A 1930 Duesenberg SJ that belonged to American band leader Paul Whiteman, of Rhapsody in Blue fame, will be sold by RM Auctions on July 28th in Plymouth, Mich. The car is estimated to be worth between $850,000 and $1,200,000 US.
With a 265-horsepower, four-valve DOHC engine, the Duesenberg SJ trumped its nearest competitor by more than 100 horsepower. In fact, no other car at the time came close to matching its performance.
Introduced at the 1929 New York Auto Show, it debuted with a base price of $8,500 for the bare chassis alone and $9,500 in supercharged form. With the requisite custom coachwork and fittings, it could even exceed $20,000.
By contrast, the least expensive Ford Model A retailed for about $450 and a good single-family home cost less than $10,000!
Only 16 units were built as convertibles, which no doubt has car collectors around the world licking their chops.
A bulletproof 1928 Cadillac owned by Al Capone will also be part of the auction.
With a 265-horsepower, four-valve DOHC engine, the Duesenberg SJ trumped its nearest competitor by more than 100 horsepower. In fact, no other car at the time came close to matching its performance.
Introduced at the 1929 New York Auto Show, it debuted with a base price of $8,500 for the bare chassis alone and $9,500 in supercharged form. With the requisite custom coachwork and fittings, it could even exceed $20,000.
By contrast, the least expensive Ford Model A retailed for about $450 and a good single-family home cost less than $10,000!
Only 16 units were built as convertibles, which no doubt has car collectors around the world licking their chops.
A bulletproof 1928 Cadillac owned by Al Capone will also be part of the auction.
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| Photo: RM Auctions |
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| Photo: RM Auctions |