To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Fort Lauderdale event, 29
- 30 March 2019.
Estimate:
$100,000 - $125,000
- One of just 13 replicas built in the 1970s
- Classic Duesenberg styling with modern Chrysler V-8 power
- Recent repaint and cosmetic restoration
Please note that this lot is titled as a 1974.
Duesenberg became synonymous with great success at the Indianapolis
500�taking the checkered flag in 1924, 1925, and 1927�and with
extravagant wealth during the Roaring Twenties. The Model J
introduced in 1928 would become Duesenberg's crowning
achievement.
The SJ, named for its supercharged straight-eight engine,
represented the height of Duesenberg fame�at least until actor Gary
Cooper's short-wheelbase SSJ arrived in 1935. With a wheelbase
nearly a foot-and-a-half shorter than the SJ, the SSJ was both
nimble and ferocious. A second one was built for Clark Gable, and
street racing between the two through the Hollywood Hills would
become the stuff of legend.
The SSJ Speedster Replica offered here is a continuation model
commissioned by a brief Duesenberg revival in the mid-1970s. Its
Inglewood, California-based builder used a Chrysler chassis and
383-cu. in. engine but otherwise stuck to the original design and
engineering plans. The first SSJ Speedster Replica was christened
by Pete Depaolo, who had driven a Duesenberg at an average of more
than 101 mph in the 1925 Indianapolis 500.
Just 13 were eventually built, including this silver and burgundy
example that was recently cosmetically restored with new paint,
chrome plating, and refinished running boards. Remarkably authentic
with a handful of modern touches such as air conditioning, the SSJ
Speedster Replica has all of the classic Duesenberg presence with
the serviceability of a 1970s Chrysler V-8 engine. To view this car
and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/fl19.
