Cars 1934-35
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Cars II Cars 1930s Duesenberg Mercedes-Benz Alfa Romeo Bugatti
Chronology : 1934 1935
See also : Cars II Cars 1930s Duesenberg Mercedes-Benz Alfa Romeo Bugatti
Chronology : 1934 1935
1934 Bugatti 59
2020 SOLD for £ 9.5M by Gooding
The era when Bugatti was invincible in the Grand Prix is over. Faced with the Alfa Romeo Tipo B supported by the Italian government, the Types 51 and 54 are not competitive. To stop this decline, Bugatti develops the Type 59. Six cars are built in 1934.
The 59 only wins two Grand Prix : at Spa because the Alfa Romeos had a crash and, more deservingly, in Algeria. The traceability of the Grand Prix Bugattis is based on the engines and not on the chassis, and it is impossible to discriminate between the individual cars their participations in the competitions.
These discouraging results could have been anticipated : the 59 is too heavy, too rigid, not powerful enough, with an outdated gearbox and poor brakes. It will not be replaced : following the success of his high-end sports car, the Type 55, Jean Bugatti gives priority to the roadsters.
In 1935 four 59 were sold to English customers. The car with the No. 5 engine undergoes a long series of modifications at the factory. Accustomed to its presence in their premises, the mechanics affectionately nicknamed it Grand-Mère.
Grand-Mère is now a Bugatti 59 Sports, bodyworked as a two-seaters for competitions on French roads where the Alfa Romeos do not come. Driven by Wimille, it achieves many successes in 1937. Significantly, its new chassis had been numbered like a 57, ultimately erasing the page of the 59s.
A great lover of luxury cars and an outstanding patron of the brand, Léopold III of Belgium acquires this one-off 59 Sports in 1938. Rediscovered in the former royal garage in 1967, it remains authentic in the configuration of its delivery by Bugatti to the king.
Grand-Mère was sold for £ 9.5M by Gooding on September 5, 2020, lot 4. Its image at Goodwood in 2012 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : David Merrett from Daventry, England [CC BY].
The 59 only wins two Grand Prix : at Spa because the Alfa Romeos had a crash and, more deservingly, in Algeria. The traceability of the Grand Prix Bugattis is based on the engines and not on the chassis, and it is impossible to discriminate between the individual cars their participations in the competitions.
These discouraging results could have been anticipated : the 59 is too heavy, too rigid, not powerful enough, with an outdated gearbox and poor brakes. It will not be replaced : following the success of his high-end sports car, the Type 55, Jean Bugatti gives priority to the roadsters.
In 1935 four 59 were sold to English customers. The car with the No. 5 engine undergoes a long series of modifications at the factory. Accustomed to its presence in their premises, the mechanics affectionately nicknamed it Grand-Mère.
Grand-Mère is now a Bugatti 59 Sports, bodyworked as a two-seaters for competitions on French roads where the Alfa Romeos do not come. Driven by Wimille, it achieves many successes in 1937. Significantly, its new chassis had been numbered like a 57, ultimately erasing the page of the 59s.
A great lover of luxury cars and an outstanding patron of the brand, Léopold III of Belgium acquires this one-off 59 Sports in 1938. Rediscovered in the former royal garage in 1967, it remains authentic in the configuration of its delivery by Bugatti to the king.
Grand-Mère was sold for £ 9.5M by Gooding on September 5, 2020, lot 4. Its image at Goodwood in 2012 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : David Merrett from Daventry, England [CC BY].
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1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3
1
2018 SOLD for £ 4.6M by Bonhams
The prestige of car competitions increased considerably in the mid-1920s. The Grand Prix racing was dominated by the Alfa Romeo P2 and the Bugatti Type 35. For safety reasons it was however not until the very early 1930s that the driver remained single on board, without an assistant.
Alfa Romeo designs a monoposto based on the characteristics of the P2. Constructed in 4 units in 1931, the Tipo A is too complex for working properly, with its dual engine of 6C 1750 each in parallel. None survives.
Tipo A is superseded a few months later by the Tipo B P3 with an 8C 2650 cc engine. This supercharged model dominates the season 1932 with its first series of six cars built.
In 1934 the modifications of the rules of the Grand Prix invite to heavier cars, changing the limit from 700 to 750 Kg. The Tipo B P3 model is then upgraded by a larger width and an extended bore size to a 2.9 liter engine volume.
