Duesenberg Motors

01/06/2025

J-251 / 2259]...
1929 Duesenberg Model J St. Cloud Sedan by Weymann. 

Charles Terres Weymann (1889–1976) was a French-American aviation pioneer and automotive innovator who brought aircraft engineering principles to car body design. Born to an American father and French mother aboard a ship near Haiti, Weymann was raised in France. He earned his pilot’s license in 1909 and soon gained fame in European aviation, winning the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1911. During World War I, he worked as a test pilot for the French aircraft company Nieuport, and was honored with the Croix de Guerre and named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.

After the war, Weymann applied his aviation knowledge to automobiles, inventing the Weymann Flexible Body System. Introduced in 1921, it used an ash wood frame joined by metal brackets and separated by paper and spacers to reduce squeaks. The framework was covered in fabric layers—muslin, cotton, and synthetic leather like Dupont Zapon—resulting in a lightweight, quiet, and flexible body. His designs featured innovations like adjustable seatbacks and rounded corners reinforced by metal panels. These patents were licensed to top European coachbuilders, and by the mid-1920s, Weymann had established factories and offices in Paris, London, New York, and Cologne. Over 120 coachbuilders worldwide used his system, including those building bodies for Voisin, Delage, and Hotchkiss. By the 1930s, all-metal car bodies became the norm, and the Weymann system fell out of favor.

Long existing in the two-tone colors of green and yellow, this Duesenberg has been beautifully restored by and .

01/06/2025

[J-510 / 2540]...
1933 Duesenberg Model SJ Sweep Panel Long-Wheelbase Dual Cowl Phaeton by LaGrande

Now known as the ‘Mexico City’ car, it was delivered new to Wall Street trader Bernard E. Smith on August 22, 1933. In the early 1940s, Smith entered into a business venture in Mexico, where he helped fund the construction of the Hipodromo de las Americas, a horse racing track near Mexico City. It was either sold or gifted to the Hipodromo’s general manager and promoter, Bruno Paglie who kept the phaeton until 1950, when it was acquired by Valentine G. Melgarejo, a used car dealer with a flair for promotion and an eye for business. Using the Duesenberg to advertise his business, Melgarejo waited patiently as the market for such opulent classic cars began to rebound. Even after U.S. collectors became aware of its presence, Melgarejo rebuffed any attempts at buying the car, remaining its caretaker for 18 years. In 1968, persistence paid off for Dr. William J. Wetta, a classic-car enthusiast from Alabama who trailered his new prize home from Mexico, In 1983, it sold at a Christies auction to General William Lyon, a retired major general in the United States Air Force, noted car collector, and Orange County, California, real estate developer. He kept the car for the next quarter century. Subsequently sold in 2017 for $2.3M. Currently owned by Thomas Maoli.

01/06/2025

[J-490 / 2505]…
1932 Duesenberg Model J Victoria Coupe by Rollston.

This Duesenberg, originally owned by Richard Norris of Chicago, has a storied history, passing through the hands of several notable figures, including Lewis McComb Herzog, Richard Weil, and WWII veteran Edward R. Kersh. In 1950, it was acquired by Rodgers Wheeler, an early member of the Classic Car Club of America, and later by Max and Cecile Obie, who displayed it at fairs and carnivals.

Dr. Samuel Scher, a renowned New York plastic surgeon, owned it before selling it in 1965 to Robert Atwell of Texas, who restored and exhibited the car at his museum. J-490 earned significant accolades, including a First Place at the ACD Club National Reunion. After 51 years with the Atwell family, the car was sold in 2016 to a dedicated enthusiast who has continued to restore and showcase it, including at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Credit:
RM Sothebys
Conceptcarz
Steve Brown

01/06/2025

[J-490 / 2505]…
1932 Duesenberg Model J Victoria Coupe by Rollston.

01/06/2025

[J-318 / 2323]…
1931 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Barrelside Phaeton by LeBaron.

