Nothing Arrives in Style Like a Dual Cowl Phaeton

Ronnie Schreiber
by Ronnie Schreiber

1929 Duesenberg Model J by LeBaron

As part of this gig, I see a lot of cars. Besides attending the major corporate auto shows like the North American International Auto Show here in Detroit, from spring into late fall almost every Sunday will find me at some kind of car show. Car museums are also some of my favorite places. Having entered my teens during the 1960s, when there were E Type Jaguars, Corvettes and Mustangs, it was easy for me to dismiss cars from the ’50s as old-fashioned, let alone vehicles from the pre-war classic era. As Mark Twain pointed out, though, I’ve learned a few things since I was a young man and my perspective has changed.

Lincoln Model K

No, I’m still not going to make a tri-five Chevy my daily driver, but I have gained an appreciation for older cars and I’ve decided that if I was wealthy and was looking for car to arrive in, it wouldn’t be a late model Ferrari, Lamborghini or Rolls-Royce. It’d be some kind of dual cowl phaeton from the late 1920s or early 1930s.

1929 Stutz Model M Four-Passenger Speedster by LeBaron

It wouldn’t necessarily have to be a Duesenberg Model J, though its position as the ranking aristocrat of American automobiles makes it the preferred choice. I’m sure that a “senior” Packard, Chrysler Imperial or a V-12 or V-16 Cadillac, would make a similar, if slightly more restrained, statement.

1931 Chrysler CG Imperial Dual-Cowl Phaeton rebodied in the style of LeBaron

It’s not because they’re the most luxurious cars. The dual cowls I’ve seen are no fancier than the coupes and sedans made by the same companies. In fact, there are fewer appointments for the rear passengers than there are in conventional limousines of the same vintage. In a lot of cases the passenger compartments in the back are even a little bit snug — somewhat of a surprise considering just how massive those cars are.

The rear passenger compartment in a dual cowl phaeton can be a little bit cozy as you can see in this Murphy style Duesenberg.

So why do I think dual cowl cars are so fabulous? To begin with, the phaeton roof line is one of the masterpieces of automotive styling. There is a reason why Dean Jeffries made the Monkeemobile a phaeton, beyond the need for seating for all four band members in the back. The long roof (one reason why enthusiasts are attracted to station wagons) and the way it peaks in the back and then slopes towards the front of the car simply looks good.

1935 Duesenberg Model SJ, rebodied in the style of Murphy

Then there’s the dual cowl aspect. Though they are not exactly limousines, they’re functionally equivalent, the owner rides in back, so there is that side of being able to show off your wealth by having a chauffeur. Also, the second cowl gives it the look of a parade car, whether or not the roof is up or down. It’s easy to visualize Queen Elizabeth doing her queenly wave from the back seat.

1930 Packard Deluxe Eight. As impressive as “senior” Packards are, the grille and hood on a Duesenberg J are about a half foot taller.

Will we ever see a modern dual cowl car? I’m not sure that modern car shapes work with the concept, but it would be interesting to see what some of today’s talented car designers could create.

1941 Chrysler Newport, a later take on the dual cowl idiom. Could a modern dual cowl work?

Technically speaking, not all of the cars pictured here are dual cowl phaetons. The Stutz company apparently preferred a different nomenclature, instead calling their dual cowl a “four passenger speedster”, perhaps because of the scalloped, cut-down door.

1928 Stutz BB4 Dual Cowl Touring Car

No matter what you call them, they’re magnificent automobiles.

As the Great Depression wore on, by the late 1930s big open cars were no longer fashionable. Perhaps those who retained their wealth or managed to amass new fortunes did not want to appear to be showing off that wealth or perhaps closed limousines afforded them some level of anonymity at a time when rich folks might have wanted to keep a low profile. Either way, I don’t know of a dual cowl car made since before WWII. The original Chrysler Newport, which was used as a pace car for the 1941 Indy 500, has a second cowl, but it was primarily a concept show car and only six of them were made.

Pierce Arrow 1930 Model B Sport Phaeton. Note the Pierce Arrow’s signature “Dawley” headlights that were faired into the fenders.

With the Monkeemobile, Dean Jeffries was able to successfully apply a phaeton roofline to a 1960s era car. It would be interesting to see what contemporary designers could do applying a phaeton roof and a second cowl to today’s shapes. Do you think it would even be possible to make a modern dual cowl phaeton?

If you had an unlimited budget, which car would you choose to arrive in style?

Photos by the author. You can see the complete galleries and more dual cowl phaetons here.

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, a realistic perspective on cars & car culture and the original 3D car site. If you found this post worthwhile, you can get a parallax view at Cars In Depth. If the 3D thing freaks you out, don’t worry, all the photo and video players in use at the site have mono options. Thanks for reading – RJS

Ronnie Schreiber
Ronnie Schreiber

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, the original 3D car site.

More by Ronnie Schreiber

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  • Bball40dtw Bball40dtw on Aug 11, 2015

    Chrysler had a dual cowl concept in the 90s! Oh how I love Chrysler concepts from the mid-90s to mid-00s. I want a Dodge Demon/Copperhead, Chrysler Phaeton, Chrysler Firepower, Jeep Rescue, and Chrysler Chronos! http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/1997-phaeton.html

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    • Ronnie Schreiber Ronnie Schreiber on Aug 11, 2015

      @Corey Lewis Though technically a phaeton is a large open car with at least four seats, there's nothing about that Chrysler concept that says to me "phaeton". It has a retractable hardtop that's shaped like a sedan's, not like a classic phaeton's soft top, and the second cowl and windshield seem like an afterthought. Not Chrysler's best concept from the 1990s. Allpar thinks they made its V12 out of two 2.7 liter V6s. Makes sense. The Aston Martin V12 was originally two Ford Duratec V6 engines welded together. I'm surprised nobody's ever made a crate version of the LS based V16 in the Cadillac Sixteen show car.

  • Big Wheel Big Wheel on Aug 11, 2015

    If I hit the Lotto, I'd love to have a Duesenberg. Already got a coffee table book, & a small model. Fabulous cars. Everything done by hand, no computers or CAD/CAM. Powerful engine that dwarfed everything in output until the 1950's. 265-horsepower, 32-valve, DOHC inline-8 that displaced a whopping 420 cubic inches (6.9 liters). The supercharged SJ's (only 32 factory built) supposedly put out 320 hp. I would not be able to pass up a dual cowl phaeton or a Murphy disappearing top. And the special Duesies are spectacular: J-437 Weymann Tapertail (1 of 1) SJ-513 20 Grand by Rollston (1 of 1) SJ-585 by Gurney-Nutting (1 of 1) SJ-397 Rudolf Bauer by Rollson (no S), (1 of 1) SSJ-563 & 567 by Central-LaGrande (2 of 2) The list goes on.

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    • Ronnie Schreiber Ronnie Schreiber on Aug 11, 2015

      @NoGoYo As beautiful as the Duesenberg DOHC straight eight is, the original Cadillac V16 may be the best looking engine ever. Intended as underhood eye candy, once it was engineered, Harley Earl's Art & Color section styled it. I can't think of another engine that was actually styled. http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/classic-car-photogallery1/1930-cadillac-v16/1930-cadillac-v16-eng1.jpg

  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
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