Stunning 1935 Duesenberg SJ Convertible Coupe Is Crowning Apex in Life of American-Built Icon
One of the world’s finest
examples of Duesenberg’s fabled J-Series, a 1935 SJ Convertible Coupe – one of
only three built and the only one equipped with the then-offered optional 320
hp supercharged engine – makes a special appearance showing at the Hillsborough
Concours d’Elegance, Sunday, July 21, on the fairways of the Crystal Springs
Golf Course, Burlingame, CA.
Hours
for this, the 57th edition of the world’s longest
continuously-running vintage motor car gathering, are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Admission is $30 (children 13 and under, free). The Concours also offers a $75
VIP admission pass, which includes parking, beverage and food service.
The
SJ, which is on loan from San Francisco’s Academy of Art University, was built
as the firm neared the end of its
production in 1940. The J-Series had been
launched in 1928 and the 472 J-chassis built in that line have been
recognized as possibly among the greatest cars ever built.
Work on this
sleek SJ, which won first in class at Pebble Beach in 1998, was begun by
Duesenberg’s J. Herbert Newport who
called in noted designer Alex Tremulis to capture more dynamic styling motifs
emerging in the ‘30s. It is more streamlined than its predecessors, sports
rounded fenders, a lower profile accentuated by 17-inch tires, a curved
beltline and swept molding spears. The crank-operated “semi-automatic top”
folds up under a flush-fitting lid.
Bodywork
was by Walker-LaGrande of Indianapolis. Throughout their lives, J-Series Duesenbergs were assigned to varying
coachbuilders, including Murphy, Derham, Bohman and Schwartz, Rollston and
LeBaron.
Beginning
with the 1913 Indy 500, brothers Fred and August Deusenberg built race cars that had reputations for
speed and reliability. Former San Francisco resident Peter DePaolo won with
Duesenberg at Indy in 1925, first car to average over 100 mph on the circuit –
and a record that held up for seven years. In 1921, another San Franciscan,
Jimmy Murphy, had beat Europe’s best at LeMans in a Duesenberg.
In
the mid-‘20s, entrepreneur –super salesman E. L. Cord, a man who already had
experience in the car game, bought the Duesenberg company, coined a sales slogan, “It’s a Duesie,” and
challenged the brothers to build a large, sleek, powerful car.
Large
and powerful they were: “short” wheelbase versions ran 142 ½” and “long” was
153 ½”, they weighed in at more than 4500 lbs, the 420 cu. in. DOHC engines
(with four valves per cylinder) produced 265 hp and the cars could run at over
120 mph.
Duesenbergs
were the clear favorites of American movie royalty and titans of
industry. Star owners included
Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Mae West, Marion Davies, songwriter Richard Arlen and
bandleader Paul Whiteman. William Randolph Hearst, Jr. and Philip Wrigley owned
“Duesies’
Featured
marque at this year’s Hillsborough event is Aston Martin. There is a showing of
Zagato-bodied cars, showroom 1957 models, Porsche 911s, vintage British
motorcycles and a panorama of Chevrolet Corvettes showing the 60-year evolution
of the all American sports car. Charity beneficiaries of the Hillsborough event
are Autism Speaks, North America’s largest autism science and advisory
organization, the 49ers Foundation, which provides extensive support for
at-risk youth in the Bay Area and the Hillsborough Schools Foundation, which
provides support for four public schools in Hillsborough.
For
further information, go to www.hillsboroughconcours.org.
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