1932 Duesenberg Model J Town Car
Fred Duesenberg’s luxury masterpiece featured custom coachwork that made every example unique. Independent coachbuilders like Kirchhoff (pictured), Murphy, LeBaron, and Rollston created bodies to individual specifications, with no two cars exactly alike. The massive chassis rode on wheelbases of either 142.5 or 153.5 inches.
Beneath the hood sat a 420 cubic inch (6.9-liter) straight-eight producing 265 horsepower through dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. This made it America’s most powerful production car when introduced at the 1928 New York Auto Show. The Model J could reach 116 mph and remarkably hit 88 mph in second gear alone.
Between 1928 and 1937, only 481 Model Js left the Indianapolis factory. Bare chassis cost $8,500, with completed cars ranging from $13,000 to $19,000 (when physicians earned under $3,000 annually). The Depression limited sales despite the car’s exceptional engineering and performance.
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