Origin: Auburn, IN
Engine: 8-Cylinder
Transmission: 3-Speed Manual
The Duesenberg Model J is the most expensive car in the Car Museum. It is, after all, one of the most luxurious cars in history. At the time of its production, only the wealthiest individuals could afford it, with most completed vehicles costing anywhere from $13,000 and $19,000. That would be over $360,000 in today’s money!
The Duesenberg Motor Corporation was founded in 1913 by brothers August and Frederick Duesenberg. The two were self-taught engineers, and quickly became well known for their engines and race cars. Their hand-built cars won the Indianapolis 500 in 1922, 1924, 1925, and 1927. They began producing their first passenger car, the Duesenberg Model A, in 1921, but it was extremely complex and expensive. The Duesenberg brothers were not good businessmen either and only managed to sell 650 cars over a six-year period.
E. L. Cord, the owner of Auburn Automobile, came in and bought the struggling Duesenberg Motor Corporation in October of 1926, renaming it Duesenberg, Inc. Cord’s plan was to use the brothers’ engineering skills and name to produce a car that could rival the top luxury automobiles of Europe, like the Rolls-Royce. The result was the Duesenberg Model J, which was introduced at the 1928 New York Car Show to great acclaim. Cord had a goal to sell 500 in a year. Unfortunately, timing could not be worse. The Great Depression hit the next year, so it took eight years to sell 480 cars before production stopped.
Since the chassis of the Duesenberg was customizable, there are believed to be only five like this one left in the world. It is no wonder then that it was personally restored by Rob Myers, the founder of RM Auctions, the highest authority in classic cars, or that it won the Carl F. Benz Mayor’s Choice award at the 2021 Geneva Concours d’Elegance, where they were celebrating the Duesenberg’s 100th birthday.