Great Cars: CLASSIC CARS

there are about a hundred comics that are called classics most were high-priced rare limited editions built in Europe and the United States by skilled craftsmen between 1925 and 1948 ironically the classic era reached its high point as the world sank into the great depression come with us as we uncover the stories of the most spectacular vehicles ever created the classic cars [Music] it didn't take long for the automobile to catch on the world's roads were becoming clogged with these noisome creatures by the 1920s horses and buggies were a thing of the past we were all motoring but wealthy and prominent people didn't want to be seen in just any car they wanted something unique they needed something to transport them to their yacht clubs country clubs and society parties they desired cars that would enhance their lifestyle the financial boom after World War one provided the wherewithal to demand the best automakers were happy to cater to a clientele for whom the cost was no object there were two tiers among this elite strata of buyers some demanded a true custom and the others accepted a semi custom-built automobile [Music] the true custom had a unique body created by a coach builder a semi custom sported a limited-edition body usually no more than several hundred copies both custom and semi-custom 's were crafted by artisans who garnered loyal followings from their patrons their vehicles were a break from the origins of the automobile the first automobiles were simply motor driven carriages the horses were removed and an engine added often just under the seat without much more work these vehicles started showing up on the road these primitive and not too elegant autos were still very desirable even though they were primitive they were costly and out of reach of commoners the more adventuresome among the wealthy snapped them up they were a noble way to take an outing something unique the early adopters have to be a little mechanically inclined though to keep going these cars were prone to mechanical breakdowns flat tires and even fires but cars did improve and prices fell Henry Ford and others have their eyes set on producing cars for the masses his $800 Model T ensure that motoring would never be the same this car was being built in such quantities that prices kept dropping as prices fell more people bought Ford's Model T's by the 1920s the Model T cost only 250 dollars others scrambled to serve the low and mid priced markets all these companies began to crowd the roads with mass-produced cars that made owning one commonplace heads no longer turned when just any car drove by this must have come as a shock to those who like to be noticed the only hope for the wealthy but ignored elite motorists was to buy a custom-built car [Music] these were cast for royalty and others like silent film star Rudolph Valentino who owned this sporty I sought a Fraschini these fast Italian cars were the most expensive in the world Valentino had an American company fleet would build the flamboyant body for his prize unfortunately he died before he got to drive it Rolls Royce also catered to the so called a carriage trade with cars of uncompromising quality their creator Sir Henry Royce is said to have decreed that two belts were always better than one these cars attracted buyers like actress constance bennett who wanted standout autos her son also liked her car he bored it one night and drove it off the Santa Monica Pier it was fished out of the ocean and put in storage years later JB Nethercutt the heir to the Merrill Norman cosmetic company bought the car and had it restored today it's one of the centerpieces in his museums outstanding collection of beautiful cars in Sylmar California others like Mercedes sought the same buyers they went after the rich with an array of powerful supercharged vehicles the 505 40 KS were elegant and fast many were semi customs that came in a range of variations but some were true customs different coach builders created stunning custom bodies for these rare cars the chassis and engines were basically the same but what a difference a body can make while the 505 40s were expensive the 1930s no one would have believed they'd be worth millions today depending on the body these cars appealed to wealthy collectors who are willing to spend from several hundred thousand dollars to several million surprisingly it isn't hard to find buyers even at these prices this attests to the rarity and the artistry of what was created for those people who could afford the fastest and the best in the 1930s another revered builder of grand classic wrote cars and sports Torres wasp Bugatti the cars created by the son of an Italian artist epitomized what a classic is all about they are beautiful powerful and fast some like that Royale were a little bit over the top but no one can deny the Gottis mystique most builders of classic cars vanished but some like BMW have managed to find a way to survive the Europeans were not the only ones building cars that would someday be known as classics several American companies look for ways to compete with the best by 1930 one of the greatest of these had begun to build its fast J model Duesenberg the Duesenberg company was bought by E L cord on October 26th 1926 he wanted to use the high-performance car as the foundation for a grand new company [Music] Kord made his mark in the automobile business selling cars in Chicago he believed he knew what the buyers wanted he plan to combine Duesenberg with another American car maker he'd overhauled