My buddy and I were going to the store today to pick up something to cook on the grill. On the roadside was a car for sale. My buddy said, "What is that?" Obviously my knee jerk reaction passing by was, "Model A." We stopped on the way back by and things where not what they first appeared.
The HAMB is truly a magical time machine. Upon seeing these pictures, I zoomed in with my I-Pad, and it appears to have a medallion in the radiator shell that is a big letter "D". I would assume this cool car is a "DODGE" Then I got to looking at the radiator shell, and I realized that one of the radiator shells I have, is that exact same shell, only not chromed or stainless steel, just plane flat black. I was going to use it to make a custom mirror housing for it, but now I think I will just leave it alone. I bought it at the Portland swap-meet years ago. I hope you bought that car @Jrs50 Thanks for posting from Dennis.
Dennis, I wish I could tell you that I brought it home. Guy was asking 30K or trade for a RV trailer with a slide out. Look at the back window. See the lighter color ring? It is beveled glass. Guy reached through the window. Pulled choke, hit the key and she fired right up and purred.
Wow! I never thought about that car being a "Durant". So cool that a few of us got it wrong, about it being a "DODGE" Thanks for the correct information @Jrs50
Close but no cigar. Those models were built in Italian neighborhoods and were given an E on the end to differentiate between them and common Durant. Ha Cha, Cha, and goodnight Mrs. Callibash, wherever you are, dim the lights!
Sorry, has nothing to do with having an “e” or not. More to do with such a recognizable schnoz each has.
I was thinking it was homebuilt, the fenders and wheels look like Model A at first glance but not on a closer look. I don't think I've ever seen a Durant in person.
Well, its not a Dodge. And I don't believe its a Durante. I don't remembering hearing of that auto manufacturer, but there were reported to have been almost 3,000 auto companies before the stock market crash in 1929/1930 and the Great Depression that followed, killed off many of them, and caused a lot of them to merge. I believe Durant turned into GM after the Depression.
@gene-koning you are correct in there being a Durant/General Motors connection but you have it backwards. Billy Durant was a wheeler-dealer. He bought into a coach building company in 1880's. He then acquired Buick and he was a co-founder of General Motors. He kept buying up companies, part suppliers, paint companies, etc. By 1910 his rapid fire acquisitions caught up with him and GM had a cash flow problem. He was ousted from the head of GM. He then joined in with Louis Chevrolet and help build up that company and was so successful that he was able to trade his Chevrolet stock shares for GM shares and regained control of GM. He was ousted once again from GM in 1920. He then founded the Durant Motors. Within two years he build it to include at least 4 marques. He was unable to duplicate his previous success and with help of the stock market crash in 29, Durant Motors suffered financial woes and failed in 1933.
Thats the thing, with THOUSANDS of brands, there were not enough good designers to go around. These 2nd and 3rd tier lines made do with copy, adding beltlines, embellishing grills etc.
There’s still something to be said about “unique “ as a driver, etc, but not so much without a proper vision and skills for a hotrod.
I'm pretty sure you're right about those being Ford wheels, look like 30-31 19 inchers to me. This car would have originally had wood spoke wheels, I bet someone adapted the steel wires to the hubs instead of trying to fix the wood wheels. Hopefully that swap-over was well engineered, and not just 5 drilled holes and some bolts. Neat car for sure, and would be a shame to hot rod it if it's fully driveable as-is. $30K seems very steep to me though, for a car with chippy paint and not a large following.
"Fugly" or not, the fact that it still exists after damn near a hundred years is testament enough. (and I don't regard it as fugly, it's got character that differentiates it from 8 million T's
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