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In 1900, Iowa bicycle makers August and Fred Duesenberg began playing with gasoline engines and in 1906, began to manufacture cars. Their company failed, but they developed an engine that did well in the Indianapolis 500. During World War I, they built aircraft engines for the military and after the war, they used this experience to design their famous straight-eight engine which they used in a new car. Their company became part of E.L. Cord's empire in 1926.
Cord gave the Duesenberg brothers carte blanche to build the finest car in the world and the result was the Model J in 1928. It featured a 420 cubic-inch, straight eight-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower, more than double that of any other contemporary car. The chassis sold for $8,500 and the buyer had to spend another $2,500 to $8,000 for a custom body.
LeBaron
The LeBaron Company was created in 1920 by Ralph Roberts, Thomas L. Hibbard, and Raymond H. Dietrich. Dietrich and Hibbard both had a history together working as draftsmen for one of the most prestigious American coachbuilders, Brewster of Long Island. They chose the name LeBaron to invoke the grandeur and prestige of French design. The initial vision for their new company was not a coach-building company, but rather a design consulting firm. They would create designs and engineering plans from which a number of coachbuilders could perform their craft.
In 1923, the company merged with the Bridgeport Body Company, giving them the ability to construct the very designs it created.
By 1927, both Hibbard and Dietrich had left the firm they had created, though the company lived on, becoming one of the country's premier custom coachbuilders. They would create 38 bodies on the Model J Duesenberg chassis. Of all the coachbuilders of the era, only LeBaron, Murphy, and Holbrook were selected to build bodies for the first Model Js, which were displayed at the model's 1929 debut in New York.
One of LeBaron's most memorable designs and their specialty was the Ralph Roberts-designed Dual Cowl Phaeton, which would prove to be their most popular style for the Model J chassis. These phaetons are divided into two main types: the sweep-panel and the barrelside. The sweep-panel section bears an initial resemblance to the phaetons later produced by LaGrande, though with softer curves.
J-129
The Duesenberg Model J, with engine number J-129, is a Phaeton Sweep-Panel riding on a short wheelbase. The car was originally owned by John Duval Dodge, the son of Matilda Dodge. It is believed that this example is the only Duesenberg delivered new in the city of Detroit. It had a purchase price of nearly $20,000. The car was sold through Duesenberg's Chicago dealership in black with a yellow sweep panel.
Introduced at the December 1928 New York Automobile Salon the Duesenberg Model J quickly established itself as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the luxury grand tourer world. The LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton was one of the best and most luxurious bodies that could be built upon this chassis. LeBaron Carrossiers was founded in 1920 by Thomas L. Hibbard and Raymond Dietrich in New York City. They chose the LeBaron name because it sounded French and would lend a sophisticated air. They also chose to have only a design office, without coach-building facilities. This changed in 1927 when the company merged with the Briggs coach-building company and began building bodies. The chief designer of this and many other Duesenberg Js was John Tjaarda, father of Tom Tjaarda, who is a renowned designer in his own right.
J-129 was sold in 1932 to Bert Schmidt of Chicago, who passed away soon after his purchase. The Duesenberg was then stored for all of 1934 in a workshop on Michigan Avenue. After being held in Chicago dealer Joe Neidlinger's inventory, the car was purchased in 1939 by Ken and Genelle Gibbs of Chicago. They would retain the car until 1948 when it was acquired by B. Goldberg of Libertyville. While in Mr. Goldberg's care, the rear end of the body was modified with a subtle forward slant, incorporating a lower top line. Dr. N.R. Joffee owned the car briefly in 1952, selling it in 1953 to Bernard Berger, who changed the sweep panel cove to red and sold it the following year to E.A. Wente of Ohio.
Leo Gephart purchased the car in 1971 and reversed Goldberg's body modification and sold it to George Wallace in 1972. Mr. Wallace added the SJ-style external exhaust pipes and updated the radiator with chrome shutters before selling it to Ray Lutgert, who kept it until 1977. That year, the car joined the Richard Kughn collection where it would spend the next three decades before being sold to a Grand Rapids, Michigan collector.
Near the end of 2008, the car entered the care of its current owner, who immediately began a 4,600-hour, full restoration that was conducted by Fran Roxas' Vintage Motor Group. The work was completed in time for the 2010 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, where it was awarded Best in Show, American. At Pebble Beach that same year, the car earned Second in Class behind the Best in Show nominee Graber-bodied Model J Duesenberg. In 2011, the car was shown at the Art of the Car Concours at the Kansas City Institute, where it won the People's Choice Award, and it received the Hagerty Children's Award at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.
