1930 Duesenberg "Model J Town Cabriolet"

1930 Duesenberg "Model J Town Cabriolet" Coachwork by Murphy

Few names in motoring are as redolent of wealth and power as Duesenberg. The ground-breaking company advertising placed in posh periodicals for the Model J was one of the first campaigns that deliberately did not show the product. A series of soft charcoal drawings portrayed a man in evening dress, seated in front of the fire in a great hall with a minstrels' gallery dominated by a huge pipe organ, or the silver-haired skipper of an America's Cup-type yacht, above a single line of script: "He drives a Duesenberg". Women drivers were not forgotten: under the portrait of an elegant lady giving directions to her head gardener, "She drives a Duesenberg" said it all, eloquently underscoring a scene where one could perceive an additional four gardeners in the distance, tending the immaculate grounds.

America took the new model to its heart and a new superlative was added to the language: to this day the phrase "It's a Doozy" is a universal term of ultimate approval, just as the Model J has become the ultimate collectors' automobile. Duesenberg unveiled its Model J – the embodiment of company owner E.L. Cord and chief engineer Fred Duesenberg's vision of "The World's Finest Motor Car" – at the New York Auto Salon in December 1928.

Among its remarkable features was a twin-cam race-bred engine – a purpose-built 32-valve Lycoming 419 cid DOHC straight-eight said to develop 265 bhp, although it is now recognized that the quoted Duesenberg power figures were perhaps a bit optimistic. Nevertheless, the actual output was certainly more than double the output of the previous claimant to the title of "America's most powerful car", the 112 bhp Chrysler Imperial 80. Moreover, this remarkable power unit endowed the Duesenberg with breathtaking performance. With light bodywork, such as a Murphy roadster, it was possible to achieve 90 mph in second gear with a maximum speed in the region of 110 mph in high gear. Ride and handling were exceptional for the period, matched by 15-inch hydraulic brakes all around. Every chassis built was tested for 500 miles on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before being handed over to a leading coachbuilder for the construction of custom bodywork.

Though they were built during the Great Depression and cost more than a Rolls-Royce or a Hispano-Suiza, the Model J Duesenberg had no problems attracting customers in the beginning. Among the rich and famous who drove Duesenbergs were film stars Greta Garbo, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Dolores del Rio, whose husband Cedric Gibbons, famed film art director and creator of the "Oscar" statuette, was also a keen Duesenberg owner. Millionaires like William Randolph Hearst, Phillip K. Wrigley and Howard Hughes, the famous Peruvian Chopitea brothers as well as royalty like King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, King Vittorio Emmanuel III of Italy and Prince Nicholas of Romania were all members of the exclusive Duesenberg set: in the end, fewer than 500 Model J's were built. The model remains one of the most coveted automobiles of all time.

Walter M. Murphy Company

By far the most prolific builder on the Duesenberg chassis, the Walter M. Murphy Company of Pasadena, California produced roughly 100 Duesenberg bodies, a little more than one fifth of total production. The most popular Murphy style was the two-passenger Convertible Coupe with a rumble seat, now universally dubbed the Murphy Roadster. About 60 were made, although they are not all alike. Another signature design was the Town Cabriolet where the roof over the rear compartment is fixed in the manner of a faux Cabriolet. Coupled with its slim pillars, a signature Murphy styling motif, this design is regarded by many as a quintessential Duesenberg look, and one of the loveliest and most elegant formal cars ever conceived. It is believed that a mere four to six were built, and that only two survive. The exclusive Town Cabriolet was recognized for its beauty in period, as evidenced by the fact that Errett Lobban Cord had the Murphy style copied for the Cord L-29 model and the Auburn V-12 Salon series. It remains a coveted design today.

Descriptions & pictures by bonhams & audrainautomuseum