Featured is a absolutely beautiful original 1931 Duesenberg Model J. Some have said that the Duesenberg Model J is the greatest automobile ever built. Duesenberg certainly built quality cars prior to the Model J but the Model J was something extra special. Extra special in appearance and extra special in power. The Model J was produced from 1928 to 1937.
E.I. Cord and the Duesenberg Brothers
Duesenberg was founded by two brothers originally from Germany, August Duesenberg and Frederick Duesenberg. They began their company in 1913 in St. Paul, MN. Their company made both high performance engines and high performance race cars. Their racing history was successful in as much as they had Indianapolis 500 victories in 1922, 1924, 1925, and 1927.
E. I. Cord, a prior race car driver, mechanic and auto salesman, was the president of Auburn Motors. The Duesenbergs were running into financial difficulties and as a result Cord took over both the bankrupt Duesenberg auto company and Lycoming motors in 1927.
The Birth of the Duesenberg Model J
The automobile introduced at the 1928 New York Auto Show known as the Duesenberg Model J, built with a Murphy body, may very well be today’s most sought after vintage collector car. Sixty of these 1928 examples were produced. It’s also an automobile that displayed a remarkable degree of technology for it’s era. The Duesenberg Model J was the finest automobile in America at it’s time and was on an equal footing with any luxury car produced in Europe.
While the first Model J Duesenberg was introduced prior to the 1929 stock market crash and following Great Depression, selling a very high end luxury and performance based automobile with a price tag of perhaps $8,500 (chassis only since Duesenberg did not for the most part build bodies) was a challenge. As a comparison, a 1930 Cadillac might have cost about $5,500 and a 1930 Packard Eight perhaps $3,500.
As a side note, Duesenberg did complete bodies for about half of their Model J’s under the direction of chief designer Gordon Buehrig and his Chicago-based firm called La Grande. Buehrig’s first design work was at General Motors Art & Color Section. Where he found total creative freedom when he was hired as chief body designer at Duesenberg Inc in 1929.
Duesenbergs chassis and engines were delivered as rolling finished chassis to various coach builders. There were several including Dietrich, Willoughby, Franay, Gurney Nutting, Murphy.
The complete Duesenberg Model J with chassis, engine and body could cost $14,0chassi: assd his Chideipt>