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!

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/

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/

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

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

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

Classifieds, all sorts of amazing finds; Duesenburgs, '35 and '39 Bugatti type 57-c, Tucker, Lincoln