It is also the time of the Great Depression. Alfa Romeo is put under receivership in 1933 by the Italian government which is reluctant to spend money for competitions. The Scuderia Ferrari company then becomes in 1933 an essential partner of Alfa Romeo, of which it will remain a subsidiary until 1940.
It is not possible to identify today a Grand Prix Alfa Romeo in full original condition. The traceability of the gradual installation of more efficient equipment on these cars is poorly documented. The identification of the chassis was not recorded by the administrations of the Grand Prix and in spite of the very limited number of Grand Prix cars it is impossible to identify which specific chassis had participated in which competition.
A Monoposto was sold for £ 4.6M by Bonhams on July 13, 2018, lot 352. Its known history underlines the evolution of the P3, in the range of uncertainties of the period.
Originally the vehicle number 49 in the Scuderia Ferrari, it was probably made from the 1933 second series of six chassis, or a seventh assembled by Ferrari from available parts. When it was sold by Ferrari in 1935 to Richard Shuttleworth, in the 1934 750 kg variant which had possibly been fitted to it during a rework after a crash. Shuttleworth drove it to victory in October 1935 in the Donington Grand Prix.
Alfa Romeo designs a monoposto based on the characteristics of the P2. Constructed in 4 units in 1931, the Tipo A is too complex for working properly, with its dual engine of 6C 1750 each in parallel. None survives.
Tipo A is superseded a few months later by the Tipo B P3 with an 8C 2650 cc engine. This supercharged model dominates the season 1932 with its first series of six cars built.
In 1934 the modifications of the rules of the Grand Prix invite to heavier cars, changing the limit from 700 to 750 Kg. The Tipo B P3 model is then upgraded by a larger width and an extended bore size to a 2.9 liter engine volume.
It is also the time of the Great Depression. Alfa Romeo is put under receivership in 1933 by the Italian government which is reluctant to spend money for competitions. The Scuderia Ferrari company then becomes in 1933 an essential partner of Alfa Romeo, of which it will remain a subsidiary until 1940.
It is not possible to identify today a Grand Prix Alfa Romeo in full original condition. The traceability of the gradual installation of more efficient equipment on these cars is poorly documented. The identification of the chassis was not recorded by the administrations of the Grand Prix and in spite of the very limited number of Grand Prix cars it is impossible to identify which specific chassis had participated in which competition.
A Monoposto was sold for £ 4.6M by Bonhams on July 13, 2018, lot 352. Its known history underlines the evolution of the P3, in the range of uncertainties of the period.
Originally the vehicle number 49 in the Scuderia Ferrari, it was probably made from the 1933 second series of six chassis, or a seventh assembled by Ferrari from available parts. When it was sold by Ferrari in 1935 to Richard Shuttleworth, in the 1934 750 kg variant which had possibly been fitted to it during a rework after a crash. Shuttleworth drove it to victory in October 1935 in the Donington Grand Prix.
2
2017 SOLD for € 3.9M by RM Sotheby's
RM Sotheby's sold on February 8, 2017 for € 3.9M the penultimate Tipo B P3 of the 1934 group, lot 161. It was registered as number 46 by the Scuderia Ferrari during the seasons 1934 and 1935.
The bodywork, narrowed in 1932 style by one of its owners, was rebuilt in its correct 1934 configuration by another one a few years later. The engine was changed but the lot for sale includes beside the car a ancient 3.2-liter engine that had previously been fitted to this chassis. The authenticity of this car can hardly be overcome by another example of its category.
The bodywork, narrowed in 1932 style by one of its owners, was rebuilt in its correct 1934 configuration by another one a few years later. The engine was changed but the lot for sale includes beside the car a ancient 3.2-liter engine that had previously been fitted to this chassis. The authenticity of this car can hardly be overcome by another example of its category.
Mercedes-Benz
1
1935 500K Roadster
2016 SOLD for € 5.3M by Bonhams
After an early great period around 1928 with the 680 S, Mercedes-Benz is positioning more firmly in the luxury car market in 1933 with the 380 and its variant 380 K where K means Kompressor. Its 3.8-liter engine is too small and its maximum speed of 145 km/h with the supercharger does not differ sufficiently from its competitors.
