Reynard Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 The car, which had been hidden away in a locked and heated garage for over 50 years, was found by Doug Pray, a member of the family that owns the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Smolinski Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Wonder what they paid for it and how they found it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Very Cool. Good to see it was kept in a stable enviorment. Absolutly amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 There is no such thing as an unknown Duesenburg model J. It’s just a question of when they come out, and who is lucky enough to be standing there with the relationship and the right amount of money. Very very cool car. Although if that’s worth $7 million and I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’m willing to sell you. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Walling Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 I'm surprised that they did not have a chock man ready in case the brake became unlocked, especially that it did not have a rear bumper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 (edited) Hardly "unrestored" or original , while it's been modified to an extent. While it appears to be a nice starting point, you're 800-1.1 to have it ready for Pebble or any other show.......and three or more years from now with todays restorations. It's a disappearing top car..........so the actual value decent. Putting the fenders back correct, and undoing all the 60's hack work will be very expensive. Also......if it's numbers matching or not will affect the value 20/30 percent.That said, I wouldn't be embarrassed to own it. The car has obviously been known to J collectors for a long time. Often these type of sleeping cars have well known restorers/dealers/club members brokering and chasing the car for years. Video's like these are often made to hype a car before it's offered publicly for sale.........and that's fine because if I found it I would do the same thing. Only thing for certain, Randy knows the car.......and we will hear more of this car soon. Edited February 22, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 So $10 million to buy it and another million to restore it? And there are almost 400 Duesenbergs in existence and millionaires lined up to buy them. Good to know some people have that kind of money and know how to spend it wisely. I am not kidding, this is how our history gets preserved. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunsmoke Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Everyone's dream find, although I don't think anything indicated what was paid for it, $7figures does not mean $7Million! $1,543,210 is 7 figures. We may never know how much it cost, and it is really none of our business. I like their notion of showing it as a "survivor" of sorts once they get it in runnable order. Hard to believe a guy could buy this in the 1950's (for probably less than $10,000), park it in about 1961 (in this garage since 1967), and hold it for so long without doing a thing to it. Talk about a great investment strategy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Fan Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Unless you are chasing a pebble beach best in class ( could a Murphy disappearing top win best of show? - I doubt it) , you would be better off buying this one next week instead of waiting four years to enjoy it. https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am23/amelia-island/lots/r0042-1931-duesenberg-model-j-disappearing-top-convertible-coupe-by-murphy/1326359 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1gt Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 When I was a kit my dad took me to a big building Near Reno NV(not Harrah's) and it was full of Duesenberg's. Anybody remember this place? At the time there was a 427 shelby cobra in Sacramento CA I was begging him to buy. The asking price was 15K. I was making 50 cents an hour at the time---- 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Seems like there should be a 60 year old connection between that car and the Pray family. Not like a "found" item. Parked in 1967, that's about 10 years before I bought my Buick Riviera. Clean it carefully. There may be some of Glen Pray's personal mold parting dust on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shipping reccomendations Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Story reminds me a little bit when I traveled to Meriden Ct. in the early 80’s look at a Duesenberg J convertible coupe up on blocks that wasn’t for sale. From Meriden the car headed to Florida with the owner and I then lost track of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 The OP video is not working, does anyone have another like to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Gariepy Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 4 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said: The OP video is not working, does anyone have another like to it? Works great for me. You can find it YouTube directly: LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porsche 68 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Glad to hear it will be cleaned up and running that it will be a surviver car it deserves it John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 1 hour ago, Porsche 68 said: Glad to hear it will be cleaned up and running that it will be a surviver car it deserves it John Not a survivor. Just unrestored. I believe "survivor" is reserved for cars that are with original paint, upholstery and chassis finishes. (I could be wrong... been wrong before) It will indeed be interesting to learn if all the numbers match. If it doesn't, someone here will call it "floor sweepings." 