Murphy-bodied Duesenberg J roadster takes Best of Show at Ironstone Concours d’Elegance

1930 Duesenberg Model J disappearing top roadster, Best of Show at the 2016 Ironstone Concours d’Elegance. Photos copyright Kimball Studios, used with permission.

While all Duesenberg Model Js were special automobiles, those fitted with the sleek disappearing top roadster body built by coachbuilder Walter M. Murphy Company were, perhaps, among the most coveted. Most were built to order for demanding buyers, fastidious about every detail, but one, chassis 2346, was purchased as a gift from a mother to her son. On September 24, this remarkably original 1930 Duesenberg Model J disappearing top roadster, owned by Rob and Jeannie Hilarides of Visalia, California, edged out the competition in a 300-plus car field to take Best of Show honors at the 2016 Ironstone Concours d’Elegance, held at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphy, California.

The son in question was Shirley Carter Burden, and his mother, Florence Vanderbilt Burden, was a granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Though raised a child of privilege, S.C. Burden would go on to establish himself as a film producer, photographer and photo essayist, unafraid to tackle weighty subjects like religion and poverty. Burden never attended college, instead going directly to work for Pathe News while attending the Browning School in New York City.

By the late 1920s, Burden was spending the bulk of his time in California, working as an associate producer and assistant editor at studios like RKO and Paramount. The Duesenberg may have been a gift for his achievements in Hollywood, or it may have been a reward for his 21st birthday; what is known is that Burden took delivery of his roadster in June of 1930.

As ordered from the factory, the Duesenberg came with a 420-cu.in. straight-eight engine, featuring double-overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, features derived from the company’s racing experience. Built upon the shorter 142.5-inch standard wheelbase and topped with the lightweight (and relatively aerodynamic, by period standards) Murphy body, the car’s 265 horsepower would have been sufficient to deliver a top speed of 110 MPH, a notable achievement for a Depression-era production automobile.

Burden kept the car for just three years, and by 1934 it was offered for sale by a New York City Duesenberg dealership. Over the next two decades, the car would pass through a pair of owners before being purchased by Raymond de Vos in 1955. Then the historian of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club, de Vos carried out restorative work as needed, carefully preserving the car over the course of his four-year ownership.

The 1955 Lancia Nardi Blue Ray 1, owned by the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, was named Most Exciting Car.

From 1959 into 1971, chassis 2346 passed through three more owners, but in March of 1971 the Duesenberg was acquired by Walter Cunny III with just over 43,000 miles on the odometer. One of the car’s more impressive achievements came in 1983, when Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club inspectors (including Fred Roe) certified the roadster as a Category 1 example. At the time of his death in 1986, the car was still part of Cunny’s collection, and it then passed to his sister and brother-in-law, who kept the car until 1997.

Since then, the Duesenberg passed through two more collections before being purchased by Rob and Jeannie Hilarides in 2015. Equipped with its original engine, transmission, frame and bodywork, the Murphy-bodied roadster has never been apart for a comprehensive restoration, a testament to the care it’s received from past owners.

The 1961 Chrysler 300G hardtop owned by Steve Simon of Gardnerville, Nevada, took the Ironstone Foundation Award.

Other key winners at the 2016 Ironstone Concours d’Elegance include the 1955 Lancia Nardi Blue Ray 1, owned by the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, named Most Exciting Car; the 1929 Cadillac 341b Town Sedan owned by Tom Johnson of Ballico, California, named Most Elegant Car; and the 1961 Chrysler 300G hardtop owned by Steve Simon of Gardnerville, Nevada, which received the Ironstone Foundation Award.

For a complete list of winners, visit IronstoneConcours.com.

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