all burned with all burn under his belt he was confident that he could work the same magic with Duesenberg never short of hyperbole he vowed to make it the best car in the world he enlisted the help of Fred Duesenberg to create the biggest fastest most expensive car ever built the first model J Duesenberg rolled out in 1928 it's high horsepower engine made it one of the fastest cars on the road [Music] it was also expensive in an era when a standard for to cost four hundred and fifty dollars an average Duesenberg might cost thirteen to fifteen thousand dollars like most custom car buyers Duesenbergs customers would usually order just an engine and rolling chassis from the factory they turn this over to a custom body builder to create the most flamboyant cars ever seen these attention-getting cars spawned a term it's a doozy they were [Music] selling Duesenbergs during the early dark days of the depression was a challenge but cord was confident his cars would find buyers [Music] with millions out of work selling apples on street corners and living in shanties there were people who thought buying such a car was in bad taste [Music] but some of the ultra-rich didn't seem to care they bought Duesenbergs this select group made Duesenberg at top state assemble the court was so confident about his cars appeal that he didn't even show the product in advertising [Music] while kings queens princes and the Lords of the business world bought Duesenbergs they also found fans among Hollywood's royalty the stars stars like Tyrone Power Clark Gable and Gary Cooper as well as directors producers and other Hollywood luminaries kept the company solvent [Music] Gary Cooper at Clark Gable was said to race their Duesenberg roadsters down Sunset Boulevard this notoriety pumped up the Duesenberg image [Music] Kord realized that star power was important for his company's continued health he was an early believer in product placement he made sure that his cars were available for photoshoots and would be seen in movies like today's marketers he paid stars such as James Cagney a promotional fee to pose with a Duesenberg the glamour prompted people like candy bar heiress Ethel Mars to buy Duesenbergs she was joined by the witness and a chewing gum King PK Wrigley [Music] the most expensive Duesenberg ever produced was called the 20 grand this exquisite car was fitted with a custom body that cost about $12,000 it rode on the standard Duesenberg chassis that added another $8,500 to the total at the time $20,000 was an unheard-of some to pay today this car is worth millions many of the custom Duesenbergs are now priced in this stratosphere like the original buyers many Duesenberg collectors are fond of the supercharged models the so-called s J's were capable of hurtling these three ton automobiles down the road at over 100 miles per hour this speed may Duesenbergs one of the fastest production cars in the world while capable of escaping from the touches of pursuing highway troopers these cars couldn't outrun the impact of the depression even the cars stunning good looks didn't keep the company afloat by 1937 Auburn Cord and Duesenberg had stopped producing parts for new cars the last chasis were sold off at the factory closed the Duesenberg had confirmed that America was second to none in the custom bodied world but most people with real money had been attracted to a less fleshy luxury car Packard became the choice of America's ruling class packard incorporated shortly before the turn of the century was known for its understated motto ask the man who owns one after all it will be uncivilized to tell to one's prowess the car spoke for itself Packard's rugged and reliable cars impressed henry joy who liked his car so much he wanted to buy the company joy a wealthy Detroiter was passionate about his Packard this enthusiasm encouraged a group of his friends to buy as much package stock as they could by 1903 they'd invested over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and now controlled the company joy wanted it to grow he moved it into a new factory in the center of the booming automotive world Detroit the original owners who were brothers didn't want to leave its Warren Ohio home and drifted away from the company joy was now in charge he took the Packard company on a ride to the top he ordered that only the best materials be used on these hand-built cars while Joy's expensive vision propelled the company forward he clashed with his conservative Board of Directors in 1916 they rejected his plan to expand Packard and he resigned [Music] his replacement Alvin McCauley took over as chairman he guided the company for 40 years Packard was right way to becoming an American institution and McCauley was pressured by packet customers to offer custom bodies he was finally swayed and late in 1926 he started a factory sponsored custom bodied program finally custom body builders like Dietrich Holbrook Judkins LeBaron Murphy and Ralston had a chance to craft bodies for a package chassis this resulted in a number of exceptional and refined cars produced by the best coach builders in the world the 1933 formal sports sedan is considered to be the most important packard built during that time it was created for packets exhibit at the 1933 Century of Progress exposition in Chicago the cars low roofline the windshield and sweeping fenders accentuated its long extended hood there was no cowl though wood gracefully blended into the windshield [Music] it's sparkling paint appear to be gold brown or pearl as the light changed the