The car is currently finished in navy blue with crimson sweep panels. Inside, there is red leather and the engine is in the correct green enamel paint with polished aluminum components. The car rides on 19-inch, 78-spoke, snap-ring chrome wire wheels.By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2014
Cord gave the Duesenberg brothers carte blanche to build the finest car in the world and the result was the Model J in 1928. It featured a 420 cubic-inch, straight eight-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower, more than double that of any other contemporary car. The chassis sold for $8,500 and the buyer had to spend another $2,500 to $8,000 for a custom body.
LeBaron
The LeBaron Company was created in 1920 by Ralph Roberts, Thomas L. Hibbard, and Raymond H. Dietrich. Dietrich and Hibbard both had a history together working as draftsmen for one of the most prestigious American coachbuilders, Brewster of Long Island. They chose the name LeBaron to invoke the grandeur and prestige of French design. The initial vision for their new company was not a coach-building company, but rather a design consulting firm. They would create designs and engineering plans from which a number of coachbuilders could perform their craft.
In 1923, the company merged with the Bridgeport Body Company, giving them the ability to construct the very designs it created.
By 1927, both Hibbard and Dietrich had left the firm they had created, though the company lived on, becoming one of the country's premier custom coachbuilders. They would create 38 bodies on the Model J Duesenberg chassis. Of all the coachbuilders of the era, only LeBaron, Murphy, and Holbrook were selected to build bodies for the first Model Js, which were displayed at the model's 1929 debut in New York.
One of LeBaron's most memorable designs and their specialty was the Ralph Roberts-designed Dual Cowl Phaeton, which would prove to be their most popular style for the Model J chassis. These phaetons are divided into two main types: the sweep-panel and the barrelside. The sweep-panel section bears an initial resemblance to the phaetons later produced by LaGrande, though with softer curves.
J-129
The Duesenberg Model J, with engine number J-129, is a Phaeton Sweep-Panel riding on a short wheelbase. The car was originally owned by John Duval Dodge, the son of Matilda Dodge. It is believed that this example is the only Duesenberg delivered new in the city of Detroit. It had a purchase price of nearly $20,000. The car was sold through Duesenberg's Chicago dealership in black with a yellow sweep panel.
Introduced at the December 1928 New York Automobile Salon the Duesenberg Model J quickly established itself as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the luxury grand tourer world. The LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton was one of the best and most luxurious bodies that could be built upon this chassis. LeBaron Carrossiers was founded in 1920 by Thomas L. Hibbard and Raymond Dietrich in New York City. They chose the LeBaron name because it sounded French and would lend a sophisticated air. They also chose to have only a design office, without coach-building facilities. This changed in 1927 when the company merged with the Briggs coach-building company and began building bodies. The chief designer of this and many other Duesenberg Js was John Tjaarda, father of Tom Tjaarda, who is a renowned designer in his own right.
J-129 was sold in 1932 to Bert Schmidt of Chicago, who passed away soon after his purchase. The Duesenberg was then stored for all of 1934 in a workshop on Michigan Avenue. After being held in Chicago dealer Joe Neidlinger's inventory, the car was purchased in 1939 by Ken and Genelle Gibbs of Chicago. They would retain the car until 1948 when it was acquired by B. Goldberg of Libertyville. While in Mr. Goldberg's care, the rear end of the body was modified with a subtle forward slant, incorporating a lower top line. Dr. N.R. Joffee owned the car briefly in 1952, selling it in 1953 to Bernard Berger, who changed the sweep panel cove to red and sold it the following year to E.A. Wente of Ohio.
Leo Gephart purchased the car in 1971 and reversed Goldberg's body modification and sold it to George Wallace in 1972. Mr. Wallace added the SJ-style external exhaust pipes and updated the radiator with chrome shutters before selling it to Ray Lutgert, who kept it until 1977. That year, the car joined the Richard Kughn collection where it would spend the next three decades before being sold to a Grand Rapids, Michigan collector.
Near the end of 2008, the car entered the care of its current owner, who immediately began a 4,600-hour, full restoration that was conducted by Fran Roxas' Vintage Motor Group. The work was completed in time for the 2010 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, where it was awarded Best in Show, American. At Pebble Beach that same year, the car earned Second in Class behind the Best in Show nominee Graber-bodied Model J Duesenberg. In 2011, the car was shown at the Art of the Car Concours at the Kansas City Institute, where it won the People's Choice Award, and it received the Hagerty Children's Award at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.
