Duesenberg Model J Rollston Torpedo Berline 1932, Estados Unidos
Motor : 420/265HP
Exterior : Prata
Interior : Cinza
Fotografia
HIGHLIGHTS
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One-of-a-kind coachwork by Rollston
·
Known ownership history since new
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Purchased new by Shirley Burden, the
great-great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt
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ACD Certified Category 1 matching numbers car
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ACD Certification by Paul Bryant and reviewed by
Fred Roe & Bob Joynt
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ACD Club ID#: D120
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Rollston Style 342 Torpedo Berline with body number
549-A
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Restored by Scott Veasie of Hollywood, California
in 1990
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Notable previous owners: Blackhawk Collection,
Imperial Palace Auto Collection, John O'Quinn Collection, Gen. William Lyon
Collection, Dean V. Kruse Foundation and currently owned by the Academy of Art
University Collection
Offered with known ownership
history since new, this 1932 Duesenberg Model J, chassis 2574 and engine J546,
is unique to the breed with its one-of-a-kind Torpedo Berline coachwork built
by Rollston of New York City—a firm known for executing some of its most
beautiful work for its Duesenberg customers.
More than 80 years after the
last example was completed and the company closed its doors forever, the
Duesenberg Model J is still considered one of the most fabulous automobiles
ever built. It eclipsed every single one of its European contemporaries,
including Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Hispano-Suiza, Delehaye and
Isotta-Fraschini, and it far outclassed its American competition.
Conceived by Errett Lobban
Cord, who purchased Duesenberg, Inc., in 1925 and challenged Fred Duesenberg to
build “the world’s finest motor car,” the Model J offered literally the
ultimate in engineering sophistication, luxury, power, performance and road
manners, and it was dressed in an astonishing variety of body styles by the
exceptional coachbuilders of the day, from sporty two-seat roadsters to lavish
town cars and majestic limousines.
The Model J debuted at the New
York Auto Salon on December 1, 1928, in bare rolling chassis form, a startling
sight that roused public interest with its obvious sophistication and artful
finishing. Its centerpiece was the gleaming inline-8 engine designed by Fred
Duesenberg, its block painted Duesenberg’s traditional apple green and affixed
with a glittering array of polished aluminum and chromed steel ancillaries,
above which sat the giant aluminum cylinder head with twin chain-driven cams
actuating four valves per cylinder. A full 4 feet in length, this grand
behemoth incorporated most of the features of the Duesenberg brothers’
incredibly successful racing engines. It displaced 420 CI, and in naturally
aspirated form produced a reputed 265 HP, unmatched output that forced
Duesenberg to abandon its synchromesh 4-speed manual transmission for the
sturdier non-synchro 3-speed.
The chassis itself was equally
sophisticated and of gargantuan proportions. The frame rails reached a depth of
8 inches and were almost a quarter-inch thick; the Duesenberg-designed 4-wheel
hydraulic brakes—the first on a production car—were 15 inches in diameter and 3
inches wide, and a Bijur lubrication system automatically sent oil to the
chassis lubrication points every 80 miles, a green dash light telling the
driver the system was performing its duty. Other warning lights alerted the
driver to scheduled oil, coolant and battery maintenance.
J546 is the only Model J
completed by Rollston Coachworks with its unique Style 342 Torpedo Sedan or
Berline body, an elegantly imposing design defined by its steeply raked
windshield, low roofline and integrated trunk—nicely capturing the Model J’s
heroic scale and grandeur.
New York City-resident Shirley
M. Burden—a great-great grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt whose maternal
grandparents were Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly and Hamilton McKown Twombly—purchased
the car new, beginning its well-documented ownership history. It was next
acquired by a New York Cadillac salesman, who in 1940 sold it to George F.
Hutchens III. Hutchens retained it until April 1, 1949, when he sold it to Dr.
T.B. Shaw. In 1953, Shaw sold J-546 to his nephew, Don F. Leake, who in turn
sold it in April 1955 to Raymond Doud for a mere $650. Doud refinished the car
in ivory with rose-painted trim and kept it for 11 years until 1966, when he
sold it to Lawrence Witten for $13,250. In 1968, Witten traded J-546 to George
Arents in exchange for another Duesenberg J-378. Arents in 1969, sold J-546 to
Don Williams of Old Time Cars in Los Angeles. In 1971, Williams sold J-546 to
Robert Gottlieb of Beverly Hills. In 1988, Williams sold the car for Gottlieb
to the Imperial Palace Collection, who commissioned Scott Veasie of Hollywood,
California to restore and was finished in 1990.
In 1998, the Imperial Palace
Collection sold J-546 to Gen. William Lyon and later sold to the Dean V. Kruse
Foundation, which kept it until 2007. In 2007, the John O’Quinn
Collection purchased J-546 at the Hershey Auction in Hershey, PA. In 2010, it
was added to the fabulous Academy of Art University Collection, where it has
remained since. One of the most magnificent and unique automobiles of the 20th century, this 1932
Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Berline by Rollston is a treasured expression of the
automotive magic conjured by the legend-making partnership of E.L. Cord and
Fred Duesenberg.
Fonte :
https://www.mecum.com/lots/AZ0319-366616/1932-duesenberg-model-j-rollston-torpedo-berline/
