Hibbard & Darrin

I would guess Colette d'Arville of Paris and New York City, supposedly an early owner of this car, which no longer exists except for part of the engine.

In what I've read of this car, Miss d'Arville is usually referred to as an actress, although in her native land she appears to have had greater fame on-stage at the Paris Comic Opera and in NYC at the Metropolitan Opera House. The IMDB lists only two movie roles for her, "Chicita" in 1935's "Tango Bar" and an unnamed role in 1932's "Awlad el zawat" ("Sons of Aristocrats" or "Spoiled Children" depending on the translation).

Hi,
I have one more Hibbard & Darrin Transformable Town Car - J195/2216
Does anyone know who is the lady?
Jan

An ACD'er asked me about the King's car last summer. My best amateur's guess on the matter was that it was J-317 or J-319. Of course I was wrong, as Randy pointed out. (This is why he does this for a living and I don't...)

As of the early 1990s there was not much written on J-317 except rumor that it was a near-twin to J-319 and had the same owner originally. I've always doubted that but there you go.

I found a picture of J-319/2329 taken almost from the same angle as the picture with King Alfonso was and now I can see that the rear of the body is different.
Jan
P.S. Thanks to Mr. Richards for interesting informations, only still missing the numbers of that car, does anyone know?

Dear Mr. Janst of Czech Republic :
Thank you for posting an item on our ACD Club Website. I am pleased
that it is getting increased international use. Regarding the Black & White
photo image you sent in your 10-30-2007 post to the Duesenberg forum
I would like to offer the following information:
The first time I saw this photo image was at Page 75 , Photo # 100
of an early American compilation of Duesenberg materials by J. L. Elbert
entitled DUESENBERG /The Mightiest American Motor Car published by
The Motor Classic Bookhouse , Dan R. Post Publications at Arcadia, CA
in 1951 in paperback format. Mr. Elbert's caption below the photo reads
" King Alphonso of Spain beside his Hibbard & Darrin Cabriolet de Ville "
Mr. Elbert showed a photo credit to one V. C. Hall whom I believe to have
been Duesenberg's Export Manager Vance C. Hall. Mr. Hall was , accord-
ing to Elbert , responsible for " introducing the J to Europe in connection
with the various automobile exhibitions for 1930 models " Elbert @ P. 71.
Interestingly, a then young Elbert conducted written correspondence with
V.C. Hall in December of 1932 at which time Hall was serving Duesenberg
in the capacity of Sales Manager. I quote again Elbert @ P. 71 where he
states " H. M. Alphonso XIII , King of Spain , bought a Hibbard & Darrin
Cabriolet de Ville , blue with gray top , which was later to figure in his
record-time escape from Madrid to Carthagene. When he took a boat for
France the King was reputed to have owned about 30 automobiles , but
the Duesie , later brought from Spain by his chauffeur , was the only car
taken for his exile in France. ". History tells us that King Alphonso XIII was
the last king of Spain and ,in the pre-Franco Civil War period , the king fled
Spain for the safety of France when internal crises and elections showed
that the people of Spain wanted a republic. At the time of the king's flight
to France in 1931 his Duesenberg was all but brand new and we can be
sure it was an ideal escape vehicle. One wonders what became of the car
after the chauffeur brought it out of Spain and into France and after death
of the king in 1941. I am advised by Randy Ema that it is reasonably sure
that the vehicle was parted out during the war. This is based on discovery
over time of various J Duesenberg parts with characteristics of Hibbard &
Darrin dash panel configuration , Continental ( metric ) instrumentation, etc.
One final comment. I rather think Mr. Elbert erred in his spelling of the
town to which the king fled in his Duesenberg. Elbert spells it Carthagene
but I suspect the king fled to the port in SE Spain called Cartagena from
which he sailed to France. I hope this information and short history lesson
is of interest to the readers.

I have to agree with A.J. The car in the original b/w photo appears to be a more "low and racey" design. The H & D shown at Pebble Beach appears to be a more formal town car.

By the way isn't the gentleman who is leaning against the car in the original photo King Alphonso of Spain?

I've seen the black H&D town car at Imperial Palace its a beauty. Has interesting round opera winows in the rear panels on each side, next to the landau irons.

Steve Derus

The more recent photos do not depict the same car in the old photo at the top of this thread. The rear of the body in the top picture ends above the wheel as well as having a shorter windshield to name two differences.

A.J.

Is it just me, or does J-254 just beg to have the larger wheels put back on it. It looks wierd, undertired, with the small wheels. IMHO.

Kudos to Mike Dube for using both chassis and J-number to identify Model Js. Ray Wolff, many decades ago, began the practice of identifying Duesenbergs by a number that is (externally) cast into a removable bell housing. Engine or bell housing switches made the issue very confusing. (There was a famous case in the 1950s, I think, where two cars were in the same shop and had their bell housings --- and therefore J-numbers --- switched by accident.)

I remember Ray once pointing at a car and saying, "That's J-XXX. It used to be J-YYY." Sure looked like the same car to my untutored eyes!

Yes, those are J-254 and the bottom one is the current color scheme.

well, so that means the black & white photo shows one of the cars that didn?t survive

then I guess following two photos show one and the same car - J-254
is it right? which color is current?

It is. An estimated four were made, two of which survive today, J-254 and J-319.

But it is one of H&D?s Convertible Town Cars, isn?t it?
How many pieces of similar body style did they build?

I don't believe this is J-319. According to Fred Roe's "Duesenberg the Pursuit of Perfection" (1982) J-319 chassis 2329 was a Hibbard & Darrin convertible coupe. However in a later tome also by Roe in "Automotive History Review " summer 1996, he says that J-319/2329 was a H&D convertible town car and includes a picture which is not the car you ask about.

Your picture appears in this same issue as an unknown car speculated to be chassis 2215, but no J #.

Perhaps Randy will have more information.

Hello .No that is not J319. Randy Ema

Hi,
is this J-319?