Placard from the first owner, William Keane Ryan Jr. (1902-1969) of Manhattan. His grandfather was a Gilded Age railway and to***co magnate named Thomas Fortune Ryan. It was originally finished in a two-tone beige and brown color scheme and cost $18,000. William was just 28 years old at the time and had the car delivered in Paris for an extensive road trip around Europe.

According to various accounts, the new Duesenberg was delivered to Ryan Jr. in Paris, with shipping papers addressed in care of Munroe & Company, an American bank operating in France, with headquarters located at 4 Rue Ventadour, near the exclusive Opera District. Apparently 28-year-old Ryan Jr. and his younger brother Thomas Fortune Ryan III – later a co-owner of Lockheed Aircraft – “raced” the Model J around Europe for about a year before selling it upon their return to New York.

01/06/2025

[J-395 / 2414]…
1931 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe Murphy.

01/06/2025

01/06/2025

Pebble 2024☀️😍

01/06/2025

[J-302 / 2317]…
1930 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Torpedo Convertible Coupe Murphy.

Only six “Disappearing Top” Torpedo Convertible Coupes were created and they were considered the pinnacle of Murphy’s work on Duesenberg chassis. These cars combined the standard convertible coupe’s lines with a tapered “boattail” deck, often finished in bare aluminum extending forward through the beltline and down the car’s cowl.

The first owner of one such car, Duesenberg J-302, was Anne Burnett. Born on October 15, 1900, in Fort Worth, Texas, Anne was a notable rancher, art collector, and philanthropist. Raised on the family ranch near Iowa Park, she learned ranching from local Comanches and the Triangle Ranch cowboys. After her parents’ divorce in 1918, she lived with her mother and grandparents in Fort Worth. In 1922, at the age of 21, Anne inherited the 6666 Ranch and substantial oil interests from her grandfather, Samuel Burk Burnett. By age 33, she was one of the largest landholders in the world, with over half a million acres. Her success in ranching made her one of Texas’s wealthiest ranchers after her father’s death in 1938. In 1940, she helped found the American Quarter Horse Association in Fort Worth.

Anne married four times, lastly to Charles Tandy, founder of the Tandy Corporation, which became Radio Shack. They lived in a house designed by architect I.M. Pei in Westover Hills, Texas. Known as “Miss Anne,” she left a lasting legacy in ranching and horse breeding. After Anne, the Duesenberg J-302 was owned by Charles Norris and General William Lyon.

01/06/2025

[J-461 / 2490]…
1934 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Convertible Top Coupe by Murphy.

In 1931, Siegfried Roebling purchased Duesenberg J-461 as a LaGrande “Sweep Panel” Dual-Cowl Phaeton. Siegfried was the great-grandson of John Augustus Roebling, a German-born American civil engineer who designed the Brooklyn Bridge.

In 1932, the car was damaged, and in 1934; a used body from the Walter M. Murphy Co. of Pasadena, California, was fitted. This disappearing-top convertible coupe with rumble seat was even more unique than other similar Murphy creations in that it had dual rear-mounted spares with a custom bumper, and thus lacked the dual sidemount spares seen on most Duesenbergs.

William Buddig of Chicago later acquired J-461 and entrusted its restoration to his friend and Duesenberg specialist, Fran Roxas. Upon completion in 1985, the car was strikingly finished in solid black and went on to win numerous prestigious awards.

In the mid 2000s, this Duesenberg was part of Jerry J. Moore’s vast car collection in Texas.

To be auctioned by Gooding & Company at their Pebble Beach auction next month. Est: $3,500,000 – $4,250,000

29/01/2024

In 1925, a 1-story brick automobile showroom and garage was built for Duesenberg Motors at 5620 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. This location was perfect to catch the eye of actors and directors who worked at studios in the area.

As studios moved further west, along with its wealthy clientele, Duesenberg moved as well. In 1931, company owner E.L. Cord built a new landmark showroom at 3443 Wilshire Boulevard, which featured a sandstone and marble exterior and a 30 foot tower. The old location would then be used as a dance studio, another car dealership, and a later as a roller rink. In 1995, the entire block was repurposed as a Home Depot.

Credit:
Jhgraham.com
Tim Blankenship