April 23, 2025 • 13 mins
Inspired by the "Rare and Luxurious: 100 Years of Exceptional Automobiles" exhibit current at LeMay: America's Car Museum (americascarmuseum.org), this episode of Fuel for the Future explores the cars of The Great Gatsby. The era from the book, the 1920s, highlights some of the cars that set the stage for luxury and style which still influence designs of today.
Presented by State Farm Insurance and Driven by America's Automotive Trust. Learn more at americasautomotivetrust.org.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
One of the most impactful novelsof the 20th century is The Great Gatsby.
The world of this book is shiningwith excess, with
dances, rambunctious parties, drinksthat are flowing,
and people who live lifelike the champagne will never run dry.
But behind the Charleston
and jazz is another symbol of statusand speed.
(00:24):
The automobile cars weren't justbackground props in Fitzgerald's world.
They symbolized who the characters are,who they wanted to be,
and probably most importantly,who we want to be today.
On fuel for the future,we dive into the cars of The Great Gatsby.
What they were, what they meant,
and how they shapedthe world of automobiles moving forward.
(00:44):
This is fuel for the future.
Presented by State Farm Insuranceand driven by America's Automotive Trust.
I'm Michael Mann.
Currently at LeMay America's Car Museumin Tacoma, Washington.
There's an exhibit, a rare and luxurious100 years of exceptional automobiles.
Here's some information.
Rare and luxurious.
100 years of exceptional automobiles.
(01:06):
From the handcraftedexcellence of early coach built cars
to the cutting edgemarvels of modern automotive design.
This exhibitionshowcases the artistry and innovation
that have defined high end motoringfor over a century.
Discover how engineeringbreakthroughs bespoke craftsmanship
and over limitless pursuit of excellencehave shaped automotive luxury,
(01:27):
from vintage iconsto contemporary exotics.
Each vehicle tells a unique storyof status, performance and exclusivity.
You can find out more information andget tickets at America's Car Museum, Dawg.
Because of that exhibit,we thought it would be fun to highlight
some of the cars from the Gatsby era,and specifically ones
(01:48):
from the books and or movies.
For those that are not aware of the storyof F Scott Fitzgerald's novel.
It's set in 1922 and tells the storyof Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire
known for thrilling, extravagant partiesat his mansion on Long Island.
It's narrated by Nick Carraway,who's Gatsby's neighbor,
(02:09):
and the novel exploresGatsby's obsessive pursuit of Daisy
Buchanan, a woman he has loved for yearsand who is now married.
Now, although the novel paintsa thrilling picture of luxury
in the Roaring 20s, it is a tragic story.
There's a car accident that kills a woman,and the glittering world collapses.
(02:30):
The Great Gatsby is a story about love,
wealth, identityand few objects in the book reflect
these things more than the automobiles,its characters drive.
There are many reasons we all respondto the iconography of this tale.
It's the Jazz age.
America is booming.
The First World War is over.
The stock market is up,and for the first time,
(02:52):
ordinary people feelthat they can move up in society.
By the 1920s,Henry Ford's Model T had revolutionized
mobility, making automobilesaffordable for the middle class.
And because of this, new businessesemerged in the economy was booming.
But in Gatsby's universe,cars were not about affordability.
(03:12):
They were about presentation.
They didn't drive Fords.
These were Dusen,Birks, Packard's Pierce arrows,
Rolls Royce chords and arbors.
In Fitzgerald's world, the automobilebecame a metaphor for speed,
recklessness and ambition, and perhapsthe whole of the Roaring 20s itself.
And in Jay Gatsby's case,a fast ride towards a tragic end.
(03:37):
So let's talk about the most famous carin the book, Gatsby's.
In the book, have Scott Fitzgeralddescribes it like this.
It was a rich creamcolor, bright with nickel, swollen here
and there, and its monstrous length,
with a labyrinth of windshieldsthat mirrored a dozen suns.
It was opulent, exotic,
(03:58):
and very much Gatsby overdone injust the right way.
But what was it?
While the book doesn't specifya brand, many believe
Fitzgerald based it on the Rolls-RoyceSilver Ghost, one of the most
glamorous cars of the 19 tensand early 1920s.
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.
It's both a specific car and a model.
(04:21):
The first one, built in 1907and registered as Ax
201, was the car that was originallygiven the name Silver Ghost,
and it was built to showcaseRolls-Royce as a reliable and quiet car.
