Gilmore Duesenberg Museum

[ericmac]

I finally got to the Gimore Car Museum (only 20 miles from my house) to check out the Duesenberg exhibit.  Folks, it is absolutely stunning.  While I have seen many of these cars before,  many I have not. There were 17 Duesenbergs on display and every one of them was fabulous.  The exhibition was well worth the trip. Here is just a small hint of what is there.

[K8096]

That Rollston towncar is one of my favorites.  It's one of the best original, unrestored Duesenbergs in existence.  I think it only has something like 13,000 miles on it.   Let's see pictures of the rest.      

[Walt G]

Is that Rollston town car the one that was in the collection of the late  George Staley of Norwich, NY? I see that the car has 1935 NY plates on it. Most of the cars he had are on display at the Auto Museum in Norwich , NY still as far as I know.

[K8096]

No, I believe it’s been owned by a collector in Indianapolis for 15+ years.   It used to have the Packard styled headlights on it.   

[Walt G]

Thanks K8096 sincerely appreciate you taking the time to let me know. I too like Rollston ( and Derham) coach work. I got to know  Rudy Creteur of Rollston fairly well, in the early 1970s he and Austin Clark and I used to go to lunch once a month most months of the year and this went on for several years. Rudy had some really interesting stories to tell about designing and building the cars. I related one of those stories in a recent column I did for Hemmings Classic Car magazine. Rudy was a fine gentleman and was so generous to share what he knew and experienced. One of the best.

[kfle]

My son and I had the opportunity to go to the opening champagne reception the evening before the exhibit opened.  There were 18 cars there that evening and they said they would be rotating some in and out throughout the life of the exhibit as owners need them for events.  A few of the owners were gracious enough to let the small gathering of people sit in the cars and take pictures.  They also started the Mormon Meteor up for us.  We also had a presentation on the history of the cars.  It was an amazing evening and it is a wonderful display.  The Gilmore did a great job putting this together.

 

it is a must see exhibit and I would try to get to this in person!

[kfle]

Some more pictures.  I have more but it won’t let me post them,

Edited November 24, 2018 by kfle (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Great bunch of heavy iron! The orange race car was driven on the Duesenberg tour this year, by a very nice young lady! And.......she drove it on the sunny days as well as the rainy day..........impressive!

Edited November 24, 2018 by edinmass (see edit history)

[JamesR]

Great cars and photos! I didn't see it mentioned anywhere - is the museum in Indiana where the cars were made? Or in Michigan where the OP is? I don't know much about Duesenbergs, but I'd like to see the display if I'm ever driving by. (I'm in Nebraska.) Thanks.

[keiser31]

22 minutes ago, JamesR said:

Great cars and photos! I didn't see it mentioned anywhere - is the museum in Indiana where the cars were made? Or in Michigan where the OP is? I don't know much about Duesenbergs, but I'd like to see the display if I'm ever driving by. (I'm in Nebraska.) Thanks.

It's in Michigan.

[mike6024]

Yes here's their website, and it talks about this display : “It’s a DUESY!” New Exhibit Showcases Most Valuable American Car Ever Built

 

http://www.gilmorecarmuseum.org/its-a-duesy-new-exhibition-showcases-most-valuable-american-car-ever-built/

 

Edited November 24, 2018 by mike6024 (see edit history)

[kfle]

4 hours ago, JamesR said:

Great cars and photos! I didn't see it mentioned anywhere - is the museum in Indiana where the cars were made? Or in Michigan where the OP is? I don't know much about Duesenbergs, but I'd like to see the display if I'm ever driving by. (I'm in Nebraska.) Thanks.

As others have said, it is in southwest Michigan by Kalamazoo.  The Gilmore is a great museum and is said to be the largest auto museum in North America.  Besides the main Gilmore museum, on their campus they also have the Classic Car Club of America Museum, the Pierce Arrow Museum, the Franklin museum, the Ford Model A museum, the Lincoln museum, the Cadillac-Lasalle museum, and a pedal car museum.  Definitely worth a stop if you are even close to the area.  It is a destination for many people around the world as they had about 123,000 visitors last year.  

[ericmac]

10 hours ago, K8096 said:

That Rollston towncar is one of my favorites.  It's one of the best original, unrestored Duesenbergs in existence.  I think it only has something like 13,000 miles on it.   Let's see pictures of the rest.      

Yes. That's the car. More photos below.

