Dietrich Individual Customs - 32/33/34

[alsancle]

Jason is right. Plus we all know who’s got the best looking Dietrich bodied custom sedan.

[edinmass]

If we are doing good looking sport sedans……..this one parked next to the car that started this thread must be shown. It’s a world class collection, owned by a true car guy………..

 

 

[K8096]

4 minutes ago, edinmass said:

If we are doing good looking sport sedans……..this one parked next to the car that started this thread must be shown. It’s a world class collection, owned by a true car guy………..

 

 

I liked it better when it was all black with blackwall tires in the 1960s when it was in Cleveland.  A truck driver owned it.  

[packard12man]

Top 3 on my list - Over the years the car has been in and out of many big collections.  One of three survivors. Sold last year for big bucks.  Has disappeared into a black hole.  About 5 years ago, I sucked my wife into a 1,000 mile trip to Hilton Head Island.  The car was supposed to be at the show and I was looking forward to seeing it in its new livery.  Unfortunately the gentlemen had taken ill and the car was a no show.  It was a long drive home!  If anyones know what black hole it went into please PM me.  I know how to keep my mouth shut.  

[rwchatham]

[West Peterson]

18 hours ago, edinmass said:

If we are doing good looking sport sedans……..this one parked next to the car that started this thread must be shown. It’s a world class collection, owned by a true car guy………..

 

 

Does this one classify as an "Individual Custom". I believe it is. I could be incorrect.

[West Peterson]

I've posted this elsewhere in the past, but I guess it deserves to be here, too.

I took these photos, probably in the mid-1970s.

[ericmac]

Did that car get restored? More importantly,  did the owner or driver make it?

[West Peterson]

Yes, and yes. Alcohol and driving rare cars is not a good thing.

[packard12man]

14 minutes ago, West Peterson said:

Yes, and yes. Alcohol and driving rare cars is not a good thing.

And now for the rest of the story.  We gotta be talking the same car??  

 

Photo and text from John Owen Bohmer's book called A Man and his Cars.  A great read  - 

 

This is he kind of stories I hoped the thread would lead too!!!!

 

 

 

[ericmac]

So here we have evidence that "20 were made and all 32 survive." Please, I have absolutely no idea how many Dietrich cars there are but I'm betting there are at least as many as were originally produced. 

[West Peterson]

"After"

 

[edinmass]

53 minutes ago, West Peterson said:

Yes, and yes. Alcohol and driving rare cars is not a good thing.

 

I DISAGREE.....I like booth of them a lot.....Just don't do both at the same time. 😎

[West Peterson]

33 minutes ago, packard12man said:

And now for the rest of the story.  We gotta be talking the same car??  

 

Photo and text from John Owen Bohmer's book called A Man and his Cars.  A great read  - 

 

This is he kind of stories I hoped the thread would lead too!!!!

 

 

 

 

John and I were longtime and good friends. The 1940 Packard I currently have I first spotted in his collection when I was about 6 or 7 years old, and took possession of it in 2005. John died four months ago at the age of 101.

[West Peterson]

On 1/10/2023 at 9:56 AM, CD9591 said:

Which of the '34 Customs were better quality, the Dietrich's or the LeBaron's such as the former Fred Hussey LeBaron Phaeton ?

 

I think they were built in the same shop, so quality was probably the same.

[Matt Harwood]

1 hour ago, packard12man said:

And now for the rest of the story.  We gotta be talking the same car??  

 

Photo and text from John Owen Bohmer's book called A Man and his Cars.  A great read  - 

 

This is he kind of stories I hoped the thread would lead too!!!!

 

 

 

 

Oh, it's had a frame swap. Car is now worthless. Send it to me for disposal.

[Matt Harwood]

Is this the same Dietrich coupe body on a 1932 Lincoln KB chassis?

 

 

 

[West Peterson]

Other than beltline, looks to be the same. Packard and Lincoln shared the same custom body shops... Briggs and Murray, where the Dietrich and LeBaron bodies were built.

[arcticbuicks]

would the crashed Packard 12 now carry a salvaged Title ? and if the frame and body were replaced ........What  Title would be used  ?

Edited January 12, 2023 by arcticbuicks (see edit history)

[arcticbuicks]

the Dietrich 2 door convertibles always remind me of a "Carson roof" like on a 1950s hot rod

[wayne sheldon]

3 hours ago, arcticbuicks said:

would the crashed Packard 12 now carry a salvaged Title ? and if the frame and body were replaced ........What  Title would be used  ?