With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 5 liter 500 and its supercharged 500 K which reaches 160 km/h on the road.
In an international perspective the 500s come at the right time. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The coachwork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer. Mercedes-Benz optimize the bodies by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients.
On September 3, 2016, Bonhams sold at lot 16 for € 5.3M a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen. Completed in February 1935, this car is then the high-end of the brand and is immediately exhibited at the Auto Show in Berlin. It is in very good condition with its matching number engine.
It had previously been part of a tantalizing set of five vehicles demonstrating the dramatic progress of Mercedes-Benz into the later 1930s, with the 540 K introduced at the Salon de l'Auto of Paris in 1936 and the ultimate luxury, the 540 K Spezial launched in the same year, which will delight Göring.
In that sale made by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, the 500 K Roadster was the earliest built of these five prestigious Mercedes-Benz and the only example in 500 K, the four others being 540 K. It was sold for $ 3.8M.
The other results were : $ 3M for a 1936 Cabriolet A, $ 3.1M for a 1936 Spezial Coupe, $ 9.7M for a 1937 Spezial Roadster and $ 4.6M for a Spezial Roadster from 1939 that was sold again for $ 7.5M by the same auction house in August 2013. The five cars were shown on the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 5 liter 500 and its supercharged 500 K which reaches 160 km/h on the road.
In an international perspective the 500s come at the right time. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The coachwork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer. Mercedes-Benz optimize the bodies by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients.
On September 3, 2016, Bonhams sold at lot 16 for € 5.3M a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen. Completed in February 1935, this car is then the high-end of the brand and is immediately exhibited at the Auto Show in Berlin. It is in very good condition with its matching number engine.
It had previously been part of a tantalizing set of five vehicles demonstrating the dramatic progress of Mercedes-Benz into the later 1930s, with the 540 K introduced at the Salon de l'Auto of Paris in 1936 and the ultimate luxury, the 540 K Spezial launched in the same year, which will delight Göring.
In that sale made by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, the 500 K Roadster was the earliest built of these five prestigious Mercedes-Benz and the only example in 500 K, the four others being 540 K. It was sold for $ 3.8M.
The other results were : $ 3M for a 1936 Cabriolet A, $ 3.1M for a 1936 Spezial Coupe, $ 9.7M for a 1937 Spezial Roadster and $ 4.6M for a Spezial Roadster from 1939 that was sold again for $ 7.5M by the same auction house in August 2013. The five cars were shown on the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
2
1934-1936 500K/540K Spezial Roadster
2021 SOLD for $ 4.9M by Bonhams
One of the first 500K bodied as a Roadster was embellished by an abundance of chrome. Its client, a Berlin lawyer, wanted to have the best car. In 1936, when Mercedes-Benz launched the 540K model, the car returns to the factory to accommodate the new 5.4 liter engine. Its modified chassis and new engine keep the serial numbers of the original equipment.
In the early 1970s, two fans make a tour of Europe in search of valuable old cars. They have the luck to find this 500K/540K Spezial in oblivion in a garage at Poznan, disassembled but complete.
The car was sold twice by Bonhams : on July 12, 2014 for € 3.1M for the benefit of Swedish medical research charities, and for $ 4.9M on May 20, 2021, lot 160.
In the early 1970s, two fans make a tour of Europe in search of valuable old cars. They have the luck to find this 500K/540K Spezial in oblivion in a garage at Poznan, disassembled but complete.
The car was sold twice by Bonhams : on July 12, 2014 for € 3.1M for the benefit of Swedish medical research charities, and for $ 4.9M on May 20, 2021, lot 160.
1934 Packard Twelve
2022 SOLD for $ 4.1M by RM Sotheby's
Luxury touring cars are a specialty of Packard. During the financial crisis the competition involving Duesenberg, Cadillac, Packard and Pierce-Arrow becomes a matter of life and death for these brands.
One of the reasons for their success is the regularity of its models which evolve little, at no surprise for the users. The differentiation of the chassis in sequential series makes it possible to introduce some improvements without disturbing the designation of the models.
In 1932, against its traditional cautious strategy, the brand must react. The V12 engine configuration named Twin Six, which had made Packard's success around 1920, reappears. The new Packard Twin Six becomes more logically the Packard Twelve a few months later, certainly to avoid any confusion with the outdated models.