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 I know the last of the J's had skirted fenders, were they made new that way or were the skirted sections added to the normal fenders made years before. How well was the mated area finished when new on the back side out of view? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 1 hour ago, West Peterson said: Not a survivor. Just unrestored. I believe "survivor" is reserved for cars that are with original paint, upholstery and chassis finishes. (I could be wrong... been wrong before) It will indeed be interesting to learn if all the numbers match. If it doesn't, someone here will call it "floor sweepings." I believe it is a matching car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 16 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said: I know the last of the J's had skirted fenders, were they made new that way or were the skirted sections added to the normal fenders made years before. How well was the mated area finished when new on the back side out of view? Good question Bob. You would think that was the plan. However, the later fenders are missing the crest on the tip of the fender that the earlier open fenders had. Also, the shape doesn't seem as "swoopy" to me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 https://www.motor1.com/news/653740/1931-duesenberg-million-dollar-barn-find/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 The ACD Factory has pictures on their facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/acdfactory/posts/pfbid02dgdJ6kpkqY1a5BzGs1JD676sWcNyq1CLVcXV8EjRT3iPuhPxw6kzmQYYQHDaeHxwl?locale=gl_ES 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twisted Shifter Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 22 minutes ago, alsancle said: The ACD Factory has pictures on their facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/acdfactory/posts/pfbid02dgdJ6kpkqY1a5BzGs1JD676sWcNyq1CLVcXV8EjRT3iPuhPxw6kzmQYYQHDaeHxwl?locale=gl_ES WOW...really ugly fenders. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Just think of the time and money that will be spent to get to look as good or better than this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 (edited) 7 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said: Just think of the time and money that will be spent to get to look as good or better than this one. Bob, the picture is a little distorted but I think that is a long wheelbase and the subject car is a short. 143 vs 152. This is a short. Edited February 22, 2023 by alsancle (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Bob. Great car but it will need to lose the fenders to look as nice as your example Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 33 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said: Just think of the time and money that will be spent to get to look as good or better than this one. The long-wheelbase roadsters look a little funny. Too much nothing going on aft of the driver's compartment. You could put another full door in that space, without even coming close to the fender. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, 1937hd45 said: I know the last of the J's had skirted fenders, were they made new that way or were the skirted sections added to the normal fenders made years before. How well was the mated area finished when new on the back side out of view? One of the Duesenbergs that Jack Passey owned had the updated fenders on it. I would have to check his book to be certain of the year, but I think it was either a 1931 or 1932 phaeton (I don't offhand recall the coach builder?). Jack was telling me that the car had been sent back to the factory along about 1934 for the fender upgrade, and that material was added around the fenders to make the styling changes. Although I did have his permission to do so, I never did run my fingers around the backside to feel how they were done. Jack had told me the workmanship on the backside wasn't all that nice, and I took his word for that. Edit. I meant to add that some amount of material would obviously need to have been removed from the original fender to make a smooth surface where the new material was added. Shrinking the beads down would have added considerable distortion. Personally, I think the updated fenders ruin the overall look of the car. However, part of that is simply I prefer earlier cars. Frankly (I know this will offend some?), I would take a model A Duesenberg over a model J Duesenberg any day! But that is just silly me. On the other hand? Such updates ARE a part of a given car's history. And that Duesenberg did such upgrades is part of automotive history! So there are good arguments for keeping the fenders as they appear. Edited February 22, 2023 by wayne sheldon Additional thought. (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 3 minutes ago, wayne sheldon said: Personally, I think the updated fenders ruin the overall look of the car. However, part of that is simply I prefer earlier cars. Frankly (I know this will offend some?), I would take a model A Duesenberg over a model J Duesenberg any day! But that is just silly me. On the other hand? Such updates ARE a part of a given car's history. And that Duesenberg did such upgrades is part of automotive history! So there are good arguments for keeping the fenders as they appear. If we are talking about Model J Duesenberg's and their life span of 1929 - 1939 it is no different than any INDY 500 car that ran 1929- 1939 the appearance changed, at the discursion of the owner. The restorer has to option of picking any year he choose to restore it to, the earliest years are most times the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 13 minutes ago, West Peterson said: The long-wheelbase roadsters look a little funny. Too much nothing going on aft of the driver's compartment. You could put another full door in that space, without even coming close to the fender. True, Put that photo was within arms reach. How have J Roadster doors survived over the years, are conventional front hinged stronger than the rear hinged style? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George K Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 Could be worse. It doesn’t have a big butt. Or other undesirable features. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) It’s J-346, sitting in Indiana since the early 60’s. I have the owners name who left it to his daughter. Numbers match, but it’s a long, long way from a survivor or unrestored car. Figure 1.5 on the high side to restore it to Pebble standards. Not a BOS car by any means. Fenders front and rear and some other issues were hacked. As far as numbers getting tossed around…………a finished high point car would be in the very high 4’s to mid 5’s depending on if wood was replaced, reproduction fenders, reproduction tail lights, reproduction bumpers……you get the idea. Current value is subjective………Since it’s new to the market, and not showed for fifty years it’s a premium…….but then deduct for the modifications and condition. I call it a wash. Clearly it’s worth more than one or two million. After that any number between 2.5 and 3.5 would be the current ballpark. Watch the auction at Amelia. Depending on the car for sale there, you can get a very accurate number on the project car here. And, by the way, there are only about five shops in the country that have a prayer getting the car back together correctly………and they are very busy, so it will be years befor you have it on the field. Here is an identical car, original with 37k on the clock that I was a caretaker for about five years. Did a bunch of service on it, and drove it thousands of miles. It was a great car, and is now owned by a wonderful collector who uses it regularly. I miss the car, but I really miss my dog more. Edited February 23, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history) 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 3 hours ago, West Peterson said: The long-wheelbase roadsters look a little funny. Too much nothing going on aft of the driver's compartment. You could put another full door in that space, without even coming close to the fender. I want one of those ugly LWB disappearing top roadsters…………I am on a budget you know! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 10 hours ago, jp1gt said: When I was a kit my dad took me to a big building Near Reno NV(not Harrah's) and it was full of Duesenberg's. Anybody remember this place? At the time there was a 427 shelby cobra in Sacramento CA I was begging him to buy. The asking price was 15K. I was making 50 cents an hour at the time---- You were in Imperial Palace in Las Vegas……they had 60 Model J’s at one time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 I guess as a poor slob that will never be able to play in this sandbox, I would be happy to have that car as is. Mechanically sound and enjoy the heck out of it. Let the alterations (as bad as they look) tell the story of the car. BUT, I surmise the league of buyers in this club will have it shipped immediately off to a resto shop. Original configuration, definitely one of the most beautiful cars I have seen. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 14 hours ago, West Peterson said: The long-wheelbase roadsters look a little funny. Too much nothing going on aft of the driver's compartment. You could put another full door in that space, without even coming close to the fender. 11 hours ago, edinmass said: I want one of those ugly LWB disappearing top roadsters…………I am on a budget you know! I said a little funny looking... I did not say they were inexpensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1gt Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 12 hours ago, edinmass said: You were in Imperial Palace in Las Vegas……they had 60 Model J’s at one time. Nope, it was Reno 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 Well, here's a fine mess I have gotten into. I wanted to check my 1964 Elbert Duesenberg book to see if it was referred to and the book is not where it is supposed to be. Now there are about 100 old car books on the dinning room table and my wife just asked "Are you looking for something?" And it is worse. A few months ago I decided to keep my books on the shelves horizontally. I already do it with my shop manuals. So I guess, with 25 days until Spring, that project has kicked off. Oh, and a few more lineal feet of shelving as long as.... Amazing the ripples one seemingly unrelated event can put into motion. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 39 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: Well, here's a fine mess I have gotten into. I wanted to check my 1964 Elbert Duesenberg book to see if it was referred to and the book is not where it is supposed to be. Now there are about 100 old car books on the dinning room table and my wife just asked "Are you looking for something?" And it is worse. A few months ago I decided to keep my books on the shelves horizontally. I already do it with my shop manuals. So I guess, with 25 days until Spring, that project has kicked off. Oh, and a few more lineal feet of shelving as long as.... Amazing the ripples one seemingly unrelated event can put into motion. It is not in the Elbert book, but it might be referenced in Fred Roe's book. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 3 hours ago, jp1gt said: Nope, it was Reno Then it was Bob Lee's private collection. It's the only other big collection in Reno. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericmac Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 I can't help thinking that I feel a little sad for the guy who has owned the car all these years but never got a chance to enjoy it. Sure, it's fun to see a small investment appreciate, but would have been more fun to be the man behind the wheel when the words "He drives a Duesenberg " were spoken. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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