 

Probably not. In most states, "salvage" titles only go back about thirty years. Before that, wrecked cars were simply continued on their original titles.

 

[charlespetty]

On 1/11/2023 at 11:22 AM, Matt Harwood said:

Is this the same Dietrich coupe body on a 1932 Lincoln KB chassis?

 

 

 

Attached photo from the Automobile Quarterly publication "The Classic Tradition of the Lincoln Motorcar" copyright 1968.  Photo captioned "1932 Model KB Coupe by Dietrich.  Andrew Hotton Collection.

 

[alsancle]

2 minutes ago, charlespetty said:

Attached photo from the Automobile Quarterly publication "The Classic Tradition of the Lincoln Motorcar" copyright 1968.  Photo captioned "1932 Model KB Coupe by Dietrich.  Andrew Hotton Collection.

 

 

Is there one of these or two of them?   There is the blue car.   Is that this car after restoration?

 

[arcticbuicks]

double sided whitewall tires ?

[alsancle]

Just now, arcticbuicks said:

double sided whitewall tires ?

As they are supposed to be.  At least if you make the mistake and install whitewalls.

[Matt Harwood]

15 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

Is there one of these or two of them?   There is the blue car.   Is that this car after restoration?

 

I believe it's the same car. Now part of a spectacular collection in Michigan.

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Cadillac Fan]

21 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

Is there one of these or two of them?   There is the blue car.   Is that this car after restoration?

 

 

 

gooding says 3 remaining out of 17. 
 

The blue car in MI is not the car sold in 2015 by gooding.  

 

 

 

https://www.goodingco.com/lot/1932-lincoln-kb-custom-stationary-coupe/

 

[PAV8427]

I am pretty new here and REALLY green. I have always been a reader and not much of  poster, but this thread is cool in so many ways. 
These cars, if you can call them that, are just amazing. 
I knew they were out there and exist but the beauty of them and others like them just blow my mind. 
I always thought how cool it would be to find some obscure rig like a Big Block Nova or Camaro or a fill in the blank.
Not really a comparison to whats being discussed. 
But these are the cream of the crop. 
I want to thank all involved. 
Your knowledge and history really say a lot about the passion. 
Whether it be Packards or any other make being discussed. 
Althought I have never found that 'big block anything', my dad has always told me about that black '35 Packard he bought from his brother in law for $50 because it was sittin in the back yard collecting dust. 
What would the chances of that being one of these, or similar??

Anyone know of one 'found' back in the day in central Minnesota bout 1960??

Sure would blow his mind if I could show him pics. 
 

A big thanks to all involved and to those who play behind the scenes. 
 

Thanks. Doug

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by PAV8427 (see edit history)

[packard12man]

A garage full of Dietrich's.  Getting back to my original post - I can't be the only old geezer out here that's heard of John Wheatley.  The poor photos that follow show 3 or 4 at a time and I know he had more.  My memory is not what it used to be but I think he was a pilot that had a tie in with either Howard Hughes or Bill Harrah.  I've been beating the bushes for a while but not getting much traction.   Looking for more anecdotes, photos or memories..

 

[charlespetty]

2 hours ago, alsancle said:

 

Is there one of these or two of them?   There is the blue car.   Is that this car after restoration?

 

Could be the same car, but it is odd that the little courtesy light above the running board on the Andy Hotton car is not seen on the blue car.  Not something that is usually removed during a restoration.  

[V16]

Following a lead for some Packard parts led me to a gentleman in N.E. Ohio who shared with me theses photos of a Dietrich he had owned in the early 50's while stationed in the military in New Jersey. He said the car was his daily driver till he burned up the Deluxe Eight engine. He looked for a long time but could not find a suitable Super Eight motor but that 12's were plentiful. He installed a Twin Six motor and continued to drive it ending up with it in Wisconsin. He sold the car and I believe this is the car in the Nethercutt collection today. The hood on the 12 was in better shape than the original so he swapped it out and that is why the hood is black in the photos.

[V16]

Speaking of beautiful Sport Sedans, here is perhaps the ultimate with a  V windshield as well,  the Duesenberg 20 Grand while in the possession of the famous Cameron Peck of Evanston Illinois . In 1953 , under pressure from the IRS, Peck hired cameraman Don McCray to photograph his collection and send them to interested parties. The set of photos was sent out in a box set. Each car in the set would have been the premiere car of any collection today.

[charlespetty]

4 minutes ago, charlespetty said:

Could be the same car, but it is odd that the little courtesy light above the running board on the Andy Hotton car is not seen on the blue car.  Not something that is usually removed during a restoration.  

