Sept 21: "What a doozy?" "Duesie?"

Ever heard the expression, "What a doozy?". Used to be quite common, especially after a well know TV comic used it repeatedly. Where did it come from? Good question, but there is a feeling that it originally was "duesie" and referred to that magnificent luxury car from the 20's and 30's  -  the Duesenberg. Now, I don't love a lot (or most) of the old cars from that era, but the Duesenberg was special and had styling that has stood the test of time.

These were custom automobiles, that often went directly to custom design companies who would drape the chassis, engine and front end with a (hopefully) gorgeous body. Good example is the "20 Grand" in the pic above. The name came from the cost of this car back in the '30's. 20 Grand today would be in the neighhood of $300k. Actually not a bad price, except that in the depression era this was much more than a fortune.

A few other examples.........



......with the appropriate mansion in the background



I don't believe that there is any one who wouldn't say that these are beautiful cars. Nowadays a restored example (and there aren't tons of them) is worth well into the 7 figure range. Jay Leno has one that he drives regularly. Most of them are "trailer queens", meaning that they are trailered to shows, not driven. Makes sense when you consider their value.

Check out those side pipes from the supercharged engine

How can you not love these beauties?

As with many famous automobile names from the past (Maybach, Bugatti), there is always someone who will try to resurrect these old cars in a modern way. Bugatti has succeeded, Maybach has failed. And of course, in the 1960's the Duesenberg name was slapped on a custom bodied GM car of some sort. They actually sold a few in both 2 and 4 door models. It sure didn't have the cache' of the original, but for a very brief time it was the car of the stars (Elvis had a couple). Check out this ad........

You'll have to blow it up to read the fine print. This is actually a good pic, but the real car was a little unusual looking (if you get my drift).

I love a lot of the new cars, but it's fun for me, the Car Guy, to occasionally go back in time to see what has come before to get the complete picture.

Until next time........