Duesenberg drag race!!!!!!

I'll be there.

 

<table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody><tr><td class="contentheading" width="100%">Classics roar on runway </td> <td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="690px"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top" width="490px"> <table class="contentpaneopen"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> By Dennis Nartker

[email protected]

</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="createdate" valign="top"> Saturday, 04 September 2010

</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> KENDALLVILLE — It was a Duesey of a day.

“God shined today on the ACD Club and the Kendallville Airport,” said National Auburn Cord Duesenberg Meet chairman Dr. John Baeke from Overland Park, Kans. when asked about Friday’s Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenberg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In.

“It was more successful than I could have ever hoped.”

An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 classic car buffs, aircraft enthusiasts and the curious made their way to the Kendallville Municipal Airport north of Kendallville to witness what some event organizers called a one time ever event. “I don’t we’ll ever see something like this again,” commented Ron Hite, a Kendallville Aviation Board member. “Duesenbergs racing, the B-25 bomber. It’s been a good day for everyone.

A total of 71 Duesenbergs out the 488 made between 1927 and 1936 gathered for the national meet, setting a record for the number of Duesenbergs in one location. Approximately 45 of them competed in a timed quarter-mile drag race on the airport runway.

A B-25D Mitchell Bomber, one of only two flying today, that saw service in World War II, flew in from the Yankee Air Museum at the Willow Run Airport in Bellville, Mich. The plane flew low over the airport before circling and landing for static display and tours of the cockpit and fuesalage. “That’s really something,” commented eighty-nine-year-old Lt. Col. Paul L. Young, USAF (Ret.) as he watched plane pass overhead. “Those engines make a sound unlike any other plane, and it’s different for different models.” Young piloted a B-25 on 57 bombing missions in World War II.

Spectators gathered around the bomber for a closer look then the Duesenbergs entered the airport after traveling in a polie escorted parade from Auburn. The East Noble Marching Knights played a selection of music to welcome the visitors. “Fantastic,” said Kendallville Mayor Suzanne Handshoe, who road to the airport from Auburn in a 1932 J-551D/C Phaeton

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</td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> Joel Givner, center, of Cherry Hill New Jersey drops his hands to start a drag race between two Duesenburgs Friday at the Kendallville Municipal Airport as part of the Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenburg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In in Kendallville. The Duesenburg at right, a 1935 Walston Cabriolet, was once owned by Clark Gable and has a value of approximately $5 million.

</td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> Several spectators look over a B-25D Mitchell Bomber at the Kendallville Municipal Airport as part of the Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenburg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In Friday in Kendallville.

</td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> Several early era Duesenburgs line up on the runway at the Kendallville Municipal Airport for the Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenburg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In in Kendallville. Approximately 3,000 - 4,000 people were in attendance for the first event of its kind at the airport.

</td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> Eric Bardeen of DeLand, Fla., looks over a 1929 Duesenburg J-132 Murphy Convertible Coupe owned by Joel Nystrom of Buffalo, Minn., on the runway at the Kendallville Municipal Airport prior to the drag races Friday. </td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> Miss Indiana Gabrielle Reed sings “God Bless America” before the start of the races at the Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenburg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In at the Kendallville Municipal Airport in Kendallville.</td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> A 1920 Duesenburg ReVere, owned by Cass County Historical Society in Logansport travels by Northside Elementary School in Kendallville during a parade of Duesenburgs on their way to the Kendallville Municipal Airport for the Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenburg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In in Kendallville.

</td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> Paul YoungEighty-nine-year-old Lt. Col. Paul L. Young, USAF (Ret.), waves to the family and friends from the cockpit of a B-25 Model D Mitchell Bomber at the Kendallville Municipal Airport Friday during the Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenberg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In. Young piloted a B-25 on 57 bombing mission in northern Italy during World War II. </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

 

<table class="contentpaneopen"> <tbody><tr> <td class="contentheading" width="100%"> Cars, drivers show their spirit </td> <td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="690px"><tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top" width="490px"> <table class="contentpaneopen"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> By Matt Getts

[email protected]

</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="createdate" valign="top"> Saturday, 04 September 2010

</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> KENDALLVILLE — After all these years, the Duesenbergs running along the runway Friday at the Kendallville Municipal Airport still had plenty of spunk left in their engines.

