Model J 1933 Duesenburg with Torpedo Convertible body by Rollston of New York

never use grease or oil

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? 

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!

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!

Duesenburg on Pikes Peak, 1916

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

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

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