In a sense,it was a car used for marketing.
It drove thousands of milessuccessfully at a time
when roads were terribleand required little maintenance.
(04:44):
These cars were manufactured in England,where Rolls-Royce was founded,
and then moved manufacturingto Springfield, Massachusetts.
During the yearsthat the novel takes place,
over the few decadesthat the Silver Ghost was manufactured.
It was continually a magnificent car,and its chassis
and engines were used for armored carsduring World War One.
(05:05):
It is a fitting model for Gatsby.
However, in the 1974 film with RobertRedford,
Jay Gatsby drove a 1928 Rolls-RoycePhantom one,
which was the next stepin evolution from the Silver Ghost.
But in the 2013 Baz Luhrmann filmadaptation, Gatsby, played
(05:27):
by Leonardo DiCaprio, drives an 1929
Duesenberg Model J painted bright yellow.
Now Duesenberg is no ordinary carcompany was founded by brothers
Fred and August Duesenberg,and it was based in Indiana, not Detroit.
Like most other American car companies,and their focus wasn't a mass market.
(05:50):
They were attempting to build masterpiecesin the model
J, introduced in 1928, was a beast
in a 265 horsepower,a straight eight engine
top speed of about 115mph.
Hand-built coach work by custom designerslike Murphy and Durham,
and its price tag atthe time was around $8,500,
(06:13):
which is equivalentto around $150,000 today.
By putting Gatsbybehind the wheel of a dozen bird,
it shows that this is a manwhose wealth is loud,
fast and designed to impress,but also dangerous,
which is very fittingconsidering what happens in this story.
(06:33):
While Gatsby's car oozesnew money and flair and speed
and danger,the character of Tom Buchanan's car
is its oppositea symbol of established power.
Tom Buchanan is a bit of an antagonistin the book, and he drives a blue coupe.
That's the way it's described,
however, in Baz Luhrmanns film,it is rendered as a deep
(06:56):
Navy 1933 Auburn V-12 boat tail speedster.
Regardlessthat this car is not historically accurate
for the yearsthat The Great Gatsby is taking place.
It is another generouspiece of American design.
The Auburn Boat Tail wasn't just powerful,it was assertive, streamlined.
It's very nautical in shape and design,
(07:19):
and it evokes power and sophisticationwithout needing to scream attention.
Auburn, like Duesenberg,was part of the Auburn Cord
Duesenberg company,helmed at one point by the visionary E.L.
cord, who we've talked about on this showbefore.
Cord specialized in making bold, stylishvehicles.
The Boat Tail was one of the most strikingvehicles of its time.
(07:42):
I would even arguein the history of automotives,
and it is a real lifepiece of rolling sculpture.
In fact, this car is so elegant and cool.
It's worth mentioning thatthe original Batmobile from the Batman
comics was based on an Auburn speedster.
Before we move forward with another car,what were these
automobiles, these titans of the roadactually made
(08:04):
of the craftsmanship of the 1920sand early 1930s was astonishing.
Not to sound like my grandfather sayingthey don't make things like they used to.
But it is true with these cars.
They were made to last.
Coach built bodies, Walnut dashboards,hand-stitched leather.
These were crafted by skilled laborerswho primarily worked by hand.
(08:27):
This blend of modern car designat the time mixed with handmade artisans,
lended itself to creatingsome of the most beautiful automobiles
that have ever been made.
While Fitzgerald keepsdescriptions of the cars rather vague,
here are some notableelegant cars of the 1920s
that Gatsby's guests made upof socialites, bootleggers, politicians
(08:49):
and heiresses might realisticallyhave been driving the Packard
Twin Six, built between 1920 and 1923.
The Packard was the American aristocracy
car of choicebefore Duesenberg came along.
If you had old money or wantedto look like you did, you drove a Packard.
(09:10):
This car had a powerful enginefor the time, about 90 horsepower,
and priced around $4,000,which is about $65,000 today.
They had long hoods, artful chrome
details, and plush interiors.
And chauffeur driven versions were common.
Next, the Pierce era model 66
(09:32):
manufactured in the 19 tens and early 20s.
The Pierce Aero was known for eleganceand luxury and American craftsmanship.
Presidents, royalty and robber barons
of the Gilded Age swore by these cars.
This one was a massive vehicle.
It was 847in long, which is over 12ft,
(09:54):
and it was around $6,000, dependingon your configuration at the time.
