A superb and rare photo of LL Corum.
Lora Lawrence (L.L.
"Slim") Corum (January 8, 1899 - March 7, 1949) was
co-winner of the 1924 Indianapolis 500.
L.L. Corum was born on January 8, 1899
in Jonesville, Indiana to Margaret Hannah Marquette and William Cecil Corum.
During the 1924 Indianapolis 500 Corum,
in third place, was replaced by the more well-known Joe Boyer on lap 109 on
orders of the head of the team after Boyer's car developed trouble. While Corum
received the prize money and was credited with the victory (later this was
changed to the two drivers being co-winners), Boyer received most of the credit
from the racing community. Corum qualified for the 1928 Indianapolis 500, but
suffered a crash during a practice run on the morning of the race.
Duesenberg (Duesy) was an Auburn,
Indiana based
luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most
famous for its high-quality, record-breaking roadsters. In 1913, brothers Fred
and August Duesenberg founded Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc.
on State Street in Garner, Iowa to build sports cars. Born in 1876 and 1879 in Lemgo,
Germany,
the two brothers were self-taught engineers and built many experimental cars.
Duesenberg cars were considered some of the very best cars of the time, and
were built entirely by hand. In 1914, Eddie Rickenbacker drove a
"Duesy" to finish in 10th place at the Indianapolis
500, and a Duesenberg won the race in 1924, 1925, and 1927. 1923 saw the only
use of a Duesenberg as the pace car at the Indianapolis
500. In 1921, Jimmy Murphy became the first American to win the French Grand
Prix when he drove a Duesenberg to victory at the Le
Mans
racetrack. Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company moved from New
Jersey
to a new headquarters and factory in Indianapolis
in July 1921 to begin production of passenger vehicles. Although the Duesenberg
brothers were world-class engineers, they were unable to sell their Model A
car, their first "mass-produced" vehicle—just 667 were ever made. It
was considered extremely advanced, offering features such as dual overhead
camshafts, four-valve cylinder heads, and the first hydraulic brakes offered on
a passenger car. The company went into receivership in 1922, finally being
acquired from creditors by a Fred Duesenberg-led investor group in 1925,
forming the Duesenberg Motors Company. E.L. Cord, the owner of Cord Automobile,
Auburn Automobile, and other transportation firms, bought the company in 1926
for the brothers' engineering skills (and the brand name) in order to produce
luxury cars. Hiring Fred Duesenberg to design the chassis and an engine that
would be the best in the world, the newly revived Duesenberg company set about
to produce the Model J, which debuted at the New York Car Show of 1928. In
unsupercharged form, it produced a whopping 265 horsepower (198 kW) from a
dual overhead camshaft straight 8 and was capable of a top speed of
119 mph (192 km/h), and 94 mph (151 km/h) in 2nd gear. The
supercharged version, sometimes called the SJ, was reputed to do 104 miles
per hour (167 km/h) in second and have a top speed of 135–140 mph
(217–225 km/h) in third. Zero-to-60 mph (100 km/h) times of
around eight seconds and 0-to-100 mph (160 km/h) times of 17 seconds
were reported for the SJ in spite of the unsynchronized transmissions, at a
time when even the best cars of the era were not likely to reach 100 mph
(160 km/h). Duesenbergs generally weighed around two and a half tons; up
to three tons was not unusual, considering the wide array of custom coachwork
available. Only the chassis and engine were displayed at New
York, since
the interior and body of the car would be custom-made by an experienced
coachbuilder to the owner's specifications. The bodyworks for the Duesenbergs
came from both North America
and Europe,
and the finished cars comprised some of the largest, grandest, most beautiful,
and most elegant cars ever created. The chassis cost $8,500 ($9,500 after
1932); the completed base model cost $13,500; and a top-of-the-line model could
reach $25,000 at a time when the average U.S.
physician earned less than $3,000 a year. The supercharged Model J, with
320 hp (often referred to as "SJ") was introduced in 1932.
Special-bodied models, such as the later "Mormon Meteor" chassis,
achieved an average speed of over 135 mph (217 km/h) and a one-hour
average of over 152 mph (245 km/h) at Bonneville
Salt Flats, Utah.
The SJ's supercharger was located beside the engine; to make room for it, the
exhaust pipes were creased so they could be bent easily and extended through
the side panel of the hood. These supercharged cars can be recognized by these
shiny creased tubes, which Cord registered as a trademark and used in his other
supercharged cars from Cord and Auburn.
It was said, "The only car that could pass a Duesenberg was another
Duesenberg—and that was with the first owner's consent." The Duesenberg
quickly became one of the most popular luxury cars in America and also in
Europe, driven by the nobility, rich and famous, among them Clark Gable, Gary
Cooper (each driving one of the two very rare SSJ 125? short-wheelbase
convertibles), the Duke of Windsor, the King of Spain Alfonso XIII, who was
very keen on motoring, chose his now missing Duesenberg J, among his cars, to
go to exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. Duesenberg
advertising claimed it was the best car in the world, and their world-beating
performance and extreme opulence tended to back that up. There was a gradual
evolution (up to the 1937 model) to preserve the "stately lines"
while moving into a more integrated mode of styling. The final evolution of the
Duesenberg engine was ram-air intakes, which were added to some of the last
supercharged models to produce 400 hp (298 kW), referred to as
"SSJ" (also a name never used by the factory). Of the 470 Model Js
and 11 SJs produced between 1928 and 1937, about 384 are extant. Duesenberg
ceased production in 1937 after Cord's financial empire collapsed. After World
War II, August Duesenberg tried to revive the Duesenberg name, but was
unsuccessful; several later attempts were also unsuccessful. The closest came
in the mid-1960s, with Fritz (August's son) at the helm and Virgil Exner as the
stylist, using the chassis of a 1966 Imperial and a Chrysler engine. One of
Exner's Duesenberg designs was later produced as the modern Stutz Bearcat. A 1970s
Duesenberg was also created, based on a Cadillac Fleetwood and with modern
styling, although its production was not high. Beginning with its introduction
in 1975 at the ACD Festival in Auburn,
Indiana,
the reproduction Duesenberg II automobile was produced and sold through
mid-2000. Five models of the original Duesenbergs were made, each one carefully
copied from an original and visually identical, with a modern Ford V8 driveline
and modern comfort features. These exacting reproductions sold for up to US$225,000.
The Duesenberg name still lives on as an object of opulence and luxury. It is
estimated that as of 2006, approximately 50% (or roughly 600) of the originally
manufactured Duesenbergs are still on the road as classic cars or
"oldtimers".
This
is a very nice and very rare photo that reflects a wonderful era of Duesenberg
automotive history in a wonderful way.
This is your rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed
in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 10" (ca. 20 cm x 30
cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for
framing.
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