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This Duesenberg Model A Bender Coupe is the first customer-owned production Duesenberg to have been built. The car's original owner was Northrup Castle who requested a tall vehicle to accommodate his high stature. The coachwork is by the Bender Body Company of Cleveland, Ohio.
Mr. Castle ordered the car in 1919 but the car was not ready to be shipped to his Hawaiian home until 1921. After much use, the car was returned back to the factory for repairs where it received updated and modern components sourced from the Model J.
The car remained with Mr. Castle until his death in 1958; ownership was then transferred to his nephew, James Christian Castle. In 1968, the car was shipped to San Francisco and was soon put into storage. Mr. James Castle passed away in 1994; ownership of the Bender Coupe was then passed to his son. In 2003, the car was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The engine ran but it was not drivable. After the show, the car was sent to Bruce Canepa for a full restoration. When the work was completed, it was put on display at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
The car is powered by an overhead camshaft straight-8 engine, which could carry the car to speeds exceeding 100 mph. Thankfully, it was also the first production car in the United States to have hydraulic brakes!
True to the company's racing heritage, this Model A Duesenberg was the first passenger vehicle equipped with four-wheel hydraulic brakes and an overhead-cam inline 8-cylinder engine. In another sign of the maker's competition past, the Castle car was fitted with full-length belly pans and an exhaust cut-off. Typical of the era, the Cast coupe, car number 601 in the factory's record, was produced as a running chassis without a body. The body, by Bender, is unique as it was custom-built to accommodate the large frame of the 7-foot tall vehicle.
This car has been in the care of the Castle family for 4 generations and is the only Duesenberg that is still in the family of the original owners.
Mr. Castle ordered the car in 1919 but the car was not ready to be shipped to his Hawaiian home until 1921. After much use, the car was returned back to the factory for repairs where it received updated and modern components sourced from the Model J.
The car remained with Mr. Castle until his death in 1958; ownership was then transferred to his nephew, James Christian Castle. In 1968, the car was shipped to San Francisco and was soon put into storage. Mr. James Castle passed away in 1994; ownership of the Bender Coupe was then passed to his son. In 2003, the car was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The engine ran but it was not drivable. After the show, the car was sent to Bruce Canepa for a full restoration. When the work was completed, it was put on display at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
The car is powered by an overhead camshaft straight-8 engine, which could carry the car to speeds exceeding 100 mph. Thankfully, it was also the first production car in the United States to have hydraulic brakes!
True to the company's racing heritage, this Model A Duesenberg was the first passenger vehicle equipped with four-wheel hydraulic brakes and an overhead-cam inline 8-cylinder engine. In another sign of the maker's competition past, the Castle car was fitted with full-length belly pans and an exhaust cut-off. Typical of the era, the Cast coupe, car number 601 in the factory's record, was produced as a running chassis without a body. The body, by Bender, is unique as it was custom-built to accommodate the large frame of the 7-foot tall vehicle.
This car has been in the care of the Castle family for 4 generations and is the only Duesenberg that is still in the family of the original owners.
No auction information available for this vehicle at this time.
Recent Sales of the Duesenberg Model A
(Data based on Model Year 1921 sales)
Duesenberg Model As That Failed To Sell At Auction
1921 Duesenberg Model A's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
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1921 Duesenberg Model A
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