[ericmac]

5 hours ago, JamesR said:

Great cars and photos! I didn't see it mentioned anywhere - is the museum in Indiana where the cars were made? Or in Michigan where the OP is? I don't know much about Duesenbergs, but I'd like to see the display if I'm ever driving by. (I'm in Nebraska.) Thanks.

The Gilmore Car Museum is in Hickory Corners MI about equidistant between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. 

[ericmac]

And here are a few more of my photos. 

[ericmac]

And a couple more.

[wayne sheldon]

I have finally seen it! The ONE I want! (As if I could EVER afford to buy anything worth a tenth that much, other than maybe my house?)

The 1927 Model A Duesenberg roadster! It even qualifies to tour with the Nickel Age Touring Club!

However, ALL of them are gorgeous!

[memaerobilia]

 

 

Thank you so much for these great photos of the beautiful cars. I have a fairly good amount of  original photos of  1929-mid 30s Auburns and Cords (with L-29s) from Cliff Henderson, who ran the National Air Races from 29-39. He used a great many Cords and Auburns, and some "look like' Duesenbergs?  He was good friends with E.L. Cord.I  admit it is pretty hard for me to tell them apart from certain angles.  Any tips or tricks?

Edited November 26, 2018 by memaerobilia
clarify as to photos (see edit history)

[StylishOne]

Always loved open front Town Cars..and a Duesie even better. Several others were great looking too, like the red roadster, or the black and orange one.

 

I'm wondering, while we love and cherish them, will future generations of men equally respect them? I'm not too sure about their level of interest in this type and vintage of automobile..

 

 

[A. Ballard 35R]

4 hours ago, StylishOne said:

Always loved open front Town Cars..and a Duesie even better. Several others were great looking too, like the red roadster, or the black and orange one.

 

I'm wondering, while we love and cherish them, will future generations of men equally respect them? I'm not too sure about their level of interest in this type and vintage of automobile..

 

 

 

Please don't limit your comment to future generations of MEN. As previously mentioned the WOMAN driving the orange Duesenberg racer certainly seemed to like the car as I watched her start it up an incline and drive off as impressively as man would have done.

[AnniesSS]

1 hour ago, A. Ballard 35R said:

 

Please don't limit your comment to future generations of MEN. As previously mentioned the WOMAN driving the orange Duesenberg racer certainly seemed to like the car as I watched her start it up an incline and drive off as impressively as man would have done.

Thank you - I was thinking the same thing

[StylishOne]

I'm sorry, my mistake. I agree as well..

[kfle]

18 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

I have finally seen it! The ONE I want! (As if I could EVER afford to buy anything worth a tenth that much, other than maybe my house?)

The 1927 Model A Duesenberg roadster! It even qualifies to tour with the Nickel Age Touring Club!

However, ALL of them are gorgeous!

You picked a special one at that.  That 1927 model a was Augie Duesenberg’s personal car that he drove until he passed away.

[Ozstatman]

Also, see this Hemmings article.

[Eric Wahlberg]

This reminds me of when the Imperial Palace Collection in Las Vegas had one room dedicated to Duesenbergs, with about 20 cars in there at any given time.  The room also had a bar, so it was a wonderful place to sip a cold beverage and gaze at the beautiful cars that filled the room.  I believe that was around 1990 or 91.

[wayne sheldon]

kfle,  quote  "You picked a special one at that.  That 1927 model a was Augie Duesenberg’s personal car that he drove until he passed away."

 

That is me! Caviar tastes, fighting with the cat for scraps budget!

 

By the way, I love that Cole coupe!

 

Eric Wahlberg,  quote  "This reminds me of when the Imperial Palace Collection in Las Vegas had one room dedicated to Duesenbergs, with about 20 cars in there at any given time.  The room also had a bar, so it was a wonderful place to sip a cold beverage and gaze at the beautiful cars that filled the room.  I believe that was around 1990 or 91."

 

I can't tell you what year it was. But that was the one time I went and saw the Imperial Palace collection.  Of minor note, at that time, we lived in a very nice 1914 built craftsman style home in an old neighborhood of Livermore California. A historic detail is that Max Baer's sister had lived in the house directly across the street from ours, this back in the '30s. It was well known local history that Max and his brother Buddy often visited their sister in Livermore, and parked his Duesenberg in the street in front of her home. His Duesenberg was on display while we were seeing the Imperial Palace collection, so it was kind of neat seeing it, and thinking about it parked there, right across the street from our house.