That 7.3 liters V-12 engine on the DeLuxe Eight chassis more usually equipped with an 8-cylinder in-line engine is a great success despite its fuel consumption over 25 liters per 100 Km : 5,800 Packard Twelve are produced between 1933 and 1939.
Packard imitates its competitors by another advance. With the co-operation of the coachbuilder Raymond Dietrich, Packard now invites its wealthy clients to order custom bodyworks that will be made individually for them and most often copied later in very limited quantities. Other top luxury cars are bodied by LeBaron.
Dietrich realizes small series around a dozen units whose finish is made when he receives the order from the client, allowing to incorporate some ultimate custom variants.
Sold in late 1933 to its first owner, a chassis from the 1934 titled Packard Twelve eleventh series was bodied by Dietrich as an Individual Custom Stationery Coupe. This two passenger car displays the most stunning elegance of the 1930s style. It was indeed rewarded as the most elegant closed car at the 2005 Pebble Beach concours. It was sold for $ 4.2M by RM Sotheby's on May 2, 2015, lot 233.
The Victoria convertible is offered by Dietrich on the Packard Twelve from 1932 to 1934. Three examples survive on the 1934 Eleventh Series Packard Twelve chassis. A culmination of classical elegance with their unbroken hoodline over a long wheelbase chassis, they are easily among the favorites in the Concours d'Elegance.
The Individual custom convertible victoria is offered by Dietrich on the Packard Twelve from 1932 to 1934. Only one example is made on the tenth Twelve chassis series, in 1933. This car preserves its chassis and engine in matching numbers and much of the original body wood, with a carefully kept old restoration. It was sold for $ 3.3M by RM Sotheby's on August 19, 2023, lot 319. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A Packard Twelve coachworked in 1934 as a Convertible Victoria custom by Dietrich on a long wheelbase Eleventh Series 1108 chassis with fenders in the style of LeBaron was sold for $ 4.1M by RM Sotheby's on March 5, 2022, lot 161.
Another example is in great original condition, having retained its chassis, engine, steering box and much bodywork despite its ancient use as a taxi cab in Puerto Rico. Carefully restored by RM Auto Restoration with 14,000 hours of craftsmanship, it was crowned in 2013 Best of Show of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in a cloud of confetti. This supreme consecration was confirmed in 2016 by the Best of Show in St. John's and a Best in Class at Amelia Island. It was sold for $ 3.75M by RM Sotheby's on August 24, 2018, lot 131.
One of the reasons for their success is the regularity of its models which evolve little, at no surprise for the users. The differentiation of the chassis in sequential series makes it possible to introduce some improvements without disturbing the designation of the models.
In 1932, against its traditional cautious strategy, the brand must react. The V12 engine configuration named Twin Six, which had made Packard's success around 1920, reappears. The new Packard Twin Six becomes more logically the Packard Twelve a few months later, certainly to avoid any confusion with the outdated models.
That 7.3 liters V-12 engine on the DeLuxe Eight chassis more usually equipped with an 8-cylinder in-line engine is a great success despite its fuel consumption over 25 liters per 100 Km : 5,800 Packard Twelve are produced between 1933 and 1939.
Packard imitates its competitors by another advance. With the co-operation of the coachbuilder Raymond Dietrich, Packard now invites its wealthy clients to order custom bodyworks that will be made individually for them and most often copied later in very limited quantities. Other top luxury cars are bodied by LeBaron.
Dietrich realizes small series around a dozen units whose finish is made when he receives the order from the client, allowing to incorporate some ultimate custom variants.
Sold in late 1933 to its first owner, a chassis from the 1934 titled Packard Twelve eleventh series was bodied by Dietrich as an Individual Custom Stationery Coupe. This two passenger car displays the most stunning elegance of the 1930s style. It was indeed rewarded as the most elegant closed car at the 2005 Pebble Beach concours. It was sold for $ 4.2M by RM Sotheby's on May 2, 2015, lot 233.
The Victoria convertible is offered by Dietrich on the Packard Twelve from 1932 to 1934. Three examples survive on the 1934 Eleventh Series Packard Twelve chassis. A culmination of classical elegance with their unbroken hoodline over a long wheelbase chassis, they are easily among the favorites in the Concours d'Elegance.
