NEW MODELS OCW Staff Graber Model J gets a 1:24 salute

Swiss coachbuilder Hermann bounced across the ocean to the United above it, Automodello has attached a Graber’s first of three bodies for the States a couple times, and it is here, in tiny gold Duesenberg eagle as on the Duesenberg Model J chassis was a Sam and Emily Mann’s American col- original car. The headlamp lenses bear racy convertible coupe. His second, lection, that the car currently resides. a realistic cross-hatch pattern and are an elegant convertible victoria. The Relatively few modern Classic car fans perfectly placed in bullet-shaped hous- third body was both a racy and elegant have witnessed the Graber Duesen- ings on each side of the grille. Below convertible coupe fitted to chassis berg’s beauty in person, which makes them, the Graber Duesenberg’s unique 2254 with engine J-246 around 1937. Automodello’s new 1:24 scale model of speedlined bumper stands ready to pro- Perhaps because of its beauty, J-246 this masterpiece all the more welcome. tect the swoopy coachwork. has survived, and it is believed to be the Just as with the original Graber At the rear, Automodello has crafted only Graber-bodied Duesenberg to have Duesenberg, the Automodello model a decklid with an outline for a wheel, done so. is beautiful at every angle. The gloss and included an original European-style Even with the call of war, who black-and-silver (or dark blue-and-blue) license plate. Tiny Art Deco tail lamps could have scrapped such a magnificent paint seamlessly pours over the grace- are at the ready with perfectly propor- automobile for its iron and alumi- ful curves of the model like liquid, and tioned red lenses, capped by micro- num? Lacking any external details but delicate photoetched trim pieces accent scopic reflectors above them. Again, wheels to identify it as a Duesenberg, the high points as elegantly as Hermann the brightwork includes the Graber’s the surviving Graber-bodied Model J Graber first applied them. The mesh speedlined rear bumper, plus all of the is a streamlined work of art that stands grille cover is a fittingly fine piece, and trim bits of the original: silver deck lid alone. Leading the way for this J is a unique rearward-slanting radiator shell that melds with deeply skirted fenders, which bear more in com- mon with Auburn Speedsters than Model Js. The Graber Duesenberg’s teardrop-shaped rear deck provides the grand finale to a cohesive body design that echoes the fender shape and is very much of its streamlined era. This unique car spent much of its life in Europe, although it has

24 Old Cars Weekly News & Marketplace / May 7, 2015 www.oldcarsweekly.com hinges, a plated gas cap and deck lid handle and license plate lamp housing. Low on the model’s cowl, a nearly legible coachbuilder plate for Graber credits the original artisan. The four-person cockpit is finished with realistic-looking matte-black seats and door panels with separate plated door handles and window cranks. The steering wheel is a contrasting gloss black and attached to a blue-finished instrument panel with a full comple- ment of Duesenberg gauges. Chief standouts of Automodello’s efforts to capture the original Graber Duesenberg are the fine Buffalo-style wire wheels that truly look shrunk from the originals, and the painted convert- ible top, which carries an incredibly authentic Haartz-like fabric finish. Models such as this Graber-bodied Duesenberg are built for discerning col- lectors with discerning taste, and each of them will be as excited to see the car in their study as they will to spot it on the concours field. Indeed, Automod- ello’s creation is a work worthy of the original. Production of this model is limited to fewer than 579 models: up to 499 models in the car’s current dark blue- and-blue scheme, and a paltry 80 in the silver-and-black scheme it wore during the 1950s. The dark blue-and-blue version is available for $299.95, and the pictured silver-and-black Tribute Edition is available for $334. Order by calling 877-343-2276 or through www. diecasm.com.

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