Paul Duchene was born in Beckenham, England, and emigrated to the United States after working in London for the Surrey Comet, Slough Observer, Kensington Post, and Art and Antiques Weekly. In America, he spent ten years at the Tri-City Herald, followed by 20 years at The Oregonian, where he started the A&E arts section and served as the automotive editor. He also worked at the Portland Tribune and KPAM radio, and served as executive editor here at Sports Car Market magazine. As a freelancer, he had bylines in the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, plus a host of magazines, including Car & Driver, Autoweek, and BMW’s club magazine, Roundel. He was a senior analyst for Hagerty Media, writing for Hagerty’s Driver’s Club Magazine. In his lifetime, Paul owned about 250 cars, including a Citroen Camionette, a twin-engined Citroen 2CV Sahara, a Siata roadster, a Jensen-Healey, an Alfa Spider, many vintage Chevrolet pickups, and a 1920’s Chevrolet Speedster. Paul passed away on September 4, 2022.
Adventures
Paul raced motorcycles in Portland, OR for many years with the OMRRA racing organization. He raced in the 1,000 mile Moto-Giro d’Italia on a 1957 Ducati, raced in the MotoGiro America, ran the 5,000 mile Alcan Winter Rally 6 times, and ran the Arctic Rally of the Lost Patrol several times as well.
Events & Awards
Paul served as a judge at the Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance for many years, and also judged at Legend of the Motorcycle at Half Moon Bay. He was the announcer for many years at the Portland Historic Races, and the 2010 Prehistorics in Monterey, CA.
Articles in Sports Car Market
Here are the latest articles from Paul:
Guest Blog: 2016 Portland Urban Safari – The idea of the 8th Portland Urban Safari brought to mind the Monty Python sketch, “Climbing the North Face of the Uxbridge Road,” where four intrepid lads claw their way horizontally up a suburban London high street, roped together and driving pitons between sidewalk slabs. But the drive through Portland, Oregon’s unpaved byways always takes… Read more1945 NSU Kettenkrad – Considerable care is necessary on steep slopes. The driver is flanked by the tracks and sits ahead of the engine; he’s not likely to escape if the vehicle flips{vsig}2008-12_2262{/vsig}The Kettenkrad was typical of vehicles designed and manufactured for the German Wehrmacht during WWII-innovative, well made, and generally superior to equipment used by their enemies. Designated… Read more Who’s a Mister Softee, Then? – At first glance I’d have to say very well sold indeed, but what price can you put on fun? Maybe it’s a bargain{vsig}2008-5_2167{/vsig}This month’s “American Profile” is going to take a tiptoe amongst the automotive daisies, the puff and fluff of the market.Along with the heavy hitters at RM’s February 15-17 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, auction-like… Read more Fraud Case Deposits Dealer in Prison – Brotman would sell expensive cars for clients and keep the proceeds, or else he’d give the cars to other people to settle other debts, the court was told Over a year ago, the inaugural SCM weekly Insider Newsletter headlined the indictment of classic car dealer Peter Brotman on federal charges for allegedly defrauding customers and… Read more 1973 Citroën DS23 IE Cabriolet – Citroën wouldn’t sell Chapron any separate chassis, so he was reduced to buying complete cars and dismantling them {vsig}2006-6_1937{/vsig} The Citroёn DS19 was launched on an unsuspecting world in 1955 and continued to be France’s car of choice well into the 1970s. There were many interpretations of the theme, but one of the most… Read more 1974 Gaz-13 Chaika Limousine – I suspect this car falls into the same class of collectible as hearses-you can’t get away from the Dark Side {vsig}2006-5_1929{/vsig} This Russian Gaz-13 “Chaika” limousine is number 2,511 of only 3,719 built between 1959 and 1981. The Chaika-which means Gull-was favored by Kremlin officials, Soviet heads of state, and senior KGB officers. To… Read more 1953 General Motors “Parade of Progress” Tour Bus – One of twelve built by General Motors, this self-contained display and transport vehicle was created in 1940 by the GM design staff under Harley Earl’s direction. The Futurliner has opening sides, interior and exterior floodlights, a retractable stage, distinctive center cockpit driving position and dual-wheel front and rear axles. The buses were used in the… Read more 1960 Volkswagen Split-Window Pickup – 1960 Volkswagen Split-Window PickupVolkswagen pickups were worked to death and their lifespan was shorter than that of a Roman slave{vsig}2006-3_1917{/vsig}Unquestionably among the most innovative designs of its day, the Volkswagen “dropside” pickup stretched the definition of full-service utility vehicles. Production of the pickup was started in 1952, and it borrowed the cab from the front… Read more 1951 Land Rover Series I – In the end, who cares about their pug-like looks. They work and they can’t be killed {vsig}2006-2_1911{/vsig} Land Rover is one of the most charismatic names in the motoring world, with a rich history around the globe. Its beginnings were humble-it was designed as a utility vehicle and mobile power source for ranchers and… Read more 1956 Mercedes-Benz 220S Sedan “Zippo” – In 1953, Mercedes-Benz introduced the line of mid-sized automobiles that would be its mainstay for nearly a decade. Built using unit-body principles, they were lightweight yet strong and utilized a front sub-frame for mounting the engine. These “ponton” or “roundie” models received a number of motors, from 48-hp diesels in the 180D taxi models to… Read more 1975-1980 AMC Pacer – “You only ride like a Pacer if you’re wide like a Pacer”If you’re among the many who laugh at AMC Pacers, let us introduce you to “Weird” Harrel Lamkin of Ruston, LA. He drag-raced a 550-hp Pacer from 1987 to 1996, turning 10-second quarter miles at 124 mph. As he said, “I wanted to build… Read more 1967-1969 Saab Sonett II – Above 3,000 rpm driving a Sonett II is like hanging onto an out-of-control chainsawThe words “Swedish” and “sports car” seem entirely uncomfortable bedfellows. But back in the 1950s, before Saab and Volvo had acquired the safe-and-sane reputations that still accompany their current American parents, both companies set off to create their version of a driver’s… Read more 1968 Riley Elf Mk III – The Elf was designed to appeal to older “Buick and Oldsmobile” customers, with a miniature vertical grille, leather interior and a strange projecting trunk that pretty much ruined the Mini’s perfectly cute linesA luxury Mini blessed with marginally greater trunk space and an improved interior, the Riley Elf (along with its Wolseley Hornet stablemate) debuted… Read more 1962 Citroën 2CV Sahara 4×4 Sedan – Two engines at different ends of the car, two carburetors, two gearboxes, two ignition keys: It’s a miserable thing to drive. I should know, as I owned one and commuted in it daily for six years The slab-sided, roll-top Citroën “Deux-Chevaux” was conceived as a people’s car, a front-wheel drive contemporary of the Volkswagen… Read more Photos of Paul