During this era, Pierce arrows werethe official car of the white House fleet.
The Stutz Bearcat Series K
manufactured between 1921 and 1923.
This car would have been driven by the,quote unquote, bad boys of the Gatsby
(10:16):
crowd racers, adventurers,some of the younger crew,
or maybe a gentlemangoing through a midlife
crisis might roll up in this fastlittle roadster.
This car had a top speed of around85mph, quick for its time,
and it was sold for around $3,000.
It had an open cockpit, small windshield.
(10:36):
This would have been like pulling upto a party in a very nice sports car.
Today.
Next, the Cadillac Type V
63, manufactured in the mid 1920s.
Cadillacs were consideredtechnological leaders in the 1920s,
and they had real cachet among the wealthyand professionally ambitious.
(10:58):
This car had a V-8 engine, 80 horsepower.
But what could have been more importantto the upper crust group
at Gatsby's partiesis that this car was quiet and smooth,
which mattered a lotto a large contingent of car buyers.
And the last one I'll mentiontoday is the Lincoln Model
(11:18):
L, manufactured in the 1920s.
This was introduced by Henry Lelandafter leaving Cadillac
and later acquired by Ford in 1922.
The Lincoln becamea respectable luxury car.
It was the choice of perhapsbankers, diplomats and other successful
professionals of the time.
It had a three 57 cubicinch V8, had around 81 horsepower,
(11:42):
and sold for $5,000,which was a lot of money at the time.
Fun factmany Lincolns of the period were outfitted
with bodies by brand Lebaronand other bespoke coach builders.
Esthetically, it was very stately.
It was large and dignified,but not ostentatious.
The GreatGatsby isn't just about the 1920s, though
(12:04):
it does represent that exciting era rightbefore the stock market crash in 1929.
It's about how we see ourselves.
The cars in Gatsby's worldrepresent luxury, speed and excess.
They're the perfect metaphorsfor that story and that era.
Whether it's the elegance of a Enberg,the power of an Auburn,
(12:25):
or the smooth, quiet ride of a RollsRoyce.
These aren't just machines.
And todaywe still look at the coolest cars,
the most luxurious cars,and see them as a dream.
Thank you for listening to fuelfor the future, presented
by State Farm Insuranceand driven by America's Automotive Trust.
(12:47):
Again, if you want to see this new exhibitat LeMay America's
Car Museum, visit America'sCar museum.org and learn
more about America's AutomotiveTrust at America's Automotive Trust. For.
One of the most impactful novelsof the 20th century is The Great Gatsby.
The world of this book is shiningwith excess, with
dances, rambunctious parties, drinksthat are flowing,
and people who live lifelike the champagne will never run dry.
But behind the Charleston
and jazz is another symbol of statusand speed.
(00:24):
The automobile cars weren't justbackground props in Fitzgerald's world.
They symbolized who the characters are,who they wanted to be,
and probably most importantly,who we want to be today.
On fuel for the future,we dive into the cars of The Great Gatsby.
What they were, what they meant,
and how they shapedthe world of automobiles moving forward.
(00:44):
This is fuel for the future.
Presented by State Farm Insuranceand driven by America's Automotive Trust.
I'm Michael Mann.
Currently at LeMay America's Car Museumin Tacoma, Washington.
There's an exhibit, a rare and luxurious100 years of exceptional automobiles.
Here's some information.
Rare and luxurious.
100 years of exceptional automobiles.
(01:06):
From the handcraftedexcellence of early coach built cars
to the cutting edgemarvels of modern automotive design.
This exhibitionshowcases the artistry and innovation
that have defined high end motoringfor over a century.
Discover how engineeringbreakthroughs bespoke craftsmanship
and over limitless pursuit of excellencehave shaped automotive luxury,
(01:27):
from vintage iconsto contemporary exotics.
Each vehicle tells a unique storyof status, performance and exclusivity.
You can find out more information andget tickets at America's Car Museum, Dawg.
Because of that exhibit,we thought it would be fun to highlight
some of the cars from the Gatsby era,and specifically ones
(01:48):
from the books and or movies.
For those that are not aware of the storyof F Scott Fitzgerald's novel.
It's set in 1922 and tells the storyof Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire
known for thrilling, extravagant partiesat his mansion on Long Island.
It's narrated by Nick Carraway,who's Gatsby's neighbor,
(02:09):
and the novel exploresGatsby's obsessive pursuit of Daisy
Buchanan, a woman he has loved for yearsand who is now married.
