DuPONT | THE FORGOTTEN AMERICAN SPEEDSTER

Today, our Chief Historian Leslie takes you on a deep dive of the 1929 Dupont!

The du Pont family’s financial interest in automobiles dates back to 1914 when the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, under its president Pierre S. Du Pont, began to invest in the fast-growing automobile industry. In 1915 Pierre Du Pont became president of General Motors and in 1918 E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company acquired a significant stake in the auto manufacturing giant. But just because the family had a financial stake in GM did not mean that that it was entitled to wield unbridled influence when the time came to decide on the company’s model lineup. History does not record whether or not GM executives considered whether or not to add a du Pont to the roster of GM cars, but it became a moot point when production of automobiles bearing the du Pont name began independently in Wilmington, Delaware in 1919. It was a year that also marked the beginning of prohibition in America and the eve of the Roaring Twenties, a time when many Americans had to get creative to have fun.

Unlike even the most expensive regular production GM models, du Ponts were hand-crafted, ultra-luxury vehicles that competed in the same rarified market as manufacturers like Cunningham, Packard, and Brewster. So rather than debut their first car at the 1919 New York Auto Show alongside mass-produced vehicles—including General Motors marques such as Cadillac and Buick—the du Pont Model A was unveiled at the International Salon at the Commodore Hotel in New York, a venue that ensured the new automobile would be associated with only the most glamorous names. In 1923, Du Pont Motors moved its plant to Moore, Pennsylvania, and as the American economy boomed, it began to build ever larger and more luxurious vehicles targeted at the growing number of motorists seeking to proclaim their new affluence.

The firm produced both four- and six-cylinder models until 1929, the year that their largest car, the eight-cylinder Model G, debuted. Desiring to prove the its capability, the company entered a pair of four-passenger Model G speedsters in the 24-hour-long Grand Prix d’Endurance race at Le Mans. Then to take advantage of the publicity generated by their coming close to winning, Du Pont produced both two- and four-place versions of their racecar for sale to the public. A total of 273 Model G Du Ponts of all types were constructed in a variety of body styles including a phaeton, coupe, sedan, victoria, limousine, convertible, and speedster. Chassis wheelbase lengths ranged from 125 to an imposing 150 inches. The smaller, lighter two-place speedster could reach approximately 100 miles per hour and sold for a high $5,335 when new. It could be ordered with either a disappearing or non-disappearing top.

In 1930, DuPont motors entered the Indianapolis 500 with a two-passenger Speedster, which was constructed using a 1929 frame and a modified Continental eight-cylinder engine. Although now known as SG1, the car has been most frequently referred to as “The Dupont Special,” a name that was intended to help Du Pont gain further recognition for its exemplary performance capabilities. But fate intervened and after being involved in an accident resulting from an oil slick, the Dupont Special retired after only twenty-one laps.

Like so many other luxury automobile manufacturers, production of Du Pont Motors ceased in the early 1930s following the rapid deepening of the Great Depression.

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