The 2020-21 Lincoln Owner's Club roster lists four 1932 KB Dietrich coupes:  KB1622, one without a serial number listed, KB1219 and KB1489. 1932 KB Dietrich coupe KB816 shows up in an old 2006 roster.  Earliest roster I have is from 1999 which also shows KB259 and KB510 as 1932 Dietrich coupes.  So, at least six (maybe seven) 1932 Lincoln KB Dietrich coupes exist according to the rosters.  

[edinmass]

There was a guy building them (Lincoln coupes) if I am not mistaken. Not sure how far he actually got p, but the cars being listed in a directory do not mean they are real. Always liked the Lincoln KB, and think they are underrated in the hobby.

[charlespetty]

2 hours ago, edinmass said:

There was a guy building them (Lincoln coupes) if I am not mistaken. Not sure how far he actually got p, but the cars being listed in a directory do not mean they are real. Always liked the Lincoln KB, and think they are underrated in the hobby.

True, but you can always get the build sheets from the Ford Archives to verify if these KB numbers started out as Dietrich coupes.  Easy enough to verify.

[edinmass]

4 hours ago, charlespetty said:

True, but you can always get the build sheets from the Ford Archives to verify if these KB numbers started out as Dietrich coupes.  Easy enough to verify.

Lots of people get burned. Just a few months ago there was a car getting the serial number lifted by acid to check for provenance. Stamping numbers is easy. If you dumping big money, hire an expert. And I mean a REAL expert. If you don’t have photos of world class cars going back to the 30’s and 40’s, it’s going to impact price. With no photos till the 60’s most serious collectors will pass. There is NO real V-12 Packard without serious provenance……..lots of made up cars in the 50’s trade as real……….and the in crowd Packard guys know them. Lincoln’s are often obscure and have less provenance……….Duesenbergs and Split Windshield Packards have been rostered since the early 50’s. 

[ericmac]

I would be happy to help by properly disposing of any fake 32-34 Dietrich to cleanse the herd. That is particularly true of those POS Phaetons.

Edited January 13, 2023 by ericmac
Clarification (see edit history)

[John Bloom]

20 minutes ago, ericmac said:

I would be happy to help by properly disposing of any fake 32-34 Dietrich to cleanse the herd. That is particularly true of those POS Phaetons.

Eric, selfless team players like you are what makes this hobby great!

[West Peterson]

1 hour ago, ericmac said:

I would be happy to help by properly disposing of any fake 32-34 Dietrich to cleanse the herd. That is particularly true of those POS Phaetons.

 

Purchasing those fake cars is also a very expensive proposition. Even at 1/10th the price of a real one, you'll still be on the hook for six figures.

[West Peterson]

12 hours ago, PAV8427 said:

I am pretty new here and REALLY green. I have always been a reader and not much of  poster, but this thread is cool in so many ways. 
These cars, if you can call them that, are just amazing. 
I knew they were out there and exist but the beauty of them and others like them just blow my mind. 
I always thought how cool it would be to find some obscure rig like a Big Block Nova or Camaro or a fill in the blank.
Not really a comparison to whats being discussed. 
But these are the cream of the crop. 
I want to thank all involved. 
Your knowledge and history really say a lot about the passion. 
Whether it be Packards or any other make being discussed. 
Althought I have never found that 'big block anything', my dad has always told me about that black '35 Packard he bought from his brother in law for $50 because it was sittin in the back yard collecting dust. 
What would the chances of that being one of these, or similar??

Anyone know of one 'found' back in the day in central Minnesota bout 1960??

Sure would blow his mind if I could show him pics. 
 

A big thanks to all involved and to those who play behind the scenes. 
 

Thanks. Doug

 

To my knowledge, there were only TWO cars from 1935 that would qualify as an "Individual Custom." Neither one was a Dietrich, as this thread is focused on. One is known to exist, the other is known to have been re-bodied, then disappeared. Both cars are usually referred to as 1934 models that were basically concept cars from earlier, which kept transforming to add on newer design elements. 

The first is one of the 1934 LeBaron coupes (four built) that was updated with 1935 features. The second was a "LeBaron" boattail concept car known as the "bronze bomber", that started out life as a 1930 Speedster Eight boattail, that kept getting transformed right up until around 1935. It ended up in England where it was photographed at Brooklands race track. A year or two later, it was photographed again wearing a "saloon" body. Neither the boattail body nor the saloon have been discovered.