can look at over at Bill's blog: http://wildbillphoto.blogspot.com/2011/07/rare-deusenbergs-at-lyons-air-museum.html 

If you can get over to the museum, the exhibit of ten Duesenburgs from now til July 24th
One is the 1st Model J, 1929 dual cowl body by LeBaron , another is a 1929 Murphy bodied dual cowl, a 1930 Murphy Model J speedster, a 1931 model J Weymann bodied speedster, a 1931 model SJ Murphy bodied conv coupe,  and the 1935 SJ Gurney Nutting Speedster that was built for an Indian Maharaja, who wasn't keen on risking losing everything due to Japan invading so many neighboring countries, so he instead took delivery at his Santa Ana mansion. It was thought lost until 1959

the museum website http://www.lyonairmuseum.org/news/duesenberg-exhibit and it is located in 19300 Ike Jones Rd, Santa Ana

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The Roamer Duesenburg, 1921 Daytona Beach speed record holder

Roamer automobiles were built from 1919 to 1926 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They were 'assembled' automobiles, which means the components were purchased from automotive supplier companies and then assembled at Roamer's plant.

This was typical of many low volume automobile companies that did not have the resources to design and build their own parts. Roamers were known as sporty automobiles and their designs reflected the look of the Roaring 20's. Two models were produced http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15634/Roamer-Roadster.aspx

The Roamer was marketed from its inception as "America’s Smartest Car." It was also successful in many early racing events. After a Roamer with a Rochester-Duesenberg engine set six records for one kilometer, one-, two- three-, four- and five-mile sprints at Daytona Beach in 1921, the advertisements crowed, "America’s Smartest Car Makes America’s Fastest Mile."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barley_Motor_Car_Co.

More photos and info at http://theoldmotor.com/?p=25337

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48 years of family determination to restore a Duesenberg found in an LA junkyard in Dec 1952, the work continues

Above, 1934

Above 1951 and painted black

Above 1962, 10 years after being pulled from the junkyard

Above 2008

Above 2009

1929 Model J Duesenberg Kirchhoff Convertible Berline Sedan, J186-2208 was first purchased by the grandson of the president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company.

He purchased it when his Stutz steering locked up, and later when he saw a Kirchhoff, (former foreman for Murphy's coachbuilding company) convertible sedan he had one built for his Duesy.

It was sold in the mid 40's, went through several owners, and in 1951 threw a rod through the block and was sold to a junkyard in LA.

Gil Curtright was a car enthusiast who frequently looked through the neighborhood junkyards for car parts and had actually admired the Duesy at a 1946 hot rod show, and was friends with a guy who had taken a photo of the Duesy earlier that year at a car show, and may have tipped him off to the Duesy's whereabouts, but definitely helped him haul it from the junkyard and cost him 500 dollars. It was one of 2 Duesenbergs pulled from the junkyard that day, the other was restored in a short time and was in the Elvis movie "Spin out"

in 1998, all the chassis parts were moved to a shop to begin the restoration. In the spring of 2006 the body was transported and has since been painted and installed on the frame. In 2008, the car was moved to a new shop, where the restoration continues.

I learned about this car yesterday, and it's possible that I might get to take photos of it when circumstances allow. The full story can be found at http://www.curtright.us/F4146E38-271E-4b39-87A2-1EE2B16FEC4B/Duesenberg.htm

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I found the portfolio of an incredible photographer, James Haefner, here are a couple to entice you with, go to his website for his portfolio

See all of his incredible work (about 40 superb photos in the Automotive Vintage section)
and more in the other sections if you also like automotive advertising, architectural, and etcetera
1930 Duesenburg detail

Bucciali doorhandle detail

Panhard Levassor

The factory 1967 test GTX that is famous for the great lengths that Chrylser Research and Development engineers went through to make the Silver Bullet (a name coined by Ro McGonegal and the Car Craft story specifically) nothing less than a factory-backed car purpose-built for STREET RACERING on Woodward Avenue; running 10.60s at 132 mph

http://www.silverbulletgtx.com/history/bullet.html

or read Car Craft's write up (good one!) and full gallery http://www.carcraft.com/featuredvehicles/906_1967_plymouth_belvedere_gtx/index.html

The street car converted into a diner at the Henry Ford Museum

All of these photos courtesy and permission of James Haefner PhotographyPortfolio: http://www.haefnerphoto.com/

Copywrite of James Haefner

1960 Thunderbird

Troy, Michigan 48084

ph: 248 362 6850

800 670 7035

fax: 248 362 6858

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1902 Duesenburg. Yup, not the car, but by the car maker before he turned to automotive manufacturing

Before earning legendary status in Indy car racing and creating the mighty Duesenberg Model J motorcar in 1928, Fred Duesenberg created a motorcycle in 1902 that featured a unique rotary valve. Only one was produced before his attention turned to the new automotive industry.

