Skip to main content

William "Wild Bill" Hunter Model "J" inf

  • mikespeed35
  • Offline
  • ACD Club Life Member
  • Registered
More
09 Dec 2010 04:07 #18707 by mikespeed35
All back Newsletters are available on a fully searchable DVD on the ACD Club e-store. You can search for anything you wish.
CORDially Mike

Mike Huffman

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • jrcurtright
  • Offline
  • Moderator
  • Registered
More
08 Dec 2010 16:29 #18699 by jrcurtright
Replied by jrcurtright on topic Bill Hunter
A Bill Hunter, 625 Crest Lake Circle, Brea, CA, appears as a new member in issue Vol. L (2002), No. 6, pg. 4, the same page that announces the passing of Nathan Derus.

Jack Curtright
Car 2208, J-186

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • silverghost
  • Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Premium Member
  • Registered
More
08 Dec 2010 11:14 #18696 by silverghost
I was viewing Jack Curtright's great new Duesenberg website and was shocked & surprised to see that his late Father had a copy of a letter in his old files from Ray Wolff of 9/9/1958 that was sent to my Great Uncle William "Wild Bill" Hunter in Calif ~~~
Check-It-Out on Jack's Website ~~~


It would appear that in the early days of Duesenberg collecting & restoration most of these fellow owners of that time knew one another~~~ It was a small collector community then~~
All this before the internet information explosion & instant information we have today !

Small Duesenberg World indeed !

Does any other ACD Club member have any other information or listing of my Great Uncle William "Wild Bill" Hunter ?
Was he ever mentioned in the ACD Newsletters ?
If So~~~
I would sure appreciate hearing back from any you that have information !

Thank You :
Brad Hunter

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. BRAD HUNTER Huntingdon Valley Pa/Ocean City NJ 215 947 4676 Engineer & RE Developer Brass & Classic Auto, Antique Boat, Mechanical Automatic Music Machine, & Jukebox Collector

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Bob Roller
  • Offline
  • Premium Member
  • Registered
More
21 Nov 2010 17:58 #18492 by Bob Roller
Replied by Bob Roller on topic Classic car junk yard
Sam Adelman,635 South Columbus Ave,Mount Vernon, New York! You have dredged up an old ghost I haven't thought of since 1957 when I got some rocker arms for my 1937 Series 85 V12 Cadillac.. I remember the time he got me out of bed a 4 in the morning wanting to know if I had any cylinders for that engine.
He said he was going to Florida.That was the name of a potbelly stove he heated his office with.
Sam was a trusting man and sent me the rocker arms on approval. They worked and he got paid quickly. THAT is one thing that seldom happens anymore.He did not know anything about me.
I suppose there is a "SprawlMart" where his business once sat.
Thanks for the reminder of another day and time.

Bob Roller

Bob Roller

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Chris Summers
  • Offline
  • ACD Club Life Member
  • Registered
More
17 Nov 2010 09:58 #18436 by Chris Summers
The body was delivered to Duesenberg on July 12, 1931. Brown took delivery on October 13.

Chris Summers
ACD Club
CCCA
H.H. Franklin Club

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

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • silverghost
  • Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Premium Member
  • Registered
More
17 Nov 2010 04:14 #18430 by silverghost
Replied by silverghost on topic Derham Body ?
Would the Derham Body Coach have been shipped to the Duesenberg factory for installation on the J-444 chassis ?
Derham Body and Coachworks was a very old former high-end carriage & coach builder located in Rosemont PA; it was located not far from my home area here. The multi story building was still standing in the late 1960s !
Their office/showroom building still stands as a new car dealer today !

Most chassis were shipped to the coachbuilder directly for body fitting in those days~.
Rosemont Pa (Just outside Philadelphia) was a very long distance from the Indiana. Duesenberg factory.
Then the complete finished bespoke auto must then have been shipped to Joe E. Brown, J 444's first owner, who was living & working in Ca. !

It sounds like this Derham body must have made quite a grand tour on it's own !

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. BRAD HUNTER Huntingdon Valley Pa/Ocean City NJ 215 947 4676 Engineer & RE Developer Brass & Classic Auto, Antique Boat, Mechanical Automatic Music Machine, & Jukebox Collector

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Chris Summers
  • Offline
  • ACD Club Life Member
  • Registered
More
17 Nov 2010 01:59 #18425 by Chris Summers
As I said, "...for what it's worth." Thanks, Steve. The Wolff notes state "Santa Monica Ford dealer." It was traded into the dealer by its third owner, Mark Jelmeland.

Chris Summers
ACD Club
CCCA
H.H. Franklin Club

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

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Steve Derus
  • Offline
  • Moderator
  • Registered
More
17 Nov 2010 00:48 #18422 by Steve Derus
Chris,

Having grown up in Venice CA, and spent a lot of time in Santa Monica, I only remember one Ford Dealer, Santa Monica Ford. My folks bought a brand new '51 Ford Victoria from them.

The name Kal Kam doesn't ring any bells. If he owned any ACD cars, I never heard Nate talk about it.

Steve

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Chris Summers
  • Offline
  • ACD Club Life Member
  • Registered
More
16 Nov 2010 04:17 #18411 by Chris Summers
O'Quinn's staff members hunted for photos of the car in its cut-down form but couldn't find any. At one time the car still had the front half of its original body but that had been removed when longtime Club member and multiple Duesenberg owner Nate Derus bought the car in January 1960. Nate's son Steve remembers his father owning a car that was a frame and an engine, and I believe that to have been this car.