The car is currently finished in navy blue with crimson sweep panels. Inside, there is red leather and the engine is in the correct green enamel paint with polished aluminum components. The car rides on 19-inch, 78-spoke, snap-ring chrome wire wheels.By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2014
2016 Gooding & Company : The Scottsdale Auction
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $1,800,000-USD $2,400,000
Sale Price :
USD $2,420,000
2014 Gooding & Company - The Scottsdale Auction
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $2,000,000-USD $2,300,000
Sale Price :
USD $2,090,000
1929 Duesenberg Model J Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Duesenberg Model J
(Data based on Model Year 1929 sales)
1929 Duesenberg Model J Berline Chassis#: 2143 Sold for USD$2,260,000 2022 Worldwide Auctioneers : Scottsdale Arizona | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Sedan by Derham/Bohman & Schwartz Chassis#: 2143 Sold for USD$737,000 2018 RM Auctions : Auburn Fall | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Sedan Chassis#: J262 Sold for USD$1,155,000 2018 Mecum : Monterey | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe by Fleetwood Chassis#: 2157 Sold for USD$990,000 2017 Auctions America : Auburn Fall | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton Chassis#: 2151 Sold for USD$2,420,000 2016 Gooding & Company : The Scottsdale Auction | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe by Murphy Chassis#: 2168 Sold for USD$1,402,500 2015 Auctions America - Auburn Fall | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton Chassis#: 2151 Sold for USD$2,090,000 2014 Gooding & Company - The Scottsdale Auction | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Sport Sedan Chassis#: 2163 Sold for USD$962,500 2013 Auctions America - Auburn Fall | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Sport Sedan Chassis#: 2132 Sold for USD$990,000 2012 RM Auctions - Monterey | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton 'Blue J' Chassis#: 2292 Sold for USD$1,980,000 2012 Gooding and Company - Pebble Beach Auction | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Berline Chassis#: 2127 Sold for USD$803,000 2012 RM Auctions at Amelia Island, Fla | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton Chassis#: 2136 / J116 Sold for USD$1,237,500 2011 Automobiles of Arizona by RM Auctions | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J 7-Passenger Sedan Sold for USD$357,500 2010 Auctions America : Auburn Collector Car Auction | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Sedan Chassis#: J262 Sold for USD$825,000 2010 RM Auctions - Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Sold for USD$858,000 2009 Automobiles of Arizona | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Sold for USD$1,375,000 2009 The Scottsdale Auction : Gooding & Company | |
1929 DUESENBERG DERHAM CONVERTIBLE COUPE Sold for USD$742,500 2008 Worldwide Auctions - The Auburn Auction 2008 | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton Chassis#: 2174 Sold for USD$1,760,000 2008 RM Auctions - Automobiles of Arizona | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J by Barker Sold for USD$616,000 2007 Gooding & Company | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Sedan Chassis#: J262 Sold for USD$907,500 2006 RM Auctions at Meadow Brook |
Duesenberg Model Js That Failed To Sell At Auction
1929 Duesenberg Model J's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1929 Duesenberg Model J Sweep Panel Dual-Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron | 2177 | 2024 RM Sothebys : ModaMiami | $2,650,000 | $2,850,000 | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J LaGrande Blind Quarter Brougham | 2210 | 2023 Mecum : Monterey | $800,000 | $800,000 | $1,000,000 |
1929 Duesenberg Model J LaGrande Blind Quarter Brougham | 2210 | 2023 Mecum : Indy | $850,000 | $1,250,000 | $1,500,000 |
1929 Duesenberg Model J1929 Duesenberg Model J LaGrande Blind Quarter Brougham | 2210 | 2023 Mecum : Kissimmee | $900,000 | ||
1929 Duesenberg Model J LaGrande Blind Quarter Brougham | 2210 | 2022 Mecum : Monterey | $1,100,000 | ||
1929 Duesenberg Model J Berline | 2143 | 2019 Worldwide Auctioneers : Riyadh Auction | |||
1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron | 2174 | 2010 Worldwide Auctions The Auburn Auction | $1,700,000 | $2,000,000 | |
1929 Duesenberg Phaeton | 2009 Leake Auctions Dallas 37th Annual Leake Auto Auction Market Hall | $600,000 | |||
1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupé | 2239 | 2009 Bonhams Automobiles d'Exception à Retromobile | $1,500,000 | $2,000,000 | |
1929 Duesenberg Model J Derham Convertible Coupe | 2008 Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale | $640,000 | |||
1929 Duesenberg J Sedanca De Ville | 2006 Worldwide Auctions Houston Classic 2006 | ||||
1929 DUESENBERG DERHAM PHAETON KNOWN AS THE ELVIS DUESENBERG | 2001 Kruse Auction Santa Clara, CA | $880,000 | |||
1929 DUESENBERG MODEL J TORPEDO CONVERTIBLE COUPE | 2221 | 2001 Kruse Auction Auburn, IN | $850,000 |
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1929 Duesenberg Model J
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