Great Clark Gable & SJ Picture

Bob Roller wrote: I wonder if a number of people that had Duesenbergs got rid of them after a short time. Too flashy and obviously a lot of money or troublesome and hard to service in most areas of the country.
Raydon Thompson often said he was doubtful if any of them were
any good and we both agreed that a Packard made more sense for
daily use and world wide service and a solid dealer network were always available for them.
Bob Roller

Hello Bob,

I don't think that service was a problem in the L.A./Hollywood area at that time. After Duesenberg closed its branch in L.A. a Mr. Bob Roberts had a shop on Ivar Street.

If I got it right, so Clark Gable has had a "second" Duesenberg to drive with. The Duesenberg Company gave him one of the two 1935 Supershort (125') SJ La Grande Roadster to his personel use.
So if I had the opportunity to chose between the uncharged CC and the twincarbed-supercharged Roadster...

But I don't know how long the time period was, that Mr. Gable drove the SSJ.


Matt

I find Packard had their engineering in the early teen-twenties Twin-Six, the 1932 Twin-Six (prototype and production), the Twelve, and the OHV V-8 (even though the V-8 does not seem to breath well). As to the balance, I have always thought GM had the better engineering and Packard designed by bulk which allowed for durability. I regularly hear my engineer dad grumbling in the garage about Packard engineers and they are by far not his favorite cars to work on. And usually about that time I have to finish up the project (and tend to agree with him and grumble as well). He always complains that they built too soft a seat cushion. I have never had real experience with a Pierce Arrow though I regularly hear the quality is exceptional. That being said, I know the 851-852 Auburn was ?below? those in price, but it will run circles around all of them as far as drivability (lighter makes for much better handling) and periodically I find something cobbled together from the factory, but for the most part it has solid quality and engineering (my only fault with it being an overly large turning radius).

As a long time maker and user of flintlock rifles I well know about a
"flash in the pan". A sudden flare of fire and smoke and no BOOM.
A Packard 12 took the prize for American luxury over the Duesenberg
"20 Grand"entry as well as Pierce and Cadillac's efforts. For every day
use and practical maintainability,the Packard certainly had the edge over any independent maker regardless of status and world wide as well. The Paris,France dealer,E.Z.Sadovich became an Oldsmobile dealer and after the debacle
of 1940,who knows.
I well remember the days of the early 1950's when we had fun with these cars and ran them hard and fast and enjoyed them as they were,unrestored,some with dents,some with rust streaks along the hood from over heating and bald 7.00x19 tires because there were no new ones available except dry rotted NOS. I recall a man trying to get his money back when a beat up old "J" passed him while still running up hill in second gear. He said that old heap should have been given to a WW2
scrap drive in 1941 and shouldn't be allowed on the road. It was J396,then owned and driven by the late Melvin Clemans.
He liked them in their stock,early form and considered some of the attempts to modernize them as spin offs from a 1937 Plymouth. To him,the initials JN meant ""Junk Now". He owned a Bohman&Schwartz
modified Murphy CC and said he never really liked it and seldom used it.

Bob Roller

I assume just the same as today - the people who want the flash in the pan cars want the latest and greatest. Equally, the people who have the latest and greatest do not really like it when their latest and greatest become an orphan.

I doubt service was ever an issue for those in Los Angeles - they had strong dealer support and equally people in large cities with a dealership did just as well (and that dealership most likely became that of another make after 1937 and knew of at least parts company support).

Cincinnati use to be literally flooded with Rolls-Royce cars in the 1920's and 1930's (there was a downtown dealership) and there was a dealership in the 1970's through early 1990's and the town was again flooded - the dealer serviced for the most part Indian Hill the wealthiest suburb in Ohio - when the dealership closed the cars had to be serviced in Columbus, Lexington, or Louisville (all 2 hours away). You now see very few RR cars in town.

I wonder if a number of people that had Duesenbergs got rid of them after a short time. Too flashy and obviously a lot of money or troublesome and hard to service in most areas of the country.
Raydon Thompson often said he was doubtful if any of them were
any good and we both agreed that a Packard made more sense for
daily use and world wide service and a solid dealer network were always available for them.
Bob Roller

I do not think he kept it very long . We have new ownership rumors by 1936 . Upon his death he still had a 300S Mercedes conv coupe which his wife sold some years later. Randy

Does anyone know when Gable sold it and did he still own it when
he passed away?

Bob Roller

What I liked about the Whittell Coupe video was how nice the car handled and he just released his hands after cornering and the steering wheel returned to center - you do not see that much in Duesenbergs or early 30's cars as a whole for that matter (and one of the reasons we drive 35 851 Auburn with very carefully restored steering and suspension).

Every time I hear a J running on the road, it amazes me how modern it sounds.

For those of you with good high-speed Internet, Gooding streams their auction online. It's the next best thing to being there. Watching the Whittell Coupe sell last year was absolutely incredible.

I think you are looking at the potential makings of a new Worlds record price for an American car !

Gooding does a fantastic job marketing their chosen cars.
CORDially Mike

Hello,

The J(N)-560 Rollston/Bohman & Schwartz Convertible Coupe (Ex Clark Gable car) would be one of the top-offers of Gooding and Company auction @ Monterey next week..

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... N0VYJxOQFM


Matt

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