The Individual custom convertible victoria is offered by Dietrich on the Packard Twelve from 1932 to 1934. Only one example is made on the tenth Twelve chassis series, in 1933. This car preserves its chassis and engine in matching numbers and much of the original body wood, with a carefully kept old restoration. It was sold for $ 3.3M by RM Sotheby's on August 19, 2023, lot 319. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A Packard Twelve coachworked in 1934 as a Convertible Victoria custom by Dietrich on a long wheelbase Eleventh Series 1108 chassis with fenders in the style of LeBaron was sold for $ 4.1M by RM Sotheby's on March 5, 2022, lot 161.
Another example is in great original condition, having retained its chassis, engine, steering box and much bodywork despite its ancient use as a taxi cab in Puerto Rico. Carefully restored by RM Auto Restoration with 14,000 hours of craftsmanship, it was crowned in 2013 Best of Show of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in a cloud of confetti. This supreme consecration was confirmed in 2016 by the Best of Show in St. John's and a Best in Class at Amelia Island. It was sold for $ 3.75M by RM Sotheby's on August 24, 2018, lot 131.
1935 Duesenberg
1
Model SSJ
2018 SOLD for $ 22M by Gooding
In May 1935 the management of Duesenberg recognizes the commercial failure of their high-end chassis, the Model J released in 1928. EL Cord, boss of the group that owns Duesenberg, launches a project that could save the brand : create the best car in two units to be entrusted respectively to Gary Cooper and Clark Gable. This Duesenberg Special Speedster will be identified from 1951 with the reference SSJ.
The brand's chief designer, J. Herbert Newport, plans to use on a shortened chassis the powerful Duesenberg Special 400 hp eight-cylinder in-line engine under development. The stars give their opinion. An enthusiast about luxury cars, Gary Cooper is appealed by the unprecedented performance of the future model but prefers that this roadster looks like a classic Duesenberg. Newport gives up the idea of a modernist body.
The two cars are provided to the actors in December 1935 for a long-term loan. Cooper's wife, Sandra Shaw, immediately has sent their car back to the factory for changing the color.
Six months later the two stars receive a proposal to buy their car at one-third the price of an ordinary Model J. Cooper accepts. Gable is not interested : he already owns one of the ten units of the Duesenberg JN also produced in 1935.
Cooper and Gable did not make the spectacular use that Cord was waiting for. We do not know when Cooper sold his car. Cord could have anticipated that it is not so easy to use the capricious Hollywood celebrities as advertising agents for luxury cars. Already in 1934 Mae West had refused the project of a SJ Town Car designed especially for her by Duesenberg.
There will be no other SSJ. Its supercharged engine was only used on these two cars and temporarily on the one-off Special ordered by Ab Jenkins to race the land speed record in Bonneville.
Little used, Gary Cooper's SSJ has only 20,000 miles on the clock. It had only two owners since 1949, Briggs Cunningham and Miles Collier. Historian of automotive technology and tall ships, Collier wisely prefers to preserve the old cars rather than to restore them. This SSJ has kept intact its original chassis, engine and body and even has the canvas of its folding roof. It was sold for $ 22M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by Gooding on August 24, 2018, lot 35.
The car is driven and narrated by David Gooding in the video shared by the auction house.
The brand's chief designer, J. Herbert Newport, plans to use on a shortened chassis the powerful Duesenberg Special 400 hp eight-cylinder in-line engine under development. The stars give their opinion. An enthusiast about luxury cars, Gary Cooper is appealed by the unprecedented performance of the future model but prefers that this roadster looks like a classic Duesenberg. Newport gives up the idea of a modernist body.
The two cars are provided to the actors in December 1935 for a long-term loan. Cooper's wife, Sandra Shaw, immediately has sent their car back to the factory for changing the color.
Six months later the two stars receive a proposal to buy their car at one-third the price of an ordinary Model J. Cooper accepts. Gable is not interested : he already owns one of the ten units of the Duesenberg JN also produced in 1935.
Cooper and Gable did not make the spectacular use that Cord was waiting for. We do not know when Cooper sold his car. Cord could have anticipated that it is not so easy to use the capricious Hollywood celebrities as advertising agents for luxury cars. Already in 1934 Mae West had refused the project of a SJ Town Car designed especially for her by Duesenberg.
There will be no other SSJ. Its supercharged engine was only used on these two cars and temporarily on the one-off Special ordered by Ab Jenkins to race the land speed record in Bonneville.
