10 August 2007
Show and Shine
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Brothers Paul (left) and John Dart have a deep, personal link
with their father's 1929 Duesenberg Model J that underwent a resoration process that lasted more than five
decades.
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Dart's father, John, was in the early stages of restoring the
classic car which was his son's private playground for a while. Fifty or so years later, the job would be done.
Every nut, bolt and panel on gleaming, two-tone red car - belonging to one of the most famous and valuable
marques in automotive history - would be lovingly removed, rejuvenated and replaced to exacting specifications.
It was a labour of love. And a pricey one, too for the commercial pilot who passed away this spring, leaving his prized car to Peter
and his younger brother John.
"Dad would run out of money and the car would sit for a while until he could afford to continue," says John.
But the endeavour was worth the wait because it brought a smile to its owner's face when completed.
"The car was all about Dad," Peter says. "So much of that car was him. When he was near the end and sick in hospital,
we drove it up to the front doors and Dad came out in his wheelchair just to look at it one last time. He smiled."
That feeling is bound to be shared with other classic car lovers on 19 Aug 2007 when it is scheduled to be the featured
automobile at the 4th Annual Ladner Quilt Walk and Car Show.
Its appearance is somewhat of a rarity. Since the restoration was finished in 2003, just 90 miles have been put on the odometer. Most
of the time the furthest it goes is a few feet in and out of its Ladner garage to keep the tires from flattening out under its
stationary weight.
"We're delighted and honoured that this car is going to be making an appearance," says Wayne Duncan, one of the organizers
of the Quilt Walk and Classic Car Show. "It's a fantastic example of automotive history at its finest."
The Duesenberg line was synonymous with the wealthy. Classic Hollywood icons such as Clark Gable and Gary Cooper were among their
owners.
Back in 1929, it would have cost $20,000, an extravagant sum given that a Model A Ford would have sold for $800.
Today, it's not unusual for a well kept Duesenberg to sell to serious collectors for around $1 million.
The Dart's car is such a prime example of the Duesenberg line that Tonight Show host Jay Leno - an avid car collector and owner of
several Duesenbergs - sent his chief mechanic to Ladner a few years ago to document the vehicle.
The original owner of the Dart's car was former Canadian Pacific Railway president Sir William Van Horne.
When John Dart found it, the Model J had suffered some ill treatment.
"Someone had chopped off the tail end to try and make it into a roadster," John says.
But their father recognized the car's potential and bought it for $1,000.
"When people would ask dad how much he paid for it, he told them $500 because he was kind of embarrassed and maybe thought he
overpaid for it," Paul adds.
But after decades of careful restoration by Sherry Classic Autos in Ontario, plus plenty of parts scavenging from all over North
America, the car was returned to its regal glory.
"Traditionally, the people who owned these cars would be wealthy enough to have someone else look after its care and
maintenance," Peter says. "Dad was the one who was so involved with the car and met people who provided the parts he needed.
And they ended up becoming good friends of his. So, there's a big personal attachment to this car."
Editor's Note: Sir William Cornelius Van Horne died on 11 Sep 1915 in Montreal and was buried in his hometown
of Joliet, Illinois. So, unless he came back from the grave, he didn't own this car. You can't believe everything you
read!
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