The same could be said of the twinkle in the eyes of some of the drivers who participated in the first-of-its-kind Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenberg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In.

After parading from Auburn to Kendallville, dozens of Duesenbergs went down the runway of the airport, flexing their considerable muscles.

“It’s a once in a lifetime event,” Royce Kershaw of Montgomery, Ala., said.

Kershaw ran a few heats in his 1930 SJ-347 Murphy Phaeton. Before his first heat, he said he wasn’t going to try to break any speed records.

“I’m not going very fast,” he said. “I’m not pushing it.”

Then his eyes twinkled.

“You never know,” he said.

Top speeds reached an estimated 70 to 80 mph, one of the event’s announcers said.

Bill Pettit, 78, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., said his 1929 J-270 D/C Phaeton had a top speed of 116 mph.

Before his first run, he said he wasn’t likely to push the envelope on the classic car.

“I know how fast I’m willing to drive it,” Pettit said.

He said he frequently drives the speed limit with the car. Did he plan on exceeding that speed on Friday?

“Probably not,” he said. Then he smiled. “I won’t promise you that.”

For Pettit and Kershaw, it was enough to have their cars among fellow classics, and stretching the legs of their automobiles was secondary.

“It’s awesome,” he said of the event. “It’s kind of unbelievable.”
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</td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> </td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> </td> </tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td align="left"> <!-- Just added this test--> Several Duesenbergs travel down Main Street in Kendallville during a parade of Duesenburgs on their way to the Kendallville Municipal Airport for the Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenberg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-In in Kendallville. </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

 

<table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody><tr><td class="contentheading" width="100%">Races would have delighted Duesenberg designer

</td><td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="690px"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top" width="490px"> <table class="contentpaneopen"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> By Grace Housholder [email protected]

</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="createdate" valign="top"> Saturday, 04 September 2010 00:30

</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> KENDALLVILLE — “My grandfather would have been fascinated by so many Duesenbergs in one place,” William Cord Hummel said Friday afternoon, while showing his black 1936 Cord 810 Cabriolet to new friends from Nevada.

Hummel, who also has ties to Nevada, drove his Cabriolet from Auburn through Kendallville to the Duesenberg exhibition races at the Kendallville Municipal Airport. The gleaming classic car drew many admiring glances, and Hummel was happy to share his “trading cards” with fellow collectors.

Hummel’s grandfather, E.L. Cord, is a legend in automobile history. Cord picked up the struggling company that was making Duesenbergs in Indianapolis, moved it to Auburn, and from 1929-37 manufactured the finest cars in the world.

“My grandfather would have been very pleased with such a big crowd, so much interest and the wonderful condition the cars are in,” said Hummel.

In addition to elementary students who won rides in Hummel’s Cabriolet, admirers included H.B. Calder and Norma Haakonstad of Henderson, Nev. Calder, who owns 10 collector cars, Thursday bought a 1937 Supercharged Phaeton, a Cord he had been seeking for a long time.

Hummel is confident his grandfather would have loved the idea of Duesenberg races on the runway of the airport. Cord started as a mechanic who liked getting performance out of cars. He didn’t have a lot of education, but he understood what people want. “A Duesenberg will go 90 in second gear. I had a Duesenberg behind me once. It’s scary!” Hummel recalled.

“Cord owners have the confidence of knowing that other drivers only pass with their permission,” proclaimed sales materials from the 1930s.

Because fewer than 500 Duesenbergs were built, Duesenberg owners were part of a very exclusive club. It was said that members’ egoes were exceeded only by the power of their cars’ engines.

Cord died at age 79 when Hummel was 21.

“Kendallville is a nice little town, and I’m very happy they put this event on,” Hummel said.
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someone has to have good pics of this!

 

sure hope so even some video...............

 

The airport is less than 2 miles from my house, It was really cool to see all the cars running through town. The plane flying over was really amazing. I was going to go to the run, but my wifes car took a shit at 12;30, and I had to fix it. I will see what I can do to get pics, my friend helped organize the event, and he should have some good pics.

 

The event was unbelievable, awsome, I can't describe it. 71 Duesenbergs, a world record gathering. Racing on the airstrip!

I met hamber Jocko, it was a pleasure.

Thanks Jim for posting those articles.

