MORE from the Savoy Auto Museum

A roomful of Duesenbergs? Let's GO!

Last time we featured the exhibit from manufacturers that made both tractors and cars, so this time, let's focus on two other exhibits. Let's kick it off with a room full of luxury American automobiles that gave us the term "That's a DOOZY," which means the Duesenberg car company. After that, we'll show you some cool Jaguars that were on display. The weekend we visited also happened to be a big gathering of Jaguar owners at the museum, including their guest speaker Friday night Waybe Carini. He was the host of Chasing Classic Cars on TV up until 1921. 

1929 Duesenberg Model J Roadster Wood-Bodied by J. Herbert Newport. 
This is a very modified Duesy, and needless to say is a one-of-a-kind. 

Classic hood ornament and Duesenberg Straight 8 logo. That is correct, a straight 8 cylinder engine, not a V8 engine. 

1927 Duesenberg Model A Roadster. This car is believed to be one of only two built in this configuration. As an early Duesenberg, the chassis and engine were built in Indianapolis. 

1929 Duesenberg Model J. Introduced in December of 1928, this marked the first year of Model J production, just prior to the stock market crash of October 1929. 

I thought this wheel center was cool. 

Now THIS is an awesome hood ornament! You could hurt somebody with this thing. 

1931 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Victoria by Rollston. 

Like fancy Italian cars, the Duesenberg was a car brand where you bought the chassis, and then could choose whatever coach-maker you liked. This little badge outside a car tells us its from Murphy Coach Builders in Pasadena. 

While we were looking around a tour group also visited.

1934 Duesenberg Model J Riviera Phaeton. Sure, I'll put this on my Christmas list!

The three round silver balls on the steering wheel are not for decoration. Two of them control spark and timing, and the third one controls the headlights!

This 1934 Model J was one of only three built by Brunn Coachworks in Buffalo NY. 

1935 Duesenberg Model J Dual-Cowl Phaeton by LaGrande

1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Convertible Victoria by Fernandez et Darrin, Paris. This car was first owned by Mrs. Madeline John Jacob Astor. The couple returned from their honeymoon in Europe aboard the Titanic. Mr. Astor did not survive, but Mrs. Astor lived, and bought the car when new. 

Here is the chassis that you could buy from Duesenberg, and then design your own body and find a coach builder!

The suspension caught my eye. The leaf springs are like most pickup truck rear axles today, but while modern cars would add some sway bars, torsion bars, or replace the leafs with struts and springs, this Duesenberg adds a cloth "damper" to help smooth out the ride! Like today, the leaf springs hold the weight of the car, while the cloth helps to dampen the springs bouncing.