Little used, Gary Cooper's SSJ has only 20,000 miles on the clock. It had only two owners since 1949, Briggs Cunningham and Miles Collier. Historian of automotive technology and tall ships, Collier wisely prefers to preserve the old cars rather than to restore them. This SSJ has kept intact its original chassis, engine and body and even has the canvas of its folding roof. It was sold for $ 22M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by Gooding on August 24, 2018, lot 35.
The car is driven and narrated by David Gooding in the video shared by the auction house.
2
1935 Model J Convertible Coupe by Rollston
2022 SOLD for $ 4.7M by RM Sotheby's
In the last phase before the collapse of the Cord group, Rollston had become a major supplier of luxury automobile bodies for the Duesies, including the 10 cars unofficially referred as variant JN with which the brand tried in 1935 to revive the interest of the celebrities. This coachbuilder operated in New York.
A Duesenberg long wheelbase Model J made in 1935 was fitted with an earlier Rollston two passenger convertible coupe body. That bodywork had been was made in 1933 for an SJ. Its owner was not comfortable driving her supercharged Duesy and had it transferred to that Model J where it still remains.
The car was still in her ownership when the German occupants stole the wheels and tires. She sold it a few years later to a Frenchman who took it to Cuba but died just after his arrival. It was from 1967 a flagship of the Adderley collection.
Its disappearing top is a one of a kind from Rollston, although they also later made four convertible coupes in the JN series. Its highly elegant lines are nevertheless in the continuation of the convertible coupes made by Murphy for the Model J.
It was sold for $ 4.7M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by RM Sotheby's on August 19, 2022, lot 252. Its chassis, engine and firewall are also in matching numbers.
A Duesenberg long wheelbase Model J made in 1935 was fitted with an earlier Rollston two passenger convertible coupe body. That bodywork had been was made in 1933 for an SJ. Its owner was not comfortable driving her supercharged Duesy and had it transferred to that Model J where it still remains.
The car was still in her ownership when the German occupants stole the wheels and tires. She sold it a few years later to a Frenchman who took it to Cuba but died just after his arrival. It was from 1967 a flagship of the Adderley collection.
Its disappearing top is a one of a kind from Rollston, although they also later made four convertible coupes in the JN series. Its highly elegant lines are nevertheless in the continuation of the convertible coupes made by Murphy for the Model J.
It was sold for $ 4.7M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by RM Sotheby's on August 19, 2022, lot 252. Its chassis, engine and firewall are also in matching numbers.
3
Model SJ Convertible Coupe by Walker-LaGrande
2013 SOLD for $ 4.5 M by RM Auctions
Both from a technical and aesthetic point of view, cars are constantly changing throughout the 1930s. A brand that targets the absolute upscale must evolve its models continuously. By 1932 the SJ is a Model J fitted with a supercharged engine, with a top speed at 220 km/h.
J. Herbert Newport is entrusted by Duesenberg to fit a modernized body on the model J chassis. His masterpiece is a convertible coupe with the top of the doors in alignment with the front and back covers.
Three cars were coachworked on this model by a workshop of Indianapolis, AH Walker Body Company, which seems to have worked primarily, or even exclusively, for the Cord group during its short period of activity. Walker was one of the craftsmen to whom Cord attributed the LaGrande label as a mark for their bodywork.
One of these three cars was mounted on the Duesenberg SJ variant. This specimen made in 1935 is thus representing the culmination of this prestigious brand. This car was sold for $ 4.5M on March 9, 2013 by RM Auctions, lot 137. Here is the link to the release shared by Sports Car Digest.
This unique Duesenberg SJ Walker-LaGrande convertible coupe must be placed in its historical chronology.
Duesenberg soon loses the game, not because of the design but by failing to change in due time the specifications of the chassis.
The market is caught by Mercedes-Benz with their new model 540K, offering of course a wide range of bodies. The masterpiece of Hermann Ahrens, the 540K Spezial Roadster, has the same styling as the Walker-LaGrande convertible coupe.
Which one had imitated the other? Note that the 540K Spezial Roadster of the Baroness von Krieger, sold for $ 11.8M by Gooding in 2012, is dated 1936, one year after the Duesenberg Walker-LaGrande.
