The 1927 Duesenberg Model X Boat Roadster in its new home. Photos courtesy Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum.
Duesenberg is most often associated with its later Model J automobiles, but it was the Model A, built from 1922-’26, that gave the company its start as an automaker. In between came the Model X, of which 13 were initially planned and just four were built. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Peter Heydon and his wife, Rita, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum has been gifted what many have called “the rarest of Duesenbergs,” a one-of-one built 1927 Model X Boat Roadster that would play an influential role in Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg history.
The Duesenberg brothers proved more adept at racing cars than at running businesses, but their Model A line did feature innovative designs like an overhead camshaft eight-cylinder engine and hydraulic brakes. Sales started in late 1921, and by 1926 the company had built an estimated 600 examples; unfortunately it had also gone through a reorganization, officially changing its name from the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company to the Duesenberg Motor Company in 1925. Production continued in the same Indiana factory, but sales had fallen to dismal levels and another bankruptcy loomed.
Dr. Heydon poses with his donation.
To reverse the company’s fortunes, Fred Duesenberg began work on a new automobile to replace the Model A. To cut development costs, the chassis would be based upon the one used in the Model A, with modifications that included additional reinforcement and leaf springs mounted above the frame rails for a lower center of gravity. The engine would be derived from the Model A as well, but the 260-cu.in. inline eight-cylinder would receive a revised intake, a new valvetrain, different pistons and a new crankshaft, all of which raised output from 88 horsepower to 100 horsepower, reportedly enough to give the Model X a 100 MPH top speed.
Working with materials at hand, Duesenberg built 13 Model X chassis, sending one example off to Connorsville, Indiana, coachbuilder McFarlan for an aluminum “boat roadster” body. The attention-getting car would be displayed at the 1927 New York Auto Salon, and the Duesenberg brothers hoped the custom-bodied roadster would generate interest in other variants planned for the Model X line.
Except that’s not quite what happened. In the fall of 1926, E.L. Cord’s Auburn Automobile Company purchased the Duesenberg Motor Company, and Cord himself tasked Fred Duesenberg with designing a car to compete with the finest automobiles in the world, cost be damned (later, this would become known as the Duesenberg Model J). The Model X Boat Roadster would be shown in New York, and a total of four other Model X automobiles (in dual-cowl phaeton, sedan and limousine body styles) would be sold before the remaining Model X frames were scrapped or used to build Model J frames.
Following the New York show, chassis D95E was sold to the owner of Chicago’s Drake Hotel, who would not fare well in the stock market crash of 1929. The car changed hands for the first time that year, and over the years passed through a string of owners with varying interest in preserving the car. At one time, chassis D95E carried a Cadillac engine, either for availability reasons or for the benefit of additional horsepower. It was partially rebodied to resemble an Auburn Boat Tail Speedster, too, which is all the more ironic since the Model X Boat Roadster is now believed to be the very inspiration for the later Auburn roadster.
It probably wasn’t until the car was acquired by Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club historian Allen Sandburg in 1960 that efforts began in earnest to preserve it. Later, in the 1970s, it was sold to collector Bill Driest, who began a restoration but never managed to make significant progress. In 1996, Driest sold the car to University of Michigan English professor Dr. Peter Heydon, convinced that the Duesenberg aficionado (who already owned a 1923 Duesenberg Model A) would be able to see the restoration through to completion.
Driest proved to be correct, though calling the restoration effort “massive” would be an understatement. In total, the work reportedly took over 4,000 man-hours and spanned the better part of three years, since early Duesenberg replacement parts aren’t exactly plentiful. Where possible, original components were retained and restored as needed. In other cases, period-correct parts were acquired, a time-consuming (and often frustrating) process. When other avenues were exhausted, pieces were fabricated by hand, with every effort made to ensure the authenticity of the reproduction. Remarkably, D95E’s original engine, carrying serial number 1954, was included in the sale.
The effort and expense paid off for Heydon, who captured a Best of Show award at the 2000 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Reunion to add to the class award earned at the 2000 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. In 2010, the Model X Boat Roadster won a first in class award at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Italy’s Lake Como, a further testament to the quality of the restoration and the upkeep provided by its owner.
Heydon refuses to sell cars he’s restored, and his relationship with D95E is a special one. At age 75, he understands the importance of planning for the car’s preservation, which is why he and wife Rita generously agreed to donate the car to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. As a permanent exhibit, the Duesenberg tells the story of the brand’s evolution, as well as the car’s influence on later Auburn styling. If sold, the Model X would belong to another; donated to the museum, it will forever be associated with the man who brought the “rarest of Duesenbergs” back to life.
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum is located in Auburn, Indiana. For information on hours and admission, visit AutomobileMuseum.org.
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