interior featured gold-plated hardware it's paneling was built carpathian Elm the back of the front seat was a cabinet on the right a full-length dressing case on the left a drop-down table the car weld the crowd and set Packard apart from its competitors it stimulated demand for other custom packets like the B windshield bodies created by the Dietrich and LeBaron companies between 1932 and 34 d-trix six different body styles ranged from stunning convertibles to Grand Sport fate ins each had a raked windshield that set it apart from standard production models features like a side wind wing that slid out of the way when you opened the door and automatically returned appealed to buyers [Music] not to be outdone LeBaron produced custom bodies for Packard's but some called the hope diamonds of automobiles it's believed that only four of each type of packet LeBaron were made these rare cars are worth millions today Clark Gable had one of these lab errands further customized the windshield and top were lowered running boards were replaced by tear drop step plates it was a streamlined car for a streamlined era these Dietrich and LeBaron bodied Packard's are among the most valuable cars in the world today while the era was still growing in 1930 GM's cadillac division was also attempting to show that it could conquer the custom bodied car arena cadillac was determined to compete head-on with the custom shops the first step was to find someone to lead the charge [Music] GM's chairman Alfred Sloan decided that Harley Earl would command the styling assault Earl was a young custom car designer in California was causing a stir creating cars for movie stars Sloan ordered the head of Cadillac Charles Fisher to visit Earl and lure him to Detroit Fisher convinced him to design a roadster the Cadillac that became known as the LaSalle the 1927 LaSalle was inspired by the European luxury car the Hispano Suiza it's classic lines were a hit and Sloane asked Val to become the first stylist to work for a major manufacturer [Music] topping the LaSalle Cadillac created a b12 and then a v16 engine to power its luxurious land yachts the V 16 was the world's largest automobile engine it was beautifully styled and also had advanced features like an oil filter and an air cleaner this powerful beauty weighed in at 1500 pounds about a thousand pounds more than a modern engine it was an immediate hit and found its way into the top-of-the-line Cadillacs this 1931 seyton red sport Phaeton from the cadillac museum is one of the finest examples of custom bodied Cadillacs the v16 engine gave the car a top speed of over 95 miles per hour and showed the world that cadillac could compete at the upper end of the luxury trade customers could buy a chassis from Cadillac and then have a stylist build a custom body for them or they could choose a limited-production body from GM this signaled the death of the classic era [Music] as production cars kept getting better even the rich could no longer justify the extra expense of a custom bodied car one by one the custom shops folded as America prepared for war in 1940 these cars slipped into history but after the war some people began to miss these glorious machines and slowly a few diehards started to collect and restore the cars today a growing legion of collectors and admirers support a number of professional restorers like Randy EEMA who lovingly recreates the work of the original artisans Emer has amassed a collection of original blueprints for Duesenberg and Bugatti parts that takes some of the guesswork out of transforming his clients cars into Award winners EEMA can determine how the cars were built originally and recreate nearly any component that's beyond repair it takes hundreds of hours of hands-on labor to transform one of these classics into the show winners his team is noted for it starts with a thorough inspection of the cars condition Emer knows just what to check like the condition of the pop-up headlights on this cord one of the perks of the job is getting the chance to actually drive these classics but you don't have to be wealthy or a pro like Emer to restore a classic car Jay human proved that his own efforts could compete with the best when 1922 hispano-suiza he restored won the grand prize at the world's most prestigious classic car show the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance he's continued to restore cars for himself since winning in 1972 like many collectors human specializes in one make of car he is positively besotted by the Hispano Suiza [Music] the payoff is always the chance to go for a drive something he loves to do whenever he can today it can be difficult to comprehend that these fabled creations were built to be driven in the real world but they were and they are just seeing or driving one of these wonderful cars gives an opportunity to reflect on a time when good design excellent engineering craft care and passion created the most unique automobiles the world has known it is truly an age of elegance and refinement an age that was nearly lost when these cars were abandoned luckily many have been rescued and brought back to life so that we can once again enjoy these great classic cars [Music]

Channel: King Rose Archives

Views: 111,339

Keywords: Classic cars, automotive style, automotive design, Duesenberg, Packard, Delage, Bugatti, concours d'elegance, automotive collection, custom built cars, Dietrich, Cadillacs, Hispano Suiza

Id: VhRvKTt7apA

Length: 25min 3sec (1503 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 11 2017