How a unique Duesenberg was sent to the scrappers

In 1942 the U.S. government stated, "that all old jalopies, worn-out automobiles unsuited for transportation, must be scrapped to furnish weapons of war for our armed forces, under an edict issued by the automobile graveyard section of the War Production Board.” This meant that millions of old vehicles across the country that might be of use today to restore or repair an antique auto are no longer available. Perhaps the extent of what American citizens sacrificed to overcome the Axis is just not known.

With rationing of tires, sugar, bicycles, tires, automobile parts, stoves and other appliances, typewriters, plows, chicken wire, tractors, windmills, rubber footwear, metal containers like toothpaste tubes, paper, gasoline, silk and nylon, everyday life in America changed for the duration of the war. Towns even dug up old street car/trolley lines to re-purpose the old tracks that had simply been paved over. An old run of the mill jalopy was worth $15. Towns had competitions to see which one could gather the most scrap. While rationing paper might sound extreme, with fewer men to be lumberjacks, fewer trees were being felled for newspapers, books, etc. Saving cooking fat, in order to produce explosives, took place (it was needed to produce glycerin). Cannons saved from the U.S. Civil War and the Spanish-American War, that had been put in town centers and parks as part of historic displays, were melted down for the latest war.

As for the scrapping of luxury cars it definitely happened. I found that boxer Jack Dempsey's Rolls-Royce, that he purchased in 1924 for $21,000, eventually went to a scrapyard for $75 in 1941. I also found that Colonel Walter J. Riley of Chicago donated his WWI era Rolls-Royce in July 1941, and a Mrs. Eugene Clair Flatto of Beverly Hills, California, “tossed her $20,000 Rolls-Royce onto the National scrap pile,” in 1942. Later that year the widow of the founder of Sears-Roebuck, Mrs. Anna L. Sears of Evanston, Illinois, contributed her $18,000 1924 model Rolls-Royce which she kept in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Could this happen again? While not during war time, the 2009 Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), that was colloquially known as "Cash for Clunkers," saw the following cars donated for a rebate voucher of $3,500 - $4,500 towards a new fuel efficient car. These are just the most unusual of the foreign cars turned in. The program saw more than 650,000, mostly American, vehicles scrapped.

1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante
1997 Bentley Continental R
1992 BMW 850i
2006 Audi A4 Convertible
2006 Nissan 350Z Roadster
1985 Maserati Quattroporte
1999 Mercedes C43 AMG
1985 TVR 280i convertible
(6) Porsche 928 including (2) S4
(6) Porsche 944