WHAT A DUESEY! Venerable American marque takes back "The Trophee'' from the French.(News)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

A Duesenberg hadn't won at Pebble Beach in 13 long years of trying, and between 1994 and now, the winner board was lousy with beautiful French coupes and roadsters-Delages, Delahayes, Talbot-Lagos and, of course, those seductive, alluring Bugattis in front of which all the judges seem to melt into quivering puddles of Zymol carnauba wax all over the fairway.

This year, there was no shortage of beautiful French coupes and roadsters on the lawn: two flowing and fanciful Talbot-Lagos, two beautiful Bugattis, a Delage and a Delahaye, any one of which could have driven off with Best of Show at this, the best of shows in the wheeled world.

But there were also all those Aston Martins, one of the two featured marques this year, and everyone knows the winner is more often than not plucked from the class featuring the featured marque. And were there ever Astons! If there was one missing anywhere in the world that hadn't been meticulously and exquisitely restored back in Jolly Old by some guy named Nigel and delicately air-freighted to Monterey International, then it had to be some kind of terrible oversight. There were no fewer than 35 Astons on the grass at the far end of the field, watched over by delightful chaps resting on tweed lawn chairs and chatting away in those accents that make us Yanks assume they're all from the aristocracy.

But all that is to overlook the proud line of mighty Duesenbergs parked along the cliff next to the otter-filled bay, none anything like any other, just as Fred and Augie Duesenberg planned it. Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg was the other featured marque this year, and they, too, were out in force.

There were the two striking orange-and-black Duesenberg roadsters bookending the field and a strong showing of custom-bodied giants in between. The 1930 aluminum-topped boattail Model J Speedster of the William Lyon family, just restored by Duesenberg demigod Randy Ema and painted its own royal blue by kustom kar king Junior Conway, seemed ready to win. (It did win the Elegance in Motion award, sponsored by AutoWeek.) The Model J convertible coupe of four-time Best of Show winners Sam and Emily Mann, a gift from ...