There was a time in the history of luxury automobiles when an American brand knew how to catch up with European brands such as Rolls-Royce, Bugatti or Hispano Switzerland. We are referring to the manufacturer Duesenberg. If you are a lover of jewelry on wheels that is approaching a century of “life,” you probably know this North American brand, whose creations reached the pinnacle of performance and exclusivity.
If this manufacturer is not familiar to you, you should know that to talk about its origins you have to go back to 1913, when brothers Fred and August Duesenberg founded Duesenberg Motors Company in the North American state of Minnesota. Seven years later, the company became Duesenberg Automobile.
This was a cutting-edge car at the time, powered by a 4.2-liter inline eight-cylinder engine with 88 HP of power and equipped with hydraulic brakes on all four wheels. It was in 1928 when the Model J was launched, like the one you can see in the photos, also with an eight-cylinder block but with much greater performance. This was achieved thanks to a 6.9 liter engine and no less than 265 HP.
This force allowed it to travel at a speed of 185 km/h, something surprising for those years. Unfortunately, the so-called Great American Depression after the financial crash of 1929 ended up claiming many business victims for a decade. And one of them was Duesenberg, which declared bankruptcy in 1937.
But until that date reached, the brand manufactured a total of 445 units of the Model J, which became the most expensive cars of their time with prices ranging from 14,000 to 20,000 dollars (figures from almost a century ago, remember). One of those exceptional cars is the one that stars in this article, characterized by being a truly glamorous example.
With a convertible body and a double windshield design (one for each row of seats), this 1931 unit was purchased new by Queen Mary of Yugoslavia. The monarch was so impressed with her purchase that she ordered her lady-in-waiting to write to the manufacturer to express her satisfaction with the automobile’s “great comfort, remarkable flexibility and supreme elegance.”
Despite initially traveling to our continent, after changing owners on several occasions, in 1941 the car was already back in the United States, its country of “birth.” It should be noted that this Duesenberg J retains both its body and its original engine and chassis, and that it received an important restoration that was completed in 1996.
After more than two decades with the same owner, who acquired the vehicle in 2002, this Model J will be auctioned in the coming days. According to the forecasts of the Bonhams auction house, its price can reach 2.75 million euros. If you are interested in enjoying this treasure on wheels in full action, just take a look at the video that accompanies this article.
