PREWAR FORDS AND MORE One of Elmer’s first cars in his youthful years was a Ford Model A, which he naturally modified to bet ter satisfy his inborn need for speed. His interest in Model As continued into his collecting years, and the assemblage to be offered this September includes two 1929 models: a Phaeton that he kept on display in his living room and a two-door sedan in gray, black and brown riding on yellow wire wheels. Among the most antique vehicles in the collection is a 1910 Ford Model T Roadster featuring a 4-cylinder engine, 2-speed pedal-shif ted transmission and brass body detailing, all of which rides on white wooden wheels. Hailing from the same early 20th-century decade is a 1918 Chevrolet Four-Ninety Touring car with a 4-cylinder engine and manual transmission, with the car painted in black and sporting a matching interior and top. A 1924 Hupmobile Touring Car also calls the Duellman collection home, while the rest of the prewar bunch were built in the 1930s before the return of wartime brought vehicle construction to a halt. There are a handful of the celebrated 1932 Ford models in the Duellman stables, including a two-door custom powered by a 327 CI V-8 engine and dressed in a blue exterior with red pinstripe flames, a restored Model-B pickup and a Model-B two-door sedan finished in black and brown with wooden rear panels featuring the Elmer’s museum logo. Another 1932 Ford and the last of the ’32 bunch is the signature Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum Model B pickup—the only vehicle from Duellman’s collection that won’t be offered at the auction; according to 50 // MECUM.COM his surviving family, the truck was Elmer’s “last ride” and will serve as Bernadette’s as well. Several other ‘30s-era Fords and Chevrolets call the collection home too, along with offerings from Plymouth, Pontiac, Auburn and Rolls-Royce, including a 1935 Auburn 851 four-door convertible showing 13,299 miles and a 1933 Rolls-Royce 20-25 Saloon, both of which feature the era-popular suicide doors. AND A WHOLE LOT MORE Some of the other cars in the mix include the Duellmans’ 1920 Dodge Touring, a 1937 Pontiac two-door sedan and a 1930 Pontiac 6-30 Series Sedan, their 1949 Crosley Station Wagon showing 13,764 miles, a 1955 Packard 400 two-door hardtop showing 27,330 miles, a 1947 Ford Super Deluxe Woody Wagon, 1949 Oldsmobile four-door sedan, 1955 Studebaker Commander, 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 XL showing 59,682 miles, a 1963 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, a handful of big-block Chevelles and 1930s-era Plymouths, a 1965 Mustang Fastback, and, quite memorably, a 1972 Honda 600 showing just 29,882 miles that Elmer bought from his best friend Marvin Panch and drove 1,500 miles to get home. Elmer Duellman’s fascination with anything on wheels resulted in one amazing array of vehicles that collectors are sure to swoon over this September. Tracked down, acquired and cherished by one of the world’s most prolific collectors, this assemblage is one that’ll drive its way into the hearts of enthusiasts everywhere, and with such a wide variety to choose from, the only hard part will be deciding which one(s) to buy.
