conceptcarz.com

1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Special Mormon Meteor

Classic Cars from 12 Countries and Throughout the U.S. are Showcased During Competition Along California's Monterey Coast
The 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links® hosted some of the world's rarest vintage vehicles and thousands of spectators Sunday at the 57th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The Concours competition, which included judging in 24 classes, culminated when a 1935 Duesenberg SJ Special, owned by Harry Yeaggy from Cincinnati, Ohio, was named 'Best of Show.'

The winning car, also known as 'The Mormon Meteor,' is a supercharged speedster that was raced by Utah's Ab Jenkins (the former mayor of Salt Lake City) and then driven on the city streets. The car, which set a 24-hour speed record (135.58 miles per hour) in 1935, sold for a record $4.45 million at the 2004 Pebble Beach Auction conducted by Gooding & Company.

'I'm trying to catch my breath,' said Yeaggy on the winner's ramp. 'I knew I had a great car. I love the styling and the art deco look, and it's a performance car. It's just elegant from every different direction. For me to get a performance car and a beautiful car is a perfect combination. In my opinion, this is the most significant American car ever built.

'I'd also like to give loads of credit to Chris Charlton, who did the restoration work.'

Competitors from 30 states and 12 countries brought their prized automotive possessions to California's Monterey Peninsula for judging. Additionally, proceeds from raffles, auctions, sponsorships and gate receipts helped contribute more than $1 million to charity for the second consecutive year.

'The Pebble Beach Concours has truly become 'the world's concours,'' says Concours Chairman Sandra Kasky Button. 'In addition to enthusiasts, sponsors, and media from around the globe, this year we welcomed exotic, historic vehicles from as far away as Hong Kong, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands and Argentina.'

The featured automotive marques for 2007 were Aston Martin – with four classes, including a special exhibition of historic Astons and three postwar classes – and the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg group. (The James Bond Aston Martin DB5 and Duesenbergs once owned by Clark Gable and Gary Cooper were among the most well-known vehicles.) Additionally, the historic hot rod class celebrated the 75th anniversary of the iconic '32 Ford (known as 'The Deuce'), and the '10-plus Club' focused on cars with engines displacing 10 liters or more. Overall, nearly 200 classic vehicles, including the event's oldest competitor – an 1897 Henriod – competed in the annual classic car showcase along the Monterey coastline.

'It happens every year on the third Sunday in August; a blending of automotive design, craftsmanship and history,' says Kasky. 'Car aficionados nervously roll their vehicles onto the 18th fairway of one of the world's most famous golf courses, seeking to win 'best of show' honors. For spectators, it's an automotive time capsule, with the finest artistry and design on display from more than 100 years of the automobile. And the best news of all, with the $1 million-plus we raised for our charities this year, the Pebble Beach Concours has now contributed well over $10 million during the event's history.'

The 58th Pebble Beach Concours, slated for Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008, will include a celebration of the centennial of General Motors and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

First conducted in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance® (www.pebblebeachconcours.net) has grown to become the world's premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and rare cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links®, and connoisseurs of art and style flock to see these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance® now total over $10 million. Related events include the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance™ presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, and the Pebble Beach® Auction presented by Gooding & Company. The 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance®, featuring Aston Martin and the Auburn Cord Duesenberg group, will be held on Sunday, August 19.

Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance™, and Pebble Beach RetroAuto™ are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved.

Pebble Beach Company, headquartered in Pebble Beach, Calif., owns and operates the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts®, including The Lodge at Pebble Beach™, The Inn at Spanish Bay™ and Casa Palmero®. The company also operates four renowned golf courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Spyglass Hill® Golf Course, The Links at Spanish Bay™ and Del Monte™ Golf Course. Its other famed properties include the scenic 17-Mile Drive® and The Spa at Pebble Beach™. In addition to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance®, Pebble Beach Resorts® annually hosts the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, The Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational. Pebble Beach Golf Links® has hosted four U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs, one PGA Championship, and will host its fifth U.S. Open in 2010.

Source - Pebble Beach Concours
JACKSONVILLE, FL; September 9, 2010 --- The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Foundation, Inc. announced today that the 'Mormon Meteor' Duesenberg will be the featured vehicle at the 16th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, March 11-13, 2011. It will be the vehicle's third appearance at Amelia in 15 years and its first showing since a major restoration two years ago.

Once dubbed the 'fastest, most powerful car in the world,' the Duesenberg Special/Mormon Meteor is the definitive pre-war race car and it is still considered the ultimate Duesenberg by collectors worldwide. Currently in the collection of Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, OH, the Mormon Meteor was piloted by speed enthusiast Ab Jenkins (Jenkins was a Mormon from Salt Lake City, UT) to numerous land speed records on the famed Bonneville Salt Flats. The Meteor started life as a Duesenberg Model J and was brought to Augie Duesenberg's race shop where it first became known as the Duesenberg Special. Its streamlined body, conceived by Herbert Newport, was both attractive and aerodynamically functional, and ideal for Jenkins' assault on Bonneville.

