Beschreibung:

1929/30 DUPONT MODEL G SPEEDSTER COACHWORK BY MERRIMAC Chassis No. G949 Engine No. G1349 Cream body with black leather interior Engine: straight eight Continental, L-Head, duPont modified, 322 ci., 140bhp at 3,600rpm; Gearbox: Warner four speed manual; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear; Brakes: four wheel Lockheed hydraulic. Left hand drive. E. Paul duPont, who was associated with the Bell Grain Explosive Co., formed duPont Motors, Inc. in 1919, based in Wilmington, Delaware. His goal was to produce a high quality motor car to compete with the likes of Packard, Locomobile and Cunningham. To achieve this, he searched for the best talent he could find in the industry. As Vice President and general manager, he hired Arthur M. Maris from the Biddle Company in Philadelphia. John A. Pierson formerly of Wright-Martin Aircraft, was chief engineer and William A. Smith came on board as sales manager, having left the position of general manager of Mercer Motors. The new company made its debut at the International Salon that year at the Commodore Hotel in New York with the Model A offered in three body styles. By 1928 duPont had established themselves as builders of limited production luxury automobiles. At the request of the New York distributor, Alfredo J. Miranda, Jr., duPont built two four place speedster models based on their new Model G chassis to compete for the Grand Prix d'Endurance at Le Mans in the summer of 1929. Miranda suggested duPont build a sporting model in the style of the old Mercer Raceabout. E. Paul duPont, being an avid sportsman, needed little convincing. And both then acting chief engineer, L.F. Hosley, and general sales manager, W.A. Smith had been with Mercer during the company's racing heyday. After extensive preparation and testing, one car driven by Charles Moran, Jr. with Miranda as co-pilot, competed in the race. After three hours the big duPont was lying in eighth place with an average speed of 72 miles per hour and was ahead of all the American entries. Then on the 20th lap, the ballast required by the Le Mans rules shifted on the rear floor, subsequently bending the drive shaft and taking them out of the race. The ultimate winner that year was a six and a half litre Bentley averaging 73 miles per hour, attesting to the short-lived but respectable showing of the duPont. Replicas in two and four place configurations using the LeMans chassis were offered to the public after the race. It is unknown how many of these speedsters were actually produced, but experts today believe nine are extant. Of these, three were four passenger models with the remaining six being two passenger cars. Of the two passenger cars, three were built as boattails with a hidden spare and three were built with tapered tails and a conventional rear spare. The purposeful Model G Speedsters were really quite sensational. An early customer included the famous actor, Douglas Fairbanks, who purchased the 1929 New York Auto Show car. Most coachwork on the Speedsters was supplied in aluminum by Merrimac of Massachusetts and featured a one-piece fender and running board that seemed to float gracefully along its side. The flowing fenders accented the Speedster's art-deco lines, and duPont guaranteed that every Speedster could top 100mph. The car on offer here is rather unique in its configuration in that it is believed to be the only Speedster supplied with a fold down windshield. Supplied new in February 1930 to Alfredo Miranda, Jr. at his New York address, the chassis card indicates that it was destined for export to Germany. This all black four speed vehicle was equipped with the folding windshield, Hindview mirror, tachometer, exhaust cutout, rear mounted spare and rumble seat. For reasons unknown, the car was not exported (it may indeed have been a New York Show Car), but instead was first registered to Mr. Charles Hirshhorn, a wealthy individual who owned the patent on packaging tea in paper bags. Over the next 23 ye