trimacar Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Well, I was holding this story back but can't wait any longer to share the news. I've discussed this car before on the forum, an undiscovered Duesenberg.I was finally able to see the car, and buy it! It's a 1932 J, LeBaron sedan. Pictures and numbers to follow.I'm going to need to sell almost all my cars to finance the acquisition, but will be keeping the Pierce phaeton along with the Duesy....This has been a dream of mine for so long, and just thrilled to finally have found such a car!In order to keep the Pierce, my wife and I are going to sell our house too, and build one of those tiny houses, about 800 square feet. Since we like to cook so much, it'll be mostly kitchen, with a bunk bed and a blow up mattress for guests who want to come see the two cars. Since I'll still be in debt for the car, will have to charge admission to see it, of course, but admission will include a free Cajun meal!I'm so excited, I just can't hide it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Your alarm clock hasn't gone off yet.... has it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryLime Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Ah.....first of April ! Thanks for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Congratulations, David. Only issue, is well, finding parts could become even more challenging, David, as I understand HERCO has sold out to a Chinese company and the Hershey meet will no longer be happening. Something about the high risk of having internal combustion engines around food manufacturing and the desire to keep the amusment park open later into the year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dl456 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I was fooled. Only because it sounds like something I might do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 There are no undiscovered Model J Duesnebergs so that part never rings true. There are a few that are under wraps but certainly not undiscovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Well, I was holding this story back but can't wait any longer to share the news. I've discussed this car before on the forum, an undiscovered Duesenberg.I was finally able to see the car, and buy it! It's a 1932 J, LeBaron sedan. Pictures and numbers to follow.I'm going to need to sell almost all my cars to finance the acquisition, but will be keeping the Pierce phaeton along with the Duesy....This has been a dream of mine for so long, and just thrilled to finally have found such a car!CONGRATULATIONS ! I expect your dream was also shared by many of us in our 70s and 80s. We who had the dream over 50 or 60 years ago could not have foreseen the evolving price escalation that would keep the dream naught but a dream. Guys in their 80s , yeah , could have done , but I , like most of us in the early 70s end of the spectrum , fell short. I , as most of us old car folk do , sacrifice for my passion. It has allowed me to have a pair of well matched old Cadillacs. They make a perfect roaring '20s garage , such as might have been the pleasure of a fairly well-to-do gent in that pre-depression period. Both cars are original , unrestored , number 3 drivers. An "all there" '24 7 pass touring serves as the "Summer Car" as condition throughout ( e.g. side curtains - virtually as new , and spokes ) attests to . The original Michigan owner might well have had a "Winter Car" like my '27 std. 5 pass sedan . Together , they make a period correct whole greater than the sum of its parts.YOUR garage , my fortunate friend : Period correct , depression era preserved wealth ! What a "Summer Car" !! What a "Winter Car" !!! Man ! You have done the right thing ! I have no idea the logistics of your building the small house to accommodate your fun new lifestyle , but consider , if possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 There are no undiscovered Model J Duesnebergs so that part never rings true. There are a few that are under wraps but certainly not undiscovered.Yep. That had me curious. I then threw the yellow flag on "LeBaron sedan." Good try, David. I'm glad you did it, because it reminds me to call my dad to wish him a happy birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Oh , I see ! Chuckle , laugh ! But what a nice fantasy to offset the the eternal showers , now April , that keep us so wet , but water wealthy in the Pacific Northwest. And thanks ! Now I better get ready for other well laid humor ! Still smiling , thinking of putting a period correct facia and door on the garage to house the pair ! - Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I was fooled. Only because it sounds like something I might do.Yeah , me too ! In fact , that is exactly what I DID , late in life when I found the exquisite '27 Cad sedan. I had been looking for that half of the now pair that I have for over 20 years. Stumbled into it recently in the end game of declining health. Now or never , I chose NOW ! GREAT satisfaction. Working on that car might have saved my life from my second heart attack. But that is another story. Suffice iit to say , that beautiful old car , in its lovely original dark green paint keeps me very happy in my old age. A great decision. - CARL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 I've now heard more from my wife, she says she's sleeping in the little house, I have to sleep in the Duesenberg......There's a fellow in Virginia, not far from where I live, that up until a few years ago had a Duesenberg sedan that no one knew about. He was very secretive, as he almost had it stolen from him once a number of years ago. He came home from lunch, and a rollback was pulling the car out of his driveway, without his permission. He could think of nothing to do so he rammed his car into the truck, stopping it, to recover his car. Someone had hired the driver to "steal" the car, although the driver said he was just doing what was asked of him.When his name, location, and circumstance, was mentioned to some ACD people who know where they all are located, no one knew of the car. I still believe it's the last "undiscovered" car, although he now states that he sold it back to the original family....but others say that is to mislead the curious about the car.No need to make any posts about "can't be true", maybe it's not, but there are a lot of old timers in the local club that say it is true...If anyone knows of such a sedan sold in the last few years back to a family, that would be of interest... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I heard about that Duesenberg Sedan years ago and I certainly hope the story is true. Closest we ever came to owning a Dues was in 1970 or so. A local collector whose name might still be familiar to a few here located a Limo sitting in a machine shop about 4 miles from here. Being short of cash the collector tried to get my Dad to loan him the $ to buy the car. Dad refused because "what kind of a fool would pay $10,000 for a ratty Duesenberg?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Hmmm , so REALLY ? This time am I fooled again ? So there really may be a flame behind the smoke ? I don't see why anyone would have to ram his car into the truck. But in my life I have over reacted in the heat of the moment as many do. Yeah , I had just started to wake up out here , when I made my usual morning rounds. Started composing my congrats , still 1/4 asleep , as the then first response. I can say unequivocally , this is the most interesting April fool I have ever been ! I was about 15 years old when Gil Duffy gave me my first ride in a Duesenberg , his SJ , which he told me came out of Argentina. What a thrill ! And again thank you so much for a thrilling awakening this April 1st ! - Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 This does come up every now and then and the last truly undiscovered Model J was back in the early 1960s. The problem is that for it to be really truly not be known it would have to have disappeared in the 1940s before Ron Wolf started tracking every chassis.I have a buddy who I think is about as knowledgeable on this as anyone save maybe Randy and he thinks if there is one it would be in Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 It's a big world out there, and I think there are still some fascinating automotive finds yet to be made......time will tell!Happy April First to all! May the bluebird of happiness depart your shoulder leaving nothing behind....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Henderson Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Truth of the matter is that no one can say with absolute certainty that there are no more undiscovered Duesenbergs. Not all of them have been accounted for. Think about it, only when one is discovered does it become known that an undiscovered one has been found. Ok, that's getting a bit philosophical, I'll admit. But how about this, does this one count? There is at least one Duesenberg that was wrecked in an accident, allegedly parted out, and reported on by an unimpeachable authority who said about the accident, "after which it was not reconstructed". Guess what, it has been. Who said reincarnation was only for people.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BillP Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Of the original approximately 16 Jaguar XKSS's built, all 28 of them still exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Normally I'm cautious on the absolutes when it comes to how many of a particular car are left. You just never know. But at least once a year somebody will mention an undiscovered Model J (think about the one Jay Leno bought out of the parking garage) that is not really "unknown". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Well, didn't mean for this to turn into an April 1st discussion on survival....but one more comment.Since there exists a record of all Duesenbergs built, with motor numbers, then I agree there are no "unknown" Duesenbergs.I think the better question is "Does there exist on Earth a Duesenberg that no one in the general ACD collecting circles is aware of, and in fact the only person that knows it exists is the owner, and maybe a family member or two, and/or a close friend".I think the answer to that question is yes, and at some point the owner will age or pass, and a Duesenberg will emerge that, at this point, no one thinks still exists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee-action Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I must be the most gullible person on the planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 There's no such word as "gullible", go look in the dictionary...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BillP Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 In rare form today, Mr. Coco:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee-action Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 That's twice. I didn't look it up in the dictionary, but I did Google it. Oh my...oh my...oh my... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Henderson Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Well, didn't mean for this to turn into an April 1st discussion on survival....but one more comment.Since there exists a record of all Duesenbergs built, with motor numbers, then I agree there are no "unknown" Duesenbergs.I think the better question is "Does there exist on Earth a Duesenberg that no one in the general ACD collecting circles is aware of, and in fact the only person that knows it exists is the owner, and maybe a family member or two, and/or a close friend".I think the answer to that question is yes, and at some point the owner will age or pass, and a Duesenberg will emerge that, at this point, no one thinks still exists.A very wealthy man passed away and his last wish was to be buried in his Duesenberg. As the mighty car was being lowered, one grave digger turned and said to another, "man, that's really living!" So David, the point is, don't discount there being ones that exist but aren't on the FACE of the earth. Sorry, couldn't resist.