Vehicle Description
To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Auburn
Fall event, 30 August - 2 September 2018.
Estimate:
$750,000 - $950,000
Offered from the Richard L. Burdick CollectionOriginal chassis,
engine, and body; one of the earliest Model Js deliveredIncredible
period restyling by famed coachbuilders Bohman & SchwartzFormerly
of the famous Art Austria, Homer Fitterling, and Ed Weaver
collections265-bhp, 420-cu. in. DOHC inline eight-cylinder and
three-speed manual transmissionClassic Car Club of America (CCCA)
Full ClassicEligible for all Auburn Cord Duesenberg (ACD) Club
activities and meetsA streamlined Duesenberg sedan of unusual and
striking beauty
Early ACD Club Duesenberg Historian Ray Wolff recorded his
contemporary Marshall Merkes as describing chassis no. 2143, engine
no. J-118 as receiving the very first body built for Duesenberg by
the Derham Body Company of Pennsylvania, ordered in 1927 and
delivered in February 1928. One of the earliest Model Js delivered,
its first owner is believed to have been Art Kiel of Santa Barbara,
California, who maintained the car until the mid-1930s.
As the story is told, the car was involved in a mishap in which it
fell into the Santa Barbra Channel on a return trip from Santa
Catalina Island. The water was fortunately not deep and the
Duesenberg was retrieved and sold to a new owner, M.K. Barbee, of
the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Los Angeles. As the Model J had
to be rebuilt anyway, Barbee took the opportunity to significantly
freshen its design with the renowned Pasadena coachbuilders, Bohman
& Schwartz.
Bohman & Schwartz graced the sedan with a subtly lowered and
redesigned greenhouse, beautifully streamlined modern fenders with
full rear "skirts" and no side-mounted spares, single bar front and
rear bumpers, and their favorite touches of a "waterfall" grille
(purportedly adapted from a Buick) and torpedo headlamps. The car
was finished in all-over black with blackwall tires, a memorable
and striking appearance that deserves to be resurrected today.
In 1947 the Duesenberg was sold by the renowned early collector Art
Austria, of the Simplex Garage in Venice Beach, to Fred Buess Jr.
Mr. Buess maintained the Model J for many years before selling it
in 1963 to Homer Fitterling of South Bend, Indiana, the gentleman
farmer who was just beginning to build what would become one of the
first and most renowned collections of Duesenbergs. Fitterling did
not easily part with his automobiles, and the Bohman & Schwartz
sedan remained in his collection for two full decades.
In 1983 the Model J was sold to Gerri Brown of Fort Wayne, wife of
Fitterling's longtime mechanic, restorer, and fellow Duesenberg
owner and authority, Keith Brown. Mrs. Brown enjoyed driving the
Duesenberg, which during her care was maintained in very original
condition, used regularly, and often shown at the ACD Festival.
Only in 1993 was she convinced to sell the car by Ed Weaver, the
Georgia carpet magnate who, two years prior, had bought the rest of
Mr. Fitterling's Duesenbergs, and now wished to have "the one that
got away." When he inquired as to the possible price, Mrs. Brown
told him, "a new Rolls-Royce." Not one to dicker, Mr. Weaver
promptly dispatched a Flying Lady to her home, and the Duesenberg
was soon on its way to Georgia.
Unfortunately Mr. Weaver's untimely passing ensured that J-118's
time in his collection would be short. In 1995 it was sold at his
now-legendary estate auction to Bob Dean of Louisiana, who passed
it later to the Blackhawk Collection, which commissioned the late
Mike Fennel to refinish it in its present color scheme. Afterward
the car was shown at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance,
winning Best in Class.
The Duesenberg has now been part of Mr. Burdick's collection for
over a decade, and during that time has seldom appeared outside of
his museum, its existence virtually forgotten to all but devout
Duesenberg aficionados. Today marks its emergence back into the
spotlight and a wonderful chance for a new owner to take over the
care and enjoyment of this superb Model J, a Duesenberg sedan of
unusual streamlined elegance and rich history.
Please note vehicle is being sold with title in transit.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/AF18.
