Patrick,
You aren't making this up are you? 100M? 100S? Biplane in a loft? 2
Deusenberg's? :)))
Whilst at the Auburn Cord Deusenberg museum, I read that the Deusenberg
brothers (from Indianapolis) were extremely successful in racing in the 20's,
having won the 1928 French GP at Le Mans, and also having placed 8 of the top
10
cars at the Indy 500 that year (including the winning car). Apparently,
E.L.Cord bought the Deusenberg company from receivership in the late 20's, and
turned that marque into one of the most expensive and desirable in motoring.
Ok - it's late, and I will bore you all with another item/observation from
my visit to the museum. I was upstairs wandering in the design offices of
Alan Leamy (famed Cord-Deusenberg designer on the order certainly of Gerry
Coker
- and both did their most famous work in their 20', although Alan Leamy died
when he was just 33). I'm looking at some pencil sketches of his, on a
display board. There is a sketch of a Cord dated 1930 - a Cord Coupe that
was
never even prototyped. The doors ..... The doors have the unmistakable look
of the mid-year Vette's - with the extension up into the top of the car. To
see this drawing is to look exactly at the 1963 - 1967 Vette coupe doors -
except this drawing was from 1930. There is only one sketch of this car. I
was unable to find another, or even a copy for sale in the gift shop. Just
one
obscure 4" X 8" pencil drawing on a board with others in a back corner of
the museum. One wonders.
Dave
In a message dated 5/15/2005 9:36:43 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
Patrick.Quinn@det.nsw.edu.au writes:
G'day
I have an interesting Austin-Healey - Deusenberg connection that may add
a small piece to someone's memory jigsaw.
Back in 1975 when I was visiting the East Coast USA we visited a house
in Connecticut. It was solid stone as were its slightly dilapidated
garages.
Of interest was a 100M sitting underneath a few trees. It was a genuine
car as even back then I knew the difference between a tarted up 100 and
a M. Inside the garage was a 100S in unrestored but good going
condition. I recall straw over the floor and the remains of a early
biplane in a loft.
Also of great interest were two (yes 2) dismantled Indianapolis
Deusenbergs from the 1920's. I recall marveling at the body style and
centrifugal superchargers. I would be very surprised if the Deusenbergs
were not in a museum today.
I used to keep a diary back then and I know I wrote a little detail of
where and when. The diary is somewhere at home as are the transparencies
I took if anyone is interested.
Hoo Roo
Patrick Quinn
Sydney, Australia
|