No numbers are currently visible on the car's frame or firewall. I believe the firewall to have been replaced with that from 2253 (J-245).

I said Kal Karn Ford above; the actual name was Kal Kam Ford per the RM auction catalog entry (for what's that worth...). The Wolff notes simply identify the dealer as a Ford dealer in Santa Monica.

Anyone with more to add is welcome to jump in.

Chris Summers
ACD Club
CCCA
H.H. Franklin Club

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

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • silverghost
  • Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Premium Member
  • Registered
More
16 Nov 2010 04:02 #18410 by silverghost
My great uncle William"Wild Bill" Hunter was involved in many business enterprises.
He was also a playboy type who loved fast high-powered cars & fast aircraft .
He seemed to tire of "his toys" very quickly and changed cars often.
In his day he went through lots of cash and many many fine Full Classics both new and pre-owned.
He knew many of the early aviation racer pioneers, Roscoe Turner, Clarence Chamberlin, Wiley Post, Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, and his good buddy Howard Hughes. William & Howard had several business & Real Estate Developments in their younger days.
It did not surprise us that he sold Howard Hughes this Duesenberg "J" 444.

Is there any truth to the story that William's & later Howard's "J" 444 was in fact converted to tow gliders ?
Are there any photos to prove this story ?
Several websites say the aft coachwork was removed and a tow hook installed !

It would have made a pretty fancy & powerful tow car indeed !

Sam Edelman at his Long Island NY Full Classics Junkyard once had a Springfield Rolls~Royce Phantom I that he converted into an auto tow truck ! It was a Brewster Towncar that had it's rear body chopped-off. He also had a pet rooster his "Watch Dog" living in this Phantom I tow truck !
We actually saw this ourselves in the mid 1950s !
Sam Edelman was one-of-a-kind !

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. BRAD HUNTER Huntingdon Valley Pa/Ocean City NJ 215 947 4676 Engineer & RE Developer Brass & Classic Auto, Antique Boat, Mechanical Automatic Music Machine, & Jukebox Collector

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Chris Summers
  • Offline
  • ACD Club Life Member
  • Registered
More
15 Nov 2010 13:13 #18403 by Chris Summers
Your great-uncle's car was Derham Tourster J-444 / 2456, the car originally owned by comedian Joe E. Brown. Hunter purchased it from Kal Karn Ford in CA and eventually sold it to Hughes who owned it during WWII. I don't have exact dates for either gentleman's ownership.

Please scan and post the photos - myself and others would love to see them!

The car survives although with a replica of its original body. At last word, it was held up in the O'Quinn estate in Houston, TX.

Mr. Hunter owned at least two other Duesenbergs as well: Murphy Disappearing Top Torpedo Convertible Coupe J-178 / 2199 (now has engine J-414, in the Blackhawk Museum) and Rollston Convertible Victoria J-420 / 2431 (now has engine J-337, in the Swigart Museum). He kept none of the three cars for very long.

The Wolff notes mention his name with Murphy Convertible Sedan J-190 / 2211 but he doesn't appear in that car's known history. Any further information or comments on the above is, as always, appreciated.

Chris Summers
ACD Club
CCCA
H.H. Franklin Club

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

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • silverghost
  • Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Premium Member
  • Registered
More
15 Nov 2010 09:59 #18396 by silverghost
I have been looking for any information or photos of the Model "J" Duesenbergs that my great-uncle William "Wild Bill" Hunter may have owned in the 1930s !
He did not buy these cars new from the factory !

Our family has long known that William Hunter once owned a model "J" that he bought used in the late 1930s off a Ford Dealer's used car lot !
Family lore has stated that uncle William later sold this model "J" to his long time friend & business associate and flying buddy Howard Hughes at the very start of World War II

I have been in contact with your great ACD Club historian Chris Summers who has investigated this matter for me !

I will let Chris update you all on the information that he has discovered.
He knows the "J" numbers and body styles.
Chris knows much more about this subject than I do ; and that's what he does best !

Chris now tells me that great uncle William "Wild Bill" Hunter not only once owned ONE model "J"
but THREE ~
and possibly a FORTH model "J" !

They all survive in collections today !

Thank's a million Chris for all your great help and information ! ~~~

I will let you tell the ACD Club Forum this information you have discovered~
They will never believe me !

WOW !
I am stunned & shocked to say the least !

William Hunter once owned many great full Classics and high-end & high-powered autos in his day !

We have a family photo album in storage at the house here with photos of William and his many Classics from the 1930s & 1940s !
I will now search for it and post some of the photos I find !

In the meantime I am still looking for any and all information on William Hunter and photos of his great Model "J" Duesenbergs !

Any and all information and photos greatly appreciated !

Thank You !
BRAD HUNTER
215 947 4676
<a href="mailto:[email protected]][email protected][/url]

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. BRAD HUNTER Huntingdon Valley Pa/Ocean City NJ 215 947 4676 Engineer & RE Developer Brass & Classic Auto, Antique Boat, Mechanical Automatic Music Machine, & Jukebox Collector

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Powered by Kunena Forum