[Walt G]

Hi Dave. Thanks for your comments. After 46 years as a member of CCCA I will not be renewing my membership for 2019, so you will not be seeing any further stories from me in their publications in the future except for the final issue of the magazine for this year. Walt G.

[kfle]

5 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

kfle,  quote  "You picked a special one at that.  That 1927 model a was Augie Duesenberg’s personal car that he drove until he passed away."

 

That is me! Caviar tastes, fighting with the cat for scraps budget!

 

By the way, I love that Cole coupe! 

 

Eric Wahlberg,  quote  "This reminds me of when the Imperial Palace Collection in Las Vegas had one room dedicated to Duesenbergs, with about 20 cars in there at any given time.  The room also had a bar, so it was a wonderful place to sip a cold beverage and gaze at the beautiful cars that filled the room.  I believe that was around 1990 or 91."

 

I can't tell you what year it was. But that was the one time I went and saw the Imperial Palace collection.  Of minor note, at that time, we lived in a very nice 1914 built craftsman style home in an old neighborhood of Livermore California. A historic detail is that Max Baer's sister had lived in the house directly across the street from ours, this back in the '30s. It was well known local history that Max and his brother Buddy often visited their sister in Livermore, and parked his Duesenberg in the street in front of her home. His Duesenberg was on display while we were seeing the Imperial Palace collection, so it was kind of neat seeing it, and thinking about it parked there, right across the street from our house.

Wayne,

 

Thanks.  Our Cole coupe is on loan to the Gilmore right now as well and my son and I were noticing some styling similarities between our Cole and the Model A.  The Cole is more square at certain points.  Cole never went to production with the 2 person coupe and only built the one we have as a test car and for his son.  It has a wheelbase of about 6 inches shorter than the standard Model A and that appears to mostly be in the cowl area. The model A also has a nice straight line for the front and the back of the car, while Cole dropped the back end a bit lower than the hood line of the car.  Here is a picture of a Duesenberg Model A coupe and the prototype ad for the 23 Cole Coupe.  JJ Cole put disc wheels and some other embellishments on ours including two spares as it was the balloon tire test car and Cole used it at the closed auto shows as a display car for the balloon tires and other advancements.  

Edited November 27, 2018 by kfle (see edit history)

[Ozstatman]

8 hours ago, kfle said:

Our Cole coupe is on loan to the Gilmore right now.....

 

This is the one I saw when visiting the Gilmore last month.

[kfle]

1 hour ago, Ozstatman said:

 

This is the one I saw when visiting the Gilmore last month.

 

Yep, that one is mine as of about two months ago.  There are some updates that need to be made to the sign as there are some errors in the copy .   I have the original Indiana title and other documentation for this car which gives us a lot of history and information.   I am currently working with them on a new sign as well as potentially expanding the Cole exhibit.  

 

[wayne sheldon]

That is a fantastic history kfle! What a wonderful treasure that car is!

 

I hesitate to say much. I do know a fellow that had and toured with a Cole touring car (1920 about). I haven't seen him or his car for a couple years now (my family issues have kept me away). I didn't send the information to you when you requested any information because I do not have his permission to give it out. He also had bought one of the earliest known surviving Cole automobiles. I never saw that one. However was told it was believed to be about 1910, a roadster and needed a full restoration. I have been on a few club tours that he drove his touring car on. It was a great car to follow, and performed quite well.

I do hope to see him this coming year, and will ask about giving you his contact information.

[John_Mereness]

On 11/27/2018 at 9:10 AM, kfle said:

Wayne,

 

Thanks.  Our Cole coupe is on loan to the Gilmore right now as well and my son and I were noticing some styling similarities between our Cole and the Model A.  The Cole is more square at certain points.  Cole never went to production with the 2 person coupe and only built the one we have as a test car and for his son.  It has a wheelbase of about 6 inches shorter than the standard Model A and that appears to mostly be in the cowl area. The model A also has a nice straight line for the front and the back of the car, while Cole dropped the back end a bit lower than the hood line of the car.  Here is a picture of a Duesenberg Model A coupe and the prototype ad for the 23 Cole Coupe.  JJ Cole put disc wheels and some other embellishments on ours including two spares as it was the balloon tire test car and Cole used it at the closed auto shows as a display car for the balloon tires and other advancements.  

This was probably the finest unrestored A in existence and then not all that long ago met a restoration shop and ... - very impressive car in person any way about it though.