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Hoping to ID a car and track history, wheareabouts

  • carnut
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20 May 2008 03:45 #10143 by carnut
Wow. I'm (almost) speechless! What an unbelievable collection is right - Balinwire, thanks for the post. I truly appreciate it. It's been wonderful talking with my mom and her sister about the car - now I have something a little more tangible to go on. I can't wait to hear their reactions when I show them the clip.

Thanks again to everyone - you guys have been a terrific help!

I'll be seeing both of them over the summer, and will try to get a few stories out of them to post here. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  • Chris Summers
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20 May 2008 00:43 #10138 by Chris Summers
Replied by Chris Summers on topic Hoping to ID a car and track history, wheareabouts
Indeed it is. There were only two Duesenbergs in the Cunningham Collection, J-325 and J-563 (the Gary Cooper SSJ, now owned by Miles Collier as well).

Thanks for the link, that's an excellent video. What an unbelievable collection.

Chris Summers
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So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

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  • balinwire
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20 May 2008 00:24 #10136 by balinwire
Replied by balinwire on topic deep cranberry paint
Could this be the car toward the end of this video clip of the Costa Mesa exhibit in 1983? click on the link below

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  • West Peterson
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19 May 2008 15:41 #10128 by West Peterson
Replied by West Peterson on topic Hoping to ID a car and track history, wheareabouts
Not just "good hands," but one of the finest car collections in the world.

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  • carnut
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15 May 2008 14:33 #10101 by carnut
Replied by carnut on topic Many thanks!
Thanks again Chris, and West, for your investigative inquiries. My family and I are trying to figure out some way to go see the car in the next several years, and now that we know where it is and who owns it, it makes the process that much easier.

Thanks again for all your efforts, and hopefully someday in the future I'll get a post up with some pictures of it.

I can also gratefully tell you that my mother, and my aunt, who both grew up with the car, were thrilled to hear of its whereabouts and the fact that it is still in good hands.

Thanks again!
Alex

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  • Chris Summers
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14 May 2008 18:57 #10092 by Chris Summers
Replied by Chris Summers on topic Hoping to ID a car and track history, wheareabouts
Briggs Cunningham bought the car from Bill Brewster's widow in 1969, and it was part of his collection until 1986, when he sold almost all of the cars to Miles Collier. I have no contact with Mr. Collier so I was not certain if he still owned the car or not.

I had heard the museum closed and was not aware it was still open for private visits. I'll try to arrange a tour next time I am in Naples.

Chris Summers
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So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

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  • West Peterson
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14 May 2008 15:51 #10090 by West Peterson
Replied by West Peterson on topic Hoping to ID a car and track history, wheareabouts
From the Internet...
An ex-Briggs [Cunningham] Duesenberg ... with deep cranberry paint that appeared to change color as the sunlight changed during an afternoon's visit. I think that this was the car that Union Carbide used for a poster they gave out several years ago.

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  • West Peterson
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14 May 2008 15:47 #10089 by West Peterson
Replied by West Peterson on topic Hoping to ID a car and track history, wheareabouts
1. The car is a LeBaron dual cowl phaeton
2. The museum is only open to private visits.

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  • Chris Summers
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14 May 2008 15:30 #10088 by Chris Summers
Replied by Chris Summers on topic Hoping to ID a car and track history, wheareabouts
The car was J-325/2349. Harry Churchill was its second owner, after C. Townsend Ludington of Massachusetts, and kept it from June 1949 to June 1956.

Last I heard it was in Miles Collier's collection in Florida, which was open as a museum in the late 1990s but has since closed to the public. Anyone know anything more recent?

Chris Summers
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So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

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  • West Peterson
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14 May 2008 14:12 #10085 by West Peterson
Replied by West Peterson on topic Hoping to ID a car and track history, wheareabouts
Say. How about sharing what happened to the car, or some of its original history.

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  • carnut
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10 May 2008 00:21 #10038 by carnut
Replied by carnut on topic details now known!
Thanks to Chris Summers, I know much more than I did yesterday about my grandfather's car! While a Duesenberg is certainly not in my budget at the moment, I'll keep dreaming.....

Thanks again to Chris, and I hope to learn much more from the folks on this forum!

Alex

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  • carnut
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09 May 2008 14:21 #10034 by carnut
Hi folks,

I've been lurking for a while now, and finally decided to jump in. My grandfather owned a dual-cowl phaeton during the 1950s, and I'm trying to track it down. I'm trying to get more info from my parents, but at the moment all I know is the following:
early 1930s (I think) dual cowl phaeton
burgundy color
owned by Mr. Harry Churchill for ~5 years during the 1950s
the car lived outside of Boston, but made trips to Maine most summers

That's about all I know at the moment - if I can find some pictures I'll post 'em. Any info, tips, leads, etc that anyone might have would be of great help, and greatly appreciated! I know it's not a whole lot to go on, but I'm hoping these few details strike a memory in someone....

Thanks in advance!
Alex

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