1929 Duesenberg Model J Town Car by Derham

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 2024

Yes, Duesenbergs were cars for the rich. But any car with a town car body was a car for the rich. You had a chauffeur’s compartment up front, where some household employee would sit, exposed to the elements, and drive you around. Like the Isotta Fraschini from Sunset Boulevard.

And that’s kind of what this is. It was sold new to Virginia Robinson, who married a department store heir and lived in Beverly Hills. Just like Norma Desmond, she was ferried around Los Angeles in this, the only short-wheelbase Model J with Derham town car coachwork. The 265-horsepower, 6.9-liter straight-eight is retained under the hood.

The Robinsons had three Duesenbergs, and all of them were relatively early cars, with J-171 being the highest engine number they had. Early adopters. The car received updated styling and wheels in the mid-1930s. It was restored in 1968 and cosmetically refreshed in the last year. It now has an estimate of $1,500,000-$2,000,000. Click here for more info.