Via: http://thenewcaferacersociety.blogspot.com/2009/01/its-duesy.html

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Jay Leno's Duesenberg Collection

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/specials/episode/0,2046,DIY_14360_51028,00.html

and for a good over all write up about Jay's collection and garage: http://www.forbes.com/2000/12/18/1218lenols.html

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A must read! Sleeping Beauties -- Great Barn Finds

Tantalizing tales of barn finds have been circulating for as long as people have been collecting old cars. Enthusiasts still talk about Barney Pollard, a mysterious 1950s-era Chicago collector who amassed hundreds of old crocks from the teens and '20s. He removed front bumpers, drained fluids and then stored them vertically so he could cram still more cars in his warehouses. When he died, his collection was sold and the cars dispersed. Alexander K. Miller, an eccentric miser, and his wife Imogene, owned some 50 rare cars, primarily Stutzes (his nickname was "Stutzee"), along with stacks of parts. The Millers moved to Vermont and began filling barns and garages with many once-fine cars. A.K. and his wife lived frugally, dressed in ragged clothing, had no central heat, paid no taxes, bought old cars and parts as cheaply as they could and eventually secreted nearly $1 million in gold and silver bullion, coins and valuables on their property. In 1996 Sotheby's auctioned off the Miller estate.
1927 Model X Duesenberg sedan It had been parked since 1947.
Because it was just sort of parked, and everything was oily when it was parked, everything moved and everything was free. The windows were left rolled up so nothing got in there. Two of its tires still held air, and the other two were rock solid. The old fellow bought the car in Chicago, had it shipped out here by train, and towed it with a chain to his garage. And then he never ran it. One of 4 known to exist, one of 14 made http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ab_auto_restoration/article/0,2021,DIY_13680_5548073,00.html

1937 Horch Model 853 Cabriolet imported by an American GI after the war, then sold to a New York enthusiast who decided he didn't like the car and tucked it away for 50 years

Duesenberg sedan Jay Leno also managed to free this Duesenberg sedan that was left in a New York City parking structure in 1933 but the garage was remodeled in the mid-'60s and got a new elevator that's about a foot and a half shorter than the old one. The Duesy was stuck.
 1931 Duesenberg Model J,  — the only Model J with a town car body by F.R. Wood and Sons of New York — was built for a department store owner, who locked it away in a parking garage off Park Avenue in New York City in 1931, perhaps out of fear of appearing too ostentatious during the Great Depression. The owner’s son removed it briefly in the 1950s to get it running again, then returned it to the garage, where it fell into disrepair. When Leno learned the car would be available for sale, he negotiated a fair price and turned it over to Duesenberg expert Randy Ema, who completed a comprehensive restoration. 
Delahaye Type 135 M Roadster now in the Peterson collection, was found in 1992 under an olive tree in the Algerian mountains virtually complete and purchased for the sum of just 60 British pounds! http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z9207/Delahaye-Type-135M-Competition--LWB.aspx

1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante Coupe. Left to rot in a garage in Pound Ridge, New York, for 45 years http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2007/06/in-new-york-garage-since-1962-1938.html

Rolls-Royce Phantom I Hibbard & Darrin-bodied convertible sedan had been a "Welcome to Hollywood" gift to actress Marlene Dietrich from producer Josef von Sternberg. This opulent car co-starred with Dietrich and Gregory Peck in the film classic, Morocco. It was in Golden Colorado from the mid 40's, and used until the late 60's. In 1974 the owner died, the inheritors started a restoration, dissassembled it, and for the next 20 years is remained in parts... til 1994 http://books.google.com/books?id=vhz_jw1_It4C "the Cobra In The Barn"

1934 Ford custom speedster originally built for Edsel B. Ford. After Ford's passing in 1943, this car found its way from Michigan to California and then to Florida where it was stored for 40 years, and dug out of obscurity by the head of the Amelia Island Concours http://www.classicaldrives.com/50226711/edsel_ford_design_genius_lost.php

1953 Ferrari 375M Sypder Began its life as the winner of the 1953 Nürburgring 1,000 Kilometers. It was purchased by amateur racer racer Lou Brero in Oct 1955 for $3500, raced for 3 months, the heads cracked. Lou died, his son disassembled the powertrain fromt he body, and stores it in 2 padlocked tractor-trailers for 39 years in Arcarta California.

The roof rusted away on the trailer and the car felt the elements. It had been driven by the great European racers, Villoresi, Ascari, Farina, Chinetti, de Portago, and then by the great American racers Phil Hill, Ken Miles and even Carroll Shelby.

http://marksavory.com/0286am/index.html

http://www.tamsoldracecarsite.net/Ferrari375MM.html

1937 Packard Model 120-C Convertible Sedan, owned by Nicola Bulgari, this dusty Packard had been stored in a dilapidated Pennsylvania building since 1969. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/07/slideshow-and-story-about-car.html

1951 So-Cal Speed Shop Special bellytanker now owned by Bruce Meyer, this was built and raced by Alex Xydias, proprieter of he So-Cal Speedshop http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/12/bruce-meyer-car-guy-preserver-of.html

1940 Coachcraft Mercury Speedster, bought by Derby, a 12 yr old, from the Brucker "Cars of the Stars" museum, and his parents garaged the car for 20 years until Derby had enough money to restore it.

http://my.algeria.com/forums/open-board-forum-libre/22091-barn-finds.html

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