Don’t look now, but the nickname is no longer the province of the human experience. Automobiles have cut their way in line, and their handles are as endearing as their histories. “Caddie” is synonymous with “Cadillac”; “Beetle” is a popular descriptor for something other than the world’s largest insect class; and in the right context, “Chevy” evokes thoughts of everything but a noted American comic. Then there’s “doozy,” a vernacularism for the Duesenberg luxury auto that saw a pretty good 25-year run through 1937. Don’t let the fancy-schmancy bow-tie front bumper fool ya – the model showed its mettle in the real world too, winning three Indie 500s and nearly morphing into a wartime aircraft. You can see similar bits of history April 10 to 12 at the 11th annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance, set for Ellen Browning Scripps Park at La Jolla Cove and featuring coachbuilt classic cars from the 1930s and ’40s – and rest assured that at least one past exhibitor knows of what he speaks, regarding the moniker “doozy” as the collateral phenomenon it is. “The [nickname] is an interesting thought and an area I’ve never even explored,” said Doug Skeen, who trotted out a 1927 Duesenberg that won three awards at La Jolla in 2014. “I tend to focus more specifically on the cars than the generalities.” “The cars” are all over the place this time of year, as cities from Paris to Pebble Beach trot out their automotive finery. La Jolla gets into the act for its legendary seaside locale and its place among the 60 or so American concours. La Jolla’s was named one of the top three most anticipated car shows of the year by the prestigious British automotive magazine “Octane.” “It’s fairly highly regarded in the collector car circle,” Skeen said. “La Jolla… has not been one of the top concours, but it looks like they’re headed in the right direction. There’s a little more organization each year, a little wider variety of cars. Some of the better cars are starting to come out.” Presumably, they feature a reflection on a time when quality was king. “The Duesenberg engine compartment looks like a jewel box,” Skeen said, “from a time when the builders and machinists cared about craftsmanship.” Indeed, the area under the hood takes on a life of its own – it’s a different color than the rest of the car and presumably shone off the La Jolla sun last year, a testament to the picture-perfect weather that seems to greet this event each spring. Nobody can seem to remember a rainout, which would be a disaster amid such loftiness of fare. And loftiness of sticker. In 2013, the Pebble Beach concours peeps set a record with the $31.6 million sale of a Mercedes Benz racer; the following year, the concours collectively rang up $400 million in automotive sales. There’s a river of money flowing through every concours ever year – but Skeen’s nod to craftsmanship is an apt reminder to the thousands who will pack La Jolla Cove the weekend of April 10. For more on the event, see lajollaconcours.com or call (858) 233-5008.
