When E.L. Cord purchased a controlling interest in Duesenberg Inc. on October 6, 1926, he immediately put Fred Duesenberg in place as the company’s chief of engineering. Cord gave Fred the task of designing the best car America had ever seen. By December 1928, Fred had created that dream with the Model J Duesenberg. With engine, chassis and custom body designs no less than superlative, the Duesenberg became the celebrity car of its era and commanded a decidedly prestigious image equaled by none. The Model J Duesenberg has long been regarded as the most outstanding example of design and engineering of the Classic Era. It was introduced in 1929, and trading was halted on the New York Stock Exchange for the announcement. At $8,500 for the chassis alone, it was by far the most expensive car in America. With coachwork, the delivered price of many Duesenbergs approached $20,000, a staggering sum at a time when a typical new family car cost around $500. This short-wheelbase (143.5 inches) Duesenberg SJ Rollston Quarter-Window Convertible Victoria, Chassis No. 2293 and Engine No. J-272, was purchased new by renowned band leader Paul Whiteman on May 9, 1930 and was originally equipped with a LeBaron Barrelside Phaeton body. Its second owner, G. Tucker Smith, purchased the car from the Duesenberg Factory Branch and had that body replaced with its current Rollston Convertible Victoria body, Body No. 516-4435, in 1935. It was then purchased by Jim Hoe, famed Duesenberg mechanic and proprietor of the Hoe Sportscar Garage, before being acquired by Leo Gephard, a noted dealer from the Midwest, in the 1970s. It was subsequently purchased by Jerome Sauls of Pennsylvania, who then sold it to Dr. Joe Murphy of Pennsylvania. In the early 2000s, the Duesenberg made its way from Pennsylvania to the Blackhawk Collection in Danville, California, before residing with its current owner. This car is powered by its factory supercharged 420 CI straight-8 engine. The vertical centrifugal supercharger with outside exhaust pipes pushed the normally aspirated Model J version’s 265 HP to 320 HP, power that the floor-shift 3-speed manual transmission would use to propel it to 104 MPH in second gear. The heavy-parallel channel chassis is suspended by parallel semi-elliptic leaf springs and solid-beam front and live rear axles. The six chrome-plated 19-inch steel-spoke wheels are by the Wire Wheel Corporation of Buffalo, New York, and stopping is provided by boosted 4-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. The Rollston body is finished in Maroon with a matching Maroon leather interior and folding top. The engine-turned instrument panel is equipped with a full array of gauges including a chronometer, tachometer and altimeter. With known ownership history provided with the car, this Duesenberg has been treated to a concours-level restoration with a recent detailing and mechanical inspection to make sure it is ready to drive and show anywhere. Among Classic Era coachbuilders, Rollston stands virtually without peer in the quality and fine detail of its work, making this exceptionally elegant example truly worthy of the mighty Duesenberg supercharged chassis.
