1929 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Top convertible coupe by Murphy. Photos courtesy RM Sotheby’s.
While many Duesenberg owners choose to enjoy their cars by displaying them at shows and concours d’elegance events, interspersed by the occasional short drive, a select few opt to use them as brothers August and Frederick Duesenberg intended: on the open road. One such owner is Eric Bardeen, who in 2010 drove his 1929 Duesenberg Model J “Disappearing Top” convertible coupe by Murphy from his home in Deland, Florida to the ACD Club’s “Year of the Duesenberg” meet in Auburn, Indiana. Last weekend this same Duesey crossed the auction stage in Detroit, selling for a fee-inclusive $1.54 million, with the $1.4 million in proceeds going to Hillsdale College.
The Duesenberg sold in Detroit didn’t begin life with the sleek Murphy body, or even with chassis 2551 beneath it. Instead, chassis 2144 began life as a Derham sedan, powered by engine J-119, at least until its owner wanted something a bit more powerful and stylish. As RM Sotheby’s reports, the original sedan body was restyled and placed atop a new chassis, this one powered by a supercharged SJ engine. That left chassis 2144 and engine J-119, described as “lightly used,” available to demonstrate the skills of coachbuilder Murphy.
The “Disappearing Top” body ordered for the car was unique in that it featured a full trunk, lined by polished wood, instead of the more conventional rumble seat (which the car carries today, added during a subsequent restoration). Though Murphy is said to have built roughly 60 convertible coupe bodies for Duesenberg, just 25 of these featured the steel body panel that covered the stowed top, making them “Disappearing Top” models.
Sometime in the late 1940s, the Duesenberg was purchased by marque collector Melvin Clemens, and under his stewardship the car underwent a restoration that required frame replacement, so chassis 2551 was used as a substitute for 2144. The car would later pass through a series of collectors before landing with Gifford Osborne, and then, with Eric Bardeen.
Bardeen, a long-standing member of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club, was known for his willingness to drive the cars in his care. His first Duesenberg, purchased in the early 1950s, racked up 20,000 miles under his ownership, and in roughly 1990 chassis 2551 joined his collection. Driven regularly to ACD Club meets in Florida, it was the trek from his home in Deland to Auburn, Indiana, that earned Bardeen both acclaim and the Mayor’s Trophy at the Year of the Duesenberg event.
As if the 1,100-mile drive wasn’t noteworthy enough, Bardeen also entered the car in the “Duesenberg Exhibition of Speed” event, clocking the fastest quarter mile with a time of 14.2 seconds and a trap speed of 88 MPH. Following his return to Florida, the Duesenberg was repainted and given a new leather interior.
In preparation for the Detroit sale, chassis 2551 was gone through by Classic & Exotic Service of Troy, Michigan, and found to be in excellent mechanical health. As a preventative measure, the 420-cu.in. inline eight’s connecting rods were changed from the original aluminum pieces to Carillo steel rods, ensuring that the convertible coupe’s next owner can enjoy the car as enthusiastically as Bardeen.
1930 Cord L-29 cabriolet. Photo by Darin Schnabel, courtesy RM Sotheby’s.
Other lots in the top-10 included a 2006 Saleen S7, which sold for $632,500; a 1933 Packard Twelve coupe roadster, which sold for $365,000; a 1938 Packard Twelve coupe roadster, which sold for $330,000; a 1934 Pierce-Arrow Eight Silver Arrow, which sold for $242,000; a 1930 Cord L-29 cabriolet, which sold for $187,000; a 1955 Jaguar XK 140 MC drophead coupe, which sold for $187,000; a 1960 Mercedes-Benz 220 SE cabriolet, which sold for $165,000; a 1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2-Litre Roadster, which sold for $159,500; and a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, which sold for $154,000.
This 1955 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe de Ville sold for $19,250. Photo by Phil Greatorex, courtesy RM Sotheby’s.
The sale featured numerous lots in the sub-$20,000 range, including a 1955 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe de Ville, which sold for $19,250; a 1970 Ford LTD hardtop sedan, which sold for $18,700; a 1962 Chrysler New Yorker sedan, which sold for $17,600; a 1963 Studebaker Avanti, which sold for $16,500; a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC, which sold for $16,500; a 1942 Cadillac Series 67 Seven-Passenger Imperial Sedan, which sold for $16,500; and a 1990 Renault Alpine V6 Turbo, which sold for $15,000.
For complete results from the Motor City sale, visit RMSothebys.com.
from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/2arsK3S
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