Beschreibung:

PROPERTY FROM THE PATRICK S. RYAN COLLECTION The Ex-Countess Porceri 1930/33 DUESENBERG MODEL J SPORTS SEDAN COACHWORK BY FRANAY Chassis No. 2385 Engine No. J-365 Red with tan leather interior Engine: straight-eight, twin overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, 420ci., 265bhp at 4,200rpm; Gearbox: three-speed; Suspension: beam axle to front, live axle to rear, semi-elliptic leaf springs all round; Brakes: servo-assisted hydraulically operated drums on all wheels. Left hand drive. When the Model J Duesenberg debuted December 1, 1928 at the New York Auto Salon held in the Commodore Hotel, it was the sensation of both the general and the automotive press. With its double overhead camshaft straight-eight engine, which, like racing car engines, had four valves per cylinder, it had double the horsepower of any competitor, the nearest being the Kissel 8-126 with 126 horsepower, and the Stearns-Knight J-8-90 and McFarlan TV, each with 120hp. Many viewers were skeptical of the horsepower claims, but they didn't know Duesenberg Motor Company owner Errot Lobban Cord. After acquiring the Duesenberg company in 1926, Cord vowed to build the biggest, best, most powerful (and fastest), most expensive car on the market. When reports of the Model J's performance started to be published, skepticism turned into amazement and grudging, or envious, admiration. The chassis was a rugged stamped-steel channel-section frame carried by four semi-elliptic springs on beam axles. Brakes were four-wheel hydraulic which was expected, as Duesenberg had pioneered four-wheel hydraulic brakes on the Model A in 1920. Typical of the great Classic Cars, Duesenberg chassis were consigned to established coachbuilders such as Derham, Dietrich, LeBaron, Weymann, Rollston and Murphy. A few Duesenbergs were also sent to Europe and bodied by some of the leading European coachbuilders such as Castagna, Hibbard & Darrin, Gurney Nutting, Figoni and Franay. According to the card index kept by the Auburn Cord & Duesenberg historian Ray Wolffe, this chassis was delivered new to France and it appears to have been first fitted with town car coachwork by the French firm of Kellner. For some reason in this configuration the car was not sold, and in August 1931 new sports sedan coachwork by Franay, with sliding sunroof and skirted rear fenders, was fitted. In this new configuration the car was exhibited at the October 1931 Paris Salon with two-tone paintwork. A year later the car was again back at the Paris Salon, but this time it was painted in just one color. In January or February of 1934 the car was sold to the Countess Porceri. The Countess Porceri was by birth an American whose maiden name was Mabel Boll from Rochester, New York. It appears that Mabel Boll was something of a socialite and attempted to become the first lady to cross the Atlantic (as a passenger) in 1928. We also believe she was known as The Queen of Diamonds and was a top client of the famous jewelers, Harry Winston. She was a widow (Mrs. Hernando Roacha) before she married the Polish Count Henri de Porceri in Paris, France in April 1931. A photograph appears in the J.L. Elbert book Duesenberg the Mightiest American Motor Car on page 74 which captions Mlle. Cortesi as the lady standing in front of the Franay. We believe she was a model hired for the Concours d'Elegance Feminine in June 1934. Model Js were often familiar attractions at the popular Concours d'Elegance shows such as Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo, Deauville, Vichy and Paris. Not only were the cars on display in competition, but they would be accompanied by young ladies dressed by the latest Parisian couturiers with striking ensembles that complemented the vehicles. Another period photograph of the car also appears on page 155 of the Fred Roe Duesenberg book. Very little is known of the car again until the early 1950s when retired schoolteacher, Henri Beaud of Villeneuve, owned the car. In the late 1950s the car was purchased in partnersh