Now, although the novel paintsa thrilling picture of luxury
in the Roaring 20s, it is a tragic story.
There's a car accident that kills a woman,and the glittering world collapses.
(02:30):
The Great Gatsby is a story about love,
wealth, identityand few objects in the book reflect
these things more than the automobiles,its characters drive.
There are many reasons we all respondto the iconography of this tale.
It's the Jazz age.
America is booming.
The First World War is over.
The stock market is up,and for the first time,
(02:52):
ordinary people feelthat they can move up in society.
By the 1920s,Henry Ford's Model T had revolutionized
mobility, making automobilesaffordable for the middle class.
And because of this, new businessesemerged in the economy was booming.
But in Gatsby's universe,cars were not about affordability.
(03:12):
They were about presentation.
They didn't drive Fords.
These were Dusen,Birks, Packard's Pierce arrows,
Rolls Royce chords and arbors.
In Fitzgerald's world, the automobilebecame a metaphor for speed,
recklessness and ambition, and perhapsthe whole of the Roaring 20s itself.
And in Jay Gatsby's case,a fast ride towards a tragic end.
(03:37):
So let's talk about the most famous carin the book, Gatsby's.
In the book, have Scott Fitzgeralddescribes it like this.
It was a rich creamcolor, bright with nickel, swollen here
and there, and its monstrous length,
with a labyrinth of windshieldsthat mirrored a dozen suns.
It was opulent, exotic,
(03:58):
and very much Gatsby overdone injust the right way.
But what was it?
While the book doesn't specifya brand, many believe
Fitzgerald based it on the Rolls-RoyceSilver Ghost, one of the most
glamorous cars of the 19 tensand early 1920s.
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.
It's both a specific car and a model.
(04:21):
The first one, built in 1907and registered as Ax
201, was the car that was originallygiven the name Silver Ghost,
and it was built to showcaseRolls-Royce as a reliable and quiet car.
In a sense,it was a car used for marketing.
It drove thousands of milessuccessfully at a time
when roads were terribleand required little maintenance.
(04:44):
These cars were manufactured in England,where Rolls-Royce was founded,
and then moved manufacturingto Springfield, Massachusetts.
During the yearsthat the novel takes place,
over the few decadesthat the Silver Ghost was manufactured.
It was continually a magnificent car,and its chassis
and engines were used for armored carsduring World War One.
(05:05):
It is a fitting model for Gatsby.
However, in the 1974 film with RobertRedford,
Jay Gatsby drove a 1928 Rolls-RoycePhantom one,
which was the next stepin evolution from the Silver Ghost.
But in the 2013 Baz Luhrmann filmadaptation, Gatsby, played
(05:27):
by Leonardo DiCaprio, drives an 1929
Duesenberg Model J painted bright yellow.
Now Duesenberg is no ordinary carcompany was founded by brothers
Fred and August Duesenberg,and it was based in Indiana, not Detroit.
Like most other American car companies,and their focus wasn't a mass market.
(05:50):
They were attempting to build masterpiecesin the model
J, introduced in 1928, was a beast
in a 265 horsepower,a straight eight engine
top speed of about 115mph.
Hand-built coach work by custom designerslike Murphy and Durham,
and its price tag atthe time was around $8,500,
(06:13):
which is equivalentto around $150,000 today.
By putting Gatsbybehind the wheel of a dozen bird,
it shows that this is a manwhose wealth is loud,
fast and designed to impress,but also dangerous,
which is very fittingconsidering what happens in this story.
(06:33):
While Gatsby's car oozesnew money and flair and speed
and danger,the character of Tom Buchanan's car
is its oppositea symbol of established power.
Tom Buchanan is a bit of an antagonistin the book, and he drives a blue coupe.
That's the way it's described,
however, in Baz Luhrmanns film,it is rendered as a deep
(06:56):
Navy 1933 Auburn V-12 boat tail speedster.
Regardlessthat this car is not historically accurate
for the yearsthat The Great Gatsby is taking place.
It is another generouspiece of American design.
The Auburn Boat Tail wasn't just powerful,it was assertive, streamlined.
It's very nautical in shape and design,
(07:19):
and it evokes power and sophisticationwithout needing to scream attention.
Auburn, like Duesenberg,was part of the Auburn Cord
Duesenberg company,helmed at one point by the visionary E.L.
cord, who we've talked about on this showbefore.