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 A man sold everything and, gave up his home, and lost his wife to own a Dusenberg. It was rumored he died alone and homeless. Still after losing all he requested to be buried in the car. A charitable piper recalls the story:As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the Kentucky back country.As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn’t stop for directions.I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.And as I played Amazing Grace, the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Sheesh....why do my threads go so far in the crapper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I don't know, The "deeper"this one gets the more interesting it becomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrenchguy Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Its April 2 and sharing my only Duesy adventure, I got to sit in 4 or 5 of them and a Sliver Ghost when delivering a antique Chris Craft boat I sold Rick Carroll in the spring of 82. I was nervously shaking while walking from Duesy to Dusey. I didn't know who he was until i got there. I have the utmost respect to him, very courteous and down to earth to me. RIP Rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 Rick was a gentleman, taken away far too soon in his life. I saw one of his cars that was painted an unusual bronze-brown, and asked him about the paint colors...he was very polite though he'd bought it in that clor ( think it was a Packard roadster)... My Duesenberg experience was with my late friend B. B. Crump of Baton Rouge, he had a beautiful 1934 or so convertible sedan, along with a lot of other Full Classics...that car was in the Lassiter collection, not sure if it's still there or not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”Tears of laughter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I asked the owner of this one if I could sit in it.It took my breath away to look down and see a Mustang shifter at the edge of the seat!Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 That car had a lot of work and effort, but it's funny how you can still see the stripes on a painted zebra...one glance at the photo and it doesn't "feel" right, so no, no cigar..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 The Duesenberg II does not do a bad job at imitation. The biggest problem is the 18 inch wheels vs. the original 19 inch and the tendency to put pipes on both sides of the hoods. Looking in the drivers compartment is always a big giveaway as the instruments, steering wheel, shifter etc is totally wrong. The 20 grand replica was really really well done. I hate replicas but loved this thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 The Duesenberg II does not do a bad job at imitation. The biggest problem is the 18 inch wheels vs. the original 19 inch and the tendency to put pipes on both sides of the hoods. Looking in the drivers compartment is always a big giveaway as the instruments, steering wheel, shifter etc is totally wrong. The 20 grand replica was really really well done. I hate replicas but loved this thing.[ATTACH=CONFIG]303164[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]303163[/ATTACH]That's the killer with the Auburn Speedster replica's. Some look pretty good then you look inside and it looks like the inside of an 89 Baycraft boat complete with big ugly tape deck sticking out of the dash and some hideous steering wheel atop a big chunky tilt column. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 The picture I posted was out of context with the experience. My wife and I had just walked through this dealership showroom.There was a framed $10 on the wall with a written bet from the 1930's that the winner would be the one to see the next century. I visited a few times while my daughter was in college and each time was an episode of The Twilight Zone. The feel of being there was a whole lot different than the pictures. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) The picture I posted was out of context with the experience. My wife and I had just walked through this dealership showroom.There was a framed $10 on the wall with a written bet from the 1930's that the winner would be the one to see the next century. I visited a few times while my daughter was in college and each time was an episode of The Twilight Zone. The feel of being there was a whole lot different than the pictures.I had images of this one coming home with me, but during the four years, negotiations never started.It was a place where one leaves reality and objectivity at the door.And it feels good to be naive every once in a while.Bernie Edited April 3, 2015 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Glenn Pray Auburn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I'm not sure. I think I was trying to be too cagey. It was on a '70's Galaxie or LTD chassis with a 400. I figured $10,000 might take it. The number is stuck in my head from the old Elite Auburn kit at $9,995 out of Indianapolis.The cars have been dispersed recently, but here is how the place looked back in "05.http://brockportinternational.com/xjs/Dir5/Mace%20Motors%205-05/Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Now this is interesting!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Looks like the Darrin Dip. Maybe done in the 1950s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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