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Re: Nice 31 Durant for sale on Ebay, check it out

I thought it looked familiar. Nice looking car, Brian I'm sorry you got the Durant bug, it's real hard to cure and it spreads like wildfire. No vaccine available yet for it. Once they get in your blood, and wind up in your garage, they seem to multiply like rabbits. Kind of like the potato chip that you can't eat just one, you can't own just one it seems.

Where Are You From? Oviedo, Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1928 Durant Model 65 4 door sedan from Elizabeth, NJ Plant

Re: Nice 31 Durant for sale on Ebay, check it out

Thanks for the heads up Mike. I am going to visit the car tomorrow. What luck, it's very close to me. Thinking I may need to find a home for the Franklin as I don't think she will get along with two Durant's in the same shop. 😜 I will get numbers and share. Would enjoy learning the cars history too.

Where Are You From? Brighton MI

Do You own a car built by Durant? Proudly

Re: Nice 31 Durant for sale on Ebay, check it out

I visited this car today and spent a little bit of time going over it. It presents well in the photographs but needs a little bit in each area. Body has a handfull of nicks, gauges and flaking but not terrible. Mechanical work needed. Top has some faults, etc. Trunk has gone missing and a couple interior items. It appears the car was restored rather well exterior as an amature restoration but the years of use and storage stand out. I tried to get some further information of the history but was unable. My guess from what I could see is someone likely got the car after it was in extended storage and tried to tinker with it a bit and then let it sit again. I think with the reserve set at 12K there are others I would consider for that price but I will give it a shot and see if I can get this one on better terms. Who knows, I may get a wild hair too. It is a nice looking car.
There are a couple Durant's in a collection near me that I understand are about to be sold. In fact the collection was on Barn Finds a couple months ago. Guy has near 75 cars. Hoping for some extra surprises in that bunch. I think these will all be original, unrestored.

Where Are You From? Brighton MI

Do You own a car built by Durant? Proudly

Re: Nice 31 Durant for sale on Ebay, check it out

Hey Brian;
If I remember correctly Ray Zenz was an antique car parts dealer who had a number of cars that he cherished. As Norm pointed out he passed away in 2007 and the car has probably been sitting a number of years being moved from garages etc. I'm not sure when he restored his car, but it probably was in the 80's if not longer. The interior almost looks original in the car and matches some of my original interior I have salvaged from my car which is a 1928. Same color and texture. Keep looking and you'll find the right car to match what you want. They are out there.

Where Are You From? Oviedo, Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1928 Durant Model 65 4 door sedan from Elizabeth, NJ Plant

Re: Nice 31 Durant for sale on Ebay, check it out

Seems to have Mohair upholstery in it. Our Dominion 31 / 32 Durant's had Bedford Cord, which was also used in the 680 De Vaux per the brochures.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

Do You own a car built by Durant? Dominion built 1932 614 Sedan

Re: Nice 31 Durant for sale on Ebay, check it out

Hi fellows:

I first saw Ray's car in 1981 at the first Durant meet held in Dearborn, Mich. Ray was there with the car. Truly a wonderful time. It was the first time many of us Durant enthusiasts had ever been together. I remember this car especially as it had the "Pullman" feature which I had never seen before, also the twin sidemounts with the covers and the Durant emblems.
You had to be there to experience the feeling. We had folk attending from all over the world - New Zealand, Australia, Holland, South Africa, many of the States, 6 of us from Canada - and on and on. Several of us are still with the club. 36 years later.

Gord

Where Are You From? Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Frontenac built by Dominion Motors Limited, Leaside, Ontario, Canada

Re: Nice 31 Durant for sale on Ebay, check it out

Yes, that is the 6-12 that belonged to the late Ray Zenz. Ray lived in Toledo Ohio and was in some kind of construction business, but his passion was his antique cars. He also restored a 1930 6-14 deluxe sport coupe that was medium and dark blue and was a prize winner. He managed to collect a large amount of parts for our cars and was very helpful with his knowledge of how these things went together. I was at that 1981 Dearborn meet with Jim Colbert and my partially completed 1930 Durant standard coupe.Ray was there for a limited time,as he had to care for his ill wife, but I was glad I got to meet him in person.AS Gordo has said above it was a great event and I'll bet we had 25 cars there.JB Nethercutt of the famous Merle Norman collection was there with his wife and "crew" attending to his recently restored Star coupe(although he rode around in a chauffered Lincoln Town car). I think it was restored to perfection in a very short time(six weeks?). It was like the car that he had when he was starting his cosmetics company and he and his wife would drive around and sell from that car. It even had a small radio on the rear parcel shelf that he had wired to the chicken wire in the roof to serve as an antennae! Ross

Where Are You From? Orygun

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14

 

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