The 30s of the last century were really fruitful when it comes to the birth of many icons of the automotive world in the United States. Ford put its Deluxe Model 40 on sale, Chrysler did the same with the aerodynamic Airflow and Cadillac produced spectacular models equipped with V16 engines. But at that time the Duesenberg Model J also appeared, a car so special that it was even advertised in a very different way from the rest of its competitors.
The thing is, none of the Model J ads really showed what the car could do. In fact, they didn't even show the car itself. Instead of openly displaying the vehicle, the firm simply used posters depicting people with lavish lifestyles, accompanied by the tagline: "He/she drives a Duesenberg."
Although it might seem like a confusing idea for consumers at the time, the truth is that the Model J was not exactly aimed at the average driver, but at users with very high purchasing power. It is not for nothing that many still consider it the best American car of the 1930s of the last century.
Each unit was powered by an 8-cylinder in-line engine and, depending on the version, the model could be capable of generating power of more than 300 HP, something unheard of for the time. Supercharged variants of the Model J could reach an impressive top speed of 209 km/h, a stratospheric feat considering that other top production cars of those years struggled to hit 160 km/h.
Among the numerous equipment of the Model J stood out its hydraulic brake system, which worked in a similar way to ABS, a feature that did not appear in commercial cars until much later. As a curiosity, it should be noted that the vehicle included an altimeter, an unusual element in automobiles of the time.
Buying a unit at its peak meant paying the equivalent of about 300,000 euros today, so it is clear that it was a car within the reach of few pockets. The passage of time, history and the state of conservation have a lot to do with the current value of the units that have survived to this day.
For example, the unit that appears in the photographs, which has gone through numerous owners throughout its career and has been awarded various prizes in prestigious classic car contests, is for sale for around 2.6 millions of euros. Although it may seem like a very high price, the truth is that other Duesenbergs have reached much higher amounts.
Not too long ago, 5.3 million euros were paid for another unit, although the absolute record for this model was produced in 2018. And that year, no less than 20 million euros were paid for a Duesenberg SJJ that it had been owned by actor Gary Cooper.
In fact, at the time it became the most expensive American car in history. If you are interested in seeing one of these automotive treasures in detail, you just have to take a look at the video that accompanies this article.