One of the car's most unique and prominent features was its center-mounted headlight, which illuminated a black oil line in the salt that formed a 10-mile track. The Special's power came from a modified stock supercharged SJ engine that produced 400 horsepower, which was an impressive output for the era. Initial record attempts were hampered by several engine failures, but the ever-persistent Jenkins and the Special eventually set a land speed record covering 3,253 miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 135.47 mph.

Fueled by his thirst for more competition, Jenkins wasn't finished with his quest for speed. After purchasing the Special for about $5,000, he removed the seven-liter, in-line eight and replaced it with a 1,600 cubic inch Curtis Conqueror V12 and renamed the car the Mormon Meteor as a result of a contest held by Salt Lake City's daily paper Desert News. The 1936 season at Bonneville was one to remember for Ab and his modified Duesenberg J; he and the Meteor set land speed records for 24 hours (153.823 mph) and 48 hours (148.641 mph) against other purpose-built cars from Europe.

With his record-setting days behind him, Jenkins refitted the car with the SJ Special engine and additional bodywork, and he and his son continued touring around Utah and the Southwest for several years. The car also turned out to be one of the best campaign tools a candidate could ever have. Jenkins was easily elected mayor of Salt Lake City without ever having to campaign as the recognition the car brought him along with his reputation as a speed lover became an unbeatable political combination. With victories in the 1921 French Grand Prix and three Indy 500 wins to Duesenberg's credit, the Meteor was the last purpose-built race car for the marque.

'Without a doubt, the Mormon Meteor is the most recognizable of all Duesenbergs as well as one of the most famous of all automobiles ever built,' says Amelia Founder and Co-chairman Bill Warner. 'The Meteor has a presence that mesmerizes an audience wherever it goes, and with it benefitting from a full restoration, it will be spectacular. I'm looking forward to seeing it on the field.'

Source - Amelia Island Concours

Background

The Duesenberg Company produced high-end, luxury automobiles and racing cars from 1913 through 1937. It was created by the Duesenberg brothers, Fred and August, who formed the Duesenberg Automobile %26 Motors Company, Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa with the intent on building sports cars. Just like many of their time, they were mostly self-taught engineers and had only constructed experimental cars up to....
Continue Reading >>

1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Special Mormon Meteor Vehicle Profiles

1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Special Mormon Meteor vehicle information
Racer

Engine #: J557

Recent Vehicle Additions

Related Automotive News

Historic Horsepower Reigns at The Elegance at Hershey

Historic Horsepower Reigns at The Elegance at Hershey

Hershey, PA (April 16, 2014) – The Elegance at Hershey, known for its garden-party setting showcasing some of the worlds rarest and most beautiful cars ever produced, will once again feature a stunning array of vintage high-performance and highly-collectible...
Past Best of Show Winners at The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Past Best of Show Winners at The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

overview1 The 70th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Concours dElegance was celebrated with a spectacular display of previous Best of Show winners. Thirty-seven examples graced the showfield and many were still with the same owners who raised the trophy...
Auburn Is 'The Amelia's' Honored Classic In 2018

Auburn Is 'The Amelia's' Honored Classic In 2018

Auburns fabled boattail speedster is the car everyone pictures when the classic Indiana marque is mentioned. Only in the Jazz Age lubricated by the social privations of the Eighteenth Amendment could such an exquisitely and outrageously shaped automobile...
Sportiness In The Brand DNA: Game-Changer With Mercedes-Benz At Goodwood Festival Of Speed 2017

Sportiness In The Brand DNA: Game-Changer With Mercedes-Benz At Goodwood Festival Of Speed 2017

With a dozen racing cars and sporty vehicles from over 100 years, Mercedes-Benz Classic sums up the motto of this years Goodwood Festival of Speed Peaks of Performance – Motorsports Game-Changers celebrates competition vehicles that have written...
120 years of motor sport at Mercedes-Benz take centre stage at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014

120 years of motor sport at Mercedes-Benz take centre stage at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014

Addicted to Winning at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mercedes-Benz looks back on some fascinating racing victories of the last 120 years The unique motor sport heritage of the Mercedes-Benz brand is being celebrated with an exclusive i...
Techno Classica 2014: more than 30 racing cars to celebrate 120 years of Mercedes-Benz motor racing history

Techno Classica 2014: more than 30 racing cars to celebrate 120 years of Mercedes-Benz motor racing history

Cars that were the heroes of magical moments put their stamp on this high-powered, most comprehensive show presentation With more than 30 vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Classic presents motor racing history in all its unique breadth and depth 120 years o...

Duesenberg Model