The elaborate pseudohistorical backstory of Coupé Simone was conceived by Franklin Mint design directors Roger Hardnock and Raffi Minasian.
With permission from the elderly woman, they allegedly found drawings, letters and photographs in the barn, most yellowed and moisture-stained by age.
[2] The documents depicted a custom-made Duesenberg car with flowing aerodynamic lines evoking the Art Deco design by Figoni et Falaschi.
The documents, claiming to originate from 1937 and 1938, alleged that the Frenchman Gui de LaRouche commissioned a custom-made Duesenberg car to be made by Emmett-Armand Coachworks.
Hardnock traveled by steamship to deliver the car and collect final payment, but before the ship docked, World War II had started.