J. Herbert Newport is entrusted by Duesenberg to fit a modernized body on the model J chassis. His masterpiece is a convertible coupe with the top of the doors in alignment with the front and back covers.
Three cars were coachworked on this model by a workshop of Indianapolis, AH Walker Body Company, which seems to have worked primarily, or even exclusively, for the Cord group during its short period of activity. Walker was one of the craftsmen to whom Cord attributed the LaGrande label as a mark for their bodywork.
One of these three cars was mounted on the Duesenberg SJ variant. This specimen made in 1935 is thus representing the culmination of this prestigious brand. This car was sold for $ 4.5M on March 9, 2013 by RM Auctions, lot 137. Here is the link to the release shared by Sports Car Digest.
This unique Duesenberg SJ Walker-LaGrande convertible coupe must be placed in its historical chronology.
Duesenberg soon loses the game, not because of the design but by failing to change in due time the specifications of the chassis.
The market is caught by Mercedes-Benz with their new model 540K, offering of course a wide range of bodies. The masterpiece of Hermann Ahrens, the 540K Spezial Roadster, has the same styling as the Walker-LaGrande convertible coupe.
Which one had imitated the other? Note that the 540K Spezial Roadster of the Baroness von Krieger, sold for $ 11.8M by Gooding in 2012, is dated 1936, one year after the Duesenberg Walker-LaGrande.
4
Duesenberg SJ Speedster, the Mormon Meteor
2004 SOLD for $ 4.25M by Gooding
In 1935 Duesenberg appreciated the risk to loose the market of the high end US car. Their innovations were unprecedented, including the SSJ designed for Hollywood stars, the modernized body by Newport and the ultimate racing car.
The latter example was a supercharged long wheelbase SJ racer without doors designed by Herbert Newport with a special care for aerodynamics including unusual curves. The rear has a tapered tail and the tires are covered with fenders. It was fitted with a 420 cubic inch inline eight cylinder engine producing 400 hp, to be compared with the 320 hp of a basic SJ.
This special was the fastest and most powerful Duesenberg car. It was driven to a 24 hour land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, covering 3,253 miles at the third attempt, which is 217 km/h. 'Captain' Eyston broke this record the day after with his custom designed Speed of the Wind.
The SJ was purchased by Ab Jenkins who was the manager and top driver of the Bonneville endurance trials. It was fitted for Jenkins with a mammoth Curtiss Conqueror V12 aircraft engine. It soon retrieved the 12 hour and 24 hour records, adding to them the 48 hour record.
Jenkins was an exceptional safety driver who amassed nearly 3 million miles without an accident in 50 years of driving.
The car was nicknamed the Mormon Meteor in a contest by a local newspaper. It was retired in 1938 and the V12 was replaced by its original V8 Special which was later rebuilt.
The Mormon Meteor was sold for $ 4.3M by Gooding in August 2004, lot 37. It is described and illustrated by ConceptCarz. Its image at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is shared by Wikimedia with attribution Simon Davison from Los Gatos, United States, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>
The latter example was a supercharged long wheelbase SJ racer without doors designed by Herbert Newport with a special care for aerodynamics including unusual curves. The rear has a tapered tail and the tires are covered with fenders. It was fitted with a 420 cubic inch inline eight cylinder engine producing 400 hp, to be compared with the 320 hp of a basic SJ.
This special was the fastest and most powerful Duesenberg car. It was driven to a 24 hour land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, covering 3,253 miles at the third attempt, which is 217 km/h. 'Captain' Eyston broke this record the day after with his custom designed Speed of the Wind.
The SJ was purchased by Ab Jenkins who was the manager and top driver of the Bonneville endurance trials. It was fitted for Jenkins with a mammoth Curtiss Conqueror V12 aircraft engine. It soon retrieved the 12 hour and 24 hour records, adding to them the 48 hour record.
Jenkins was an exceptional safety driver who amassed nearly 3 million miles without an accident in 50 years of driving.
The car was nicknamed the Mormon Meteor in a contest by a local newspaper. It was retired in 1938 and the V12 was replaced by its original V8 Special which was later rebuilt.
The Mormon Meteor was sold for $ 4.3M by Gooding in August 2004, lot 37. It is described and illustrated by ConceptCarz. Its image at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is shared by Wikimedia with attribution Simon Davison from Los Gatos, United States, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>
