Judge John North, who has assembled one of a handful of internationally recognized car collections globally (think Jay Leno), admits to two major love affairs with automobiles. The first was the legendary American Duesenberg, which manufactured America’s top-performing cars from 1920 to 1938 out of Indiana. With the help of his father, he purchased his first one after graduating from Harvard Law School in the 1950s, which led to a lifetime of collecting these rare examples of American technology and craftsmanship.
The second affair started ten years later when Judge North became infatuated with the European-based Bugattis in the 1960s. Drawn to their delicate design and breathtaking technical innovations, North purchased his first one sight unseen in 1965 and now has four in his collection. Those models are now on view at the Academy Art Museum’s current exhibition, Bugatti: Reaching for Perfection, which allowed the Spy to talk to the judge about this lifelong passion for automobiles.
That passion is undoubtedly on display when North, at the ripe age of 93, begins to talk about what makes the Bugatti so unique. Consequently, the Spy has made our conversation a long form interview so readers and those who love cars can hear his rich stories of the Bugatti legacy and the family’s everlasting contributions to industrial design and art.
This video is approximately 18 minutes in length. For more information about the Academy Art Museum please go here.
Bugatti: Reaching for Perfection
Until Apr 13, 2025
Academy Art Museum
106 South Street
Easton, Maryland 21601
410.822.2787 or academy@academyartmuseum.org
0 Responses
Thank you Judge North for lending your Bugatti collection to the AAM for all to enjoy. I certainly did.
Many thanks to you for the interview and to Judge North, for sharing the fascinating history and what is distinctive about each, and to he and his sons for agreeing to make these motorized works of art available for public viewing, learning, and imagining.
Thoroughly enjoyed this interview and the Bugatti exhibition at the Academy Art Museum. Judge North reminds me of my late father in his speaking style and vast knowledge of the vehicles. It was a plus to see Ken Gross!