1930 DUESENBERG MODEL J TORPEDO PHAETON

• VIN/Serial

  2276

ESTIMATE

$850,000 - $1,000,000

HIGHLIGHTS

• Engine Number J-255 Serial Number 2276
• Originally fashioned in Judkins Limousine Coachwork
• Known history and great provenance
• Used by E.L. Cord's wife as a limousine by 1935
• Joined Pacific Auto Rental in Hollywood in 1937
• Possibly the most filmed Duesenberg ever
• Featured in movies like: 1940 The Great McGinty, 1951 Pocketful of Miracles, 1955 Al Capone, 1958 Party Girl, 1977 Howard Hughes, 1981 The Gangster Chronicles and 1984 City Heat
• Sold in 1985 to Fred and Dave Weber
• The Webers commissioned Fran Roxas of Chicago to upgrade the coachwork in the style of a Walker LaGrande Torpedo Phaeton
• During the build, the car retained its complete rolling chassis, running gear and numbered firewall
• Formerly part of the Blackhawk Collection
• Most Outstanding Open Car, 1921-1930 at the 2008 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance
• Thick file of recent work done

Fred and August Duesenberg were already renowned race car and engine builders when they founded the Duesenberg Motor Company in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1913. After relocating to a larger facility in New Jersey in 1917, the Duesenbergs built a special 16-cylinder engine to propel a Land Speed Record car to an amazing 158 MPH at Daytona Beach. The following year they designed and built a Bugatti-inspired 180 CI inline-8 engine using a single overhead camshaft and three valves per cylinder, which in 1921 powered the only American car ever to win the French Grand Prix. Duesenberg racers won the Indianapolis 500 three times in a four-year period ending in 1927, by which time the company had been purchased by E.L. Cord. Cord’s plan for his new acquisition was to capitalize on the Duesenberg brand and engineering acumen to produce “The World’s Finest Motor Car.” That grand goal was realized when the new Duesenberg J was unveiled at the 1928 New York Auto Show.

Bearing engine number J-255 and serial number 2276, this 1930 Duesenberg Model J was originally fashioned with Judkins Company limousine coachwork and delivered new to William Sandow. Duesenberg owner and historian Randy Ema has confirmed that by 1935 the car was used by E.L. Cord’s wife before it was purchased in 1937 by John W. de Noira, whose Pacific Auto Rental in Hollywood had become a major source of rental cars for the booming movie industry. As a result, this Model J is perhaps the most filmed of any Duesenberg, having appeared in at least 14 Hollywood productions, including The Great McGinty (1940), Pocketful of Miracles (1951), Al Capone (1955), Party Girl (1958), Howard Hughes (1977), The Gangster Chronicles (1981) and City Heat (1984). In 1985 it was purchased from Pacific Auto Rental by Fred and Dave Weber, who commissioned the highly respected award-winning coachbuilder and restorer Fran Roxas of Chicago to upgrade the coachwork in the style of a Walker LaGrande Torpedo Phaeton while retaining its complete rolling chassis, drivetrain and numbered firewall.

The car has resided with a series of owners; it was also once a part of the famed Blackhawk Collection. In 2007 it became part of a noted North East collection, where it received comprehensive detail work that included replacing the Black cloth top and improving the fit of the rear windows. In the last decade it has made numerous show appearances to wide acclaim, winning the title of “Most Outstanding Open Car, 1921-1930” at the 2008 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. A genuine American classic with a well-established history and outstanding provenance, this 1930 Duesenberg Model J is an exquisite machine that perfectly embodies Fred Duesenberg’s and E.L. Cord’s original concept of “The World’s Finest Motorcar.”