It’s a Derham Dandy: Dusenberg Arlington sedan
Take in the history of this Derham-bodied Duesenberg Model J Arlington sedan, from its 1930s Chicago World’s Fair appearance to its preservation today by Stahls Motors & Music Experience.
Having been launched during 1887 in the carriage-building trade, the Derham Body Co. was well established by the time the Model J Duesenberg came on the scene in late 1928. The Rosemont, Pa., coachbuilding firm made the switch from building horse-drawn carriages to self-propelled carriages in 1907, and by 1928 was a highly respected body builder for motorized chassis. Upon the Model J’s introduction, it was ready with catalog designs and even a body on a Model J chassis at the 1929 Chicago Salon. Of the 481 completed Model J chassis ever built, some 40 of them would wear Derham bodies.
Today, the most remembered Derham body type on the Model J chassis is the company’s Tourster, a four-door phaeton with exceptionally good proportions and elegance in its restraint. Derham built eight Tourster bodies plus two other phaetons, a convertible coupe and five convertible sedans on the Model J chassis. Aside from its five limousines, four of which were town cars, the rest of its bodies for the Model J chassis — about 20 — were sedans.
When Duesenberg and Derham teamed up again for a return to the Chicago show scene in 1933 and ’34, another Derham sedan represented the car maker. A real-photo postcard promoting Duesenberg at the Century of Progress International Exposition, aka Chicago World’s Fair, pictured the Derham Arlington sedan, an established — and aging — Derham design for the Duesenberg chassis. “The Whole World and Duesenberg meet again — this time at the Century of Progress — and well may America be proud of producing the acknowledged leader. Ask us more about them,” stated the back of the postcard, which was issued by Duesenberg Motors of Illinois at 333. N. Michigan in Chicago.
Indeed, by 1933, the Model J’s superior reputation for quality and speed was acknowledged around the world. However, the worldwide economic depression crushed sales of all automobiles, and Duesenberg failed to sell 500 cars per year, its original plan. Until the company ceased to exist in 1937, just 481 cars had been sold altogether. Derham had likely hoped to sell more than five of its Arlington bodies, but alas, it still had at least two of them on hand in 1933 — one of which was the car advertised at the World’s Fair.
Another Duesenberg Derham Arlington sedan remaining on hand at the time was eventually sold new on July 11, 1934, to Clarence R. Bitting of Rhode Island. Bitting is believed to have owned the car until April 1952, a relatively long period of luxury car ownership during that period. Bitting clearly didn’t mind the Arlington sedan’s lack of streamlining features at the time of his purchase, or even after the war. By 1934, most cars, including new Duesenberg designs, were gaining skirted fenders, laid-back radiator grilles and windshields and smoother bodies. Perhaps a man of foresight, Bitting may have seen the antiquated styling of the Arlington sedan as “Classic Duesenberg,” which it had become by the time he sold it in 1952.
To such classic Duesenberg traits as open clamshell-type fenders, curved-louver hood sides, upright chrome radiator and lamps and exposed wire wheels, the Arlington added a cozy-but-formal close-coupled sedan body without rear quarter windows. Arlington sedans were fitted with either a leather or cloth-covered top and a rear trunk. The buyer could specify landau irons for the rear roof pillars. Bitting’s Arlington sedan was fitted with a cloth top and landau irons, but was unique among the five built for having three exterior lamps on the splash aprons to illuminate entry to the rear compartment.
His Derham Arlington sedan body was mounted on Duesenberg chassis 2504 with engine J-486, and remains there today. The quoted price for the Arlington sedan, Design #65701, was $15,250. Extras, such as the lamps on the splash aprons of Bitting’s car, would have increased the price.
Today, Bitting’s Duesenberg Arlington sedan is owned and appreciated by the Stahls Motors & Music Experience in Chesterfield, Mich. Their records for the car show that, when Bitting finally sold the car, it went to Leonard J. Steen of Virginia, who reportedly kept the car until 1955. Its next owner on record was Don Rounds, of Denver, from whose estate it was sold in 1970. It continued crossing the country, joining the collections of some very well-known Duesenberg collectors and purveyors. From Denver, it went to Ernest Peasles of Minnesota, then Leo Gephart and Bob Adams in 1972, who immediately resold it to Charles Le Maitre. Richie Clyne sold the car on behalf of Le Maitre in 1981 to the Fred and David Weber Collection in St. Louis. Multi-Duesenberg owner Jerry J. Moore of Texas bought the car from the Weber Collection around 1992, and he restored it, giving it a black exterior and a red cloth interior. From Moore, the Arlington sedan went to Sterling McCall, also of Texas, and to the John O’Quinn collection, which was working toward amassing more Duesenbergs than anyone anywhere — estimates were that he owned two dozen when he died. After O’Quinn’s death in 2011, the Arlington sedan was sold via Hyman Ltd to the Stahls Motors & Music Experience.
When the Derham Arlington sedan isn’t on display at the Stahls Motors & Music Experience, it can be seen touring the show and concours circuit. It will be among the Duesenbergs present at this year’s Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club Reunion and ACD Festival in Auburn, Ind., on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Stahls Motors & Music Experience
Chesterfield, MI
www.stahlsauto.com
586-749-1078
The Stahls Motors & Music Experience is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that exists to preserve, restore and exhibit classic automobiles of the 20th century for educational purposes. The Experience, based in Chesterfield, Mich., features continually changing exhibits of historically significant vehicles from the Depression and Art Deco eras. It also hosts many community events throughout the year while being open to the public, including an annual fundraising event honoring and benefiting U.S. military veterans.
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Angelo Van Bogart is the editor of Old Cars magazine and wrote the column "Hot Wheels Hunting" for Toy Cars & Models magazine for several years. He has authored several books including "Hot Wheels 40 Years," "Hot Wheels Classics: The Redline Era" and "Cadillac: 100 Years of Innovation." His 2023 book "Inside the Duesenberg SSJ" is his latest. He can be reached at avanbogart@aimmedia.com