Cord specialized in making bold, stylishvehicles.
The Boat Tail was one of the most strikingvehicles of its time.
(07:42):
I would even arguein the history of automotives,
and it is a real lifepiece of rolling sculpture.
In fact, this car is so elegant and cool.
It's worth mentioning thatthe original Batmobile from the Batman
comics was based on an Auburn speedster.
Before we move forward with another car,what were these
automobiles, these titans of the roadactually made
(08:04):
of the craftsmanship of the 1920sand early 1930s was astonishing.
Not to sound like my grandfather sayingthey don't make things like they used to.
But it is true with these cars.
They were made to last.
Coach built bodies, Walnut dashboards,hand-stitched leather.
These were crafted by skilled laborerswho primarily worked by hand.
(08:27):
This blend of modern car designat the time mixed with handmade artisans,
lended itself to creatingsome of the most beautiful automobiles
that have ever been made.
While Fitzgerald keepsdescriptions of the cars rather vague,
here are some notableelegant cars of the 1920s
that Gatsby's guests made upof socialites, bootleggers, politicians
(08:49):
and heiresses might realisticallyhave been driving the Packard
Twin Six, built between 1920 and 1923.
The Packard was the American aristocracy
car of choicebefore Duesenberg came along.
If you had old money or wantedto look like you did, you drove a Packard.
(09:10):
This car had a powerful enginefor the time, about 90 horsepower,
and priced around $4,000,which is about $65,000 today.
They had long hoods, artful chrome
details, and plush interiors.
And chauffeur driven versions were common.
Next, the Pierce era model 66
(09:32):
manufactured in the 19 tens and early 20s.
The Pierce Aero was known for eleganceand luxury and American craftsmanship.
Presidents, royalty and robber barons
of the Gilded Age swore by these cars.
This one was a massive vehicle.
It was 847in long, which is over 12ft,
(09:54):
and it was around $6,000, dependingon your configuration at the time.
During this era, Pierce arrows werethe official car of the white House fleet.
The Stutz Bearcat Series K
manufactured between 1921 and 1923.
This car would have been driven by the,quote unquote, bad boys of the Gatsby
(10:16):
crowd racers, adventurers,some of the younger crew,
or maybe a gentlemangoing through a midlife
crisis might roll up in this fastlittle roadster.
This car had a top speed of around85mph, quick for its time,
and it was sold for around $3,000.
It had an open cockpit, small windshield.
(10:36):
This would have been like pulling upto a party in a very nice sports car.
Today.
Next, the Cadillac Type V
63, manufactured in the mid 1920s.
Cadillacs were consideredtechnological leaders in the 1920s,
and they had real cachet among the wealthyand professionally ambitious.
(10:58):
This car had a V-8 engine, 80 horsepower.
But what could have been more importantto the upper crust group
at Gatsby's partiesis that this car was quiet and smooth,
which mattered a lotto a large contingent of car buyers.
And the last one I'll mentiontoday is the Lincoln Model
(11:18):
L, manufactured in the 1920s.
This was introduced by Henry Lelandafter leaving Cadillac
and later acquired by Ford in 1922.
The Lincoln becamea respectable luxury car.
It was the choice of perhapsbankers, diplomats and other successful
professionals of the time.
It had a three 57 cubicinch V8, had around 81 horsepower,
(11:42):
and sold for $5,000,which was a lot of money at the time.
Fun factmany Lincolns of the period were outfitted
with bodies by brand Lebaronand other bespoke coach builders.
Esthetically, it was very stately.
It was large and dignified,but not ostentatious.
The GreatGatsby isn't just about the 1920s, though
(12:04):
it does represent that exciting era rightbefore the stock market crash in 1929.
It's about how we see ourselves.
The cars in Gatsby's worldrepresent luxury, speed and excess.
They're the perfect metaphorsfor that story and that era.
Whether it's the elegance of a Enberg,the power of an Auburn,
(12:25):
or the smooth, quiet ride of a RollsRoyce.
These aren't just machines.
And todaywe still look at the coolest cars,
the most luxurious cars,and see them as a dream.
Thank you for listening to fuelfor the future, presented
by State Farm Insuranceand driven by America's Automotive Trust.
(12:47):
Again, if you want to see this new exhibitat LeMay America's
Car Museum, visit America'sCar museum.org and learn
more about America's AutomotiveTrust at America's Automotive Trust. For.
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