Father Divine Duesenberg Throne Car

When we looked at this throne car in the 1970s the only wheels that came with it were the steel Buffalo Wire Wheel units actually on the car~
They were a patched-up and welded-up mess! The weight of this monster of a car caused the spokes of the rear wire wheels to bend and break often.

No other later safety wheels came with this car !

The rear roof top once had a power lift to raise it open~
The rear Throne Seat for Father Divine once also automatically rose higher by power ~~
Once the top opened so he could speak from the car.

There was also a vacuum tube amplified PA system on the car with a microphone in the rear area for Father Divine to use .
There were two small weatherproof Atlas driver-horn speakers facing downward and outward afixed underneath to the chassis.
This was in addition to the normal limo. in- car telephone style driver/owner intercom.

Now I understand that the rear top was hacked-apart and hydraulic and mechanical parts robbed off this car so that this top no longer will raise by power .
I also understand that the rear "Throne Seat" will no longer rise by power !
The entire power systems are now long gone !
The old vacuum tube style PA amplifier system and two small Atlas driver horn speakers are also now long gone !

The trunk and special trunk rack seen in other photos, were also on the great car at this time ~

The trunk and trunk rack I believe are now missing !

All these unusual systems were in fact ON the car when Dad & I inspected it in the 1970s !

These systems must have been removed before Don Williams & Richie bought this car for Imperial Palace and later the Blackhawk Collection.

Who owned this model "J" Throne Car just before they bought it ?
Possibly THEY removed these items ?

Mother Divine, who is still very much alive today in 2010, and living at the Woodmont Estate Mansion in Gladwyne Pa. could possibly be of great help describing this rear roof & throne seat operation.
I suspect that she & the International Universal Peace Mission Church might also actually have period photos of this car; along with Father Divine sitting and speaking from it !
I seem to remember her showing Dad & I some photos of the Father actually with this car.

By the way~
That Duesey was NOT the only great auto that we saw in the "Woodmont" carriage house that day~ There were many others !

Sorry~( I did not know there was already a thread on this throne car on this site~ It might be better to move these posts to the other Father Divine thread ! )

In the early 1970s my Father & I were contacted by a well-known car collector .
He wanted us to inspect a Duesenberg in the Philadelphia area for him as he was considering a purchase.
We went to Gladwyne Pa to see Mother Divine the late Father's widow at their Spectacular grand & large estate called "Woodmont" !
Father Divine had long since passed-away years before this time.

Mother Divine was decades younger than Father Divine who was African-American. Mother Divine is white.
She still lives at this grand Woodmont estate today in 2010. She is a very nice & kind person indeed ! Woodmont Estate & this Model "J" Duesenberg were both given to them; or as the Father always maintained "Loaned" to them for their use.
It was bought by a wealthy member of his congregation who the Father called "John the Baptist".

The large extra-long wheelbase model "J" sat for decades in a very large carriage house along with several other cars.
There was at least a 1/4" of dust on the big car and all tires were flattened to the point that the wheels were sitting on the ground.
The car was backed into the carriage house.
The rear Wire Wheel Corp Buffalo Wire wheels were all patched-up, welded, and had strange plates welded-on inside to beef them up.
The color as I remember was not black but a deep plumb-purple/green.
When I first saw the great "Model "J" I must say that I was a bit shocked to say the very least ~
It did not look at all like what I had expected a grand Duesenberg model "J" to look like ~
To me it looked like an WW II ARMY staff car.
Very tank-like.

One of the strangest Duesenberg coaches I have ever seen~ Other than the so-called Tom Mix car , built ten years after his death, with the long-horn cattle horns.

Dad remembered this car , and Father Divine, very well as the Father was a well-known and much debated about figure in Philadelphia & New YorK for many years.
Dad often saw the Father in newspaper reports. The father would often preach to his followers from the grand throne which rose in the back of this car.
He also had one of the very first nation wide Sunday Radio church programs.
He was quite an odd church leader.
He & Mother Divine lived like Royalty~
But would often claim that they were poor and had NO money or property to their name!
The church had vast real estate holdings along with at least three large church run hotels in Philadelphia.
They own much of this property real estate tax free to this very day !
Father Divine had followers in the tens of thousands all over the USA and Europe !
Many of his followers were from very wealthy Philadelphia & New York Old Money !
Some thought the group was a cult~
Father Divine was thought TO BE GOD in the eyes of his followers.
In fact he himself often pofessed to be "Divine" thus his name Father Divine !
He was arrested several times in New York and the judge who convicted him suddenly dropped dead after the trial.
He was thought to have been in perfect health !
Father Divine stated at this time that he really hated to do it~ But it was sadly necessary for him to take the man's life !
Suddenly not long after all charges against the Father were later dropped !

We inspectd the car for about a half hour.
It had not been used in many years.
The engine was complete~
There were no connecting rods removed and sitting on the ground as others might have suggested.
We took a half dozen photos to send to the potential buyer; who eventually passed on buying the car.
As I remember you could have bought it for around 30 thousand +/- at this time in the early 1970s.
It then sat at Woodmont for many years after we inspected it; where it had rested for decades before.
It is really a sight to behold indeed !

By the way~
Shortly before he died Father Divine stated that he would soon return soon from the dead to again join the living.
Many of his followers are still waiting for his resurection & return !
So far he has not returned~
His grave at Woodmont sits undisturbed !

The story of this Duesenberg model "J" and the Father are very colorful indeed !

I would be very happy to answer any questions or talk to you about Father Divine and this Model "J" Duesenberg !
It, and the Father himself were truly unique ...