I don't have time to type much right now, I'll do more later. Everybody raced made it thru without breakage. I got some video up on youtube. I'm sure others will be posting some also. Bye for now, Joel


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3UNH4Hs-n4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is7APtnD8-o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W55q-pQQDCM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il-NFPmvnA0

 

This is so cool!

Thanks Joel for the videos! I heard a tire bark

 

I was there this weekend, but didn't get to K-Ville for the races. Thanks for posting the videos.

 

OK, now those videos are pretty damn cool.

 

So bummed I missed this, damn!

 

Ditto. I wish I would have seen this earlier!

Great to see some gents enjoy their vehicles to the fullest! Thank you for sharing!

 

Wow that's cool!

 

Awesome.

 

I wonder if he floored it in 3rd gear?What were the E.T. or MPH reading?

 

That first gear whine is just lovely. Reminds me of my Healey or my 47 Buick. A pleasure to row them through the gears just to hear the music.

 

I went to the Auburn Classic Car Auction, which was okay, but now I wish I would have headed over to the airport! Maybe next year, if they do it again...

Awesome videos, thanks!!

HRJ

 

That's some of the coolest video I have seen in a long time. Nice to see the big cars moving down the track.

 

I had it floored in 3rd till about 70 mph. At just over 70, my right front tire would start bouncing hard, and I would have to back off to about 55 to make it stop. I was hitting 70 at about the 1000'. They had a timer set up to display the 1/4 mile E.T.'s, but the driver could not see it from the track, and they did not hand out timeslips. I think maybe they have a list or something. I did see that maroon Murphy convertible coupe run a low 17 second pass. I suppose I was running 19's, since I was letting off. I only was revving to about 3500 or so, don't want to break an 81 year old aluminum connecting rod. Some of the cars have engines that are rebuilt with good steel rods, I think those guys were reving a little higher. I didn't see any of the blown cars really rev high enuff to start making some decent boost, either. But keep in mind, most of these cars rarely get driven, so the owners don't know their limits, and don't want to push too hard and break something.
I don't think it would be too hard to get one of these cars into the 15's with a little bit of effort and testing.

 

The gray Phaeton just blew past the Murphy coupe ! That was great!Can you imagine a Bugatti drag race?

 

That's cool as hell! Thanks for posting it. I remember seeing a Duesenberg years ago at a museum, and it was a really impressive car.

 

Wow that was neat, can you imagine how many millions were out there. Did Leno showup?

 

That is so cool!

 

I'm glad you guys like it, thanks!

No, I didn't see Leno out there. Too bad, this would have been right up his alley.

 

Leno wouldn't care! He'd floor it all the way!

 

Duesie Digs drag ‘em out

Courtesy Of Jim Donnelly

<!-- Written by Jim Donnelly


-->Depending on your viewpoint, the people who took part in this event are either heroic or absolutely nuts. As an adjunct to last weekend’s enormous, rollicking classicfest in Auburn, Indiana, a bunch of Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club members hauled out their cars for some drag racing. On an airstrip. Harkening back to the days when Duesenbergs and the like were found on used-car lots and hot rodders were just starting to out-gear-jam one another at military-surplus airports.



Only now, the great cars of Auburn are some of the world’s most valuable automobiles. Look at that first photo, where the big phaeton’s already punched the cabriolet coupe’s ticket coming out of the hole. This all took place at the airport in Kendallville, Indiana, west of Auburn. No tire smoke – these cars are generally around 4,500 pounds – but lotsa noise. Remember, a lot of Duesenberg cars played their twincam straight-eight pipes through factory cutouts.



The return road, plied by a hot rod, Duesenberg-style, a “bitsa” pieced together entirely from spare parts. Definitely the quickest, fastest rig in the place, howling down the (approximate) eighth-mile on Kendallville’s runway. Check out the oscillating red-light/siren combo above the front bumper, fully functional. Look at this thing. It’s like Fred and Augie meet Dick Kraft.



Definitely not your typical drag pit area, huh? We’ll have more on this in Hemmings Classic Car.

 

I was working the main gate Friday morning when this guy left the auction park and got on it...It sounded great.

 

Very cool!!

 

Hey Jim, thanks for posting that, even though they are 1100 pounds short on their weight estimate.
I found some more video that really captures the spirit of the event: http://www.fwnews.tv/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=3&video=732