Duesenberg SJ Lagrande Dual-cowl Phaeton 1935 by Eus Driessen

About "Duesenberg SJ Lagrande Dual-cowl Phaeton 1935"

by Eus Driessen

About the artwork

Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, James Cagney, Mae West, Lupe Velez, Joe E. Brown, Dolores del Rio, Howard Hughes, William Randolph Hearst, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, Prince Nicolas of Romania: the Duesenberg knew many famous owners, especially in Hollywood, but also in the other high society.

The first owner of this Duesenberg SJ, where the S stands for 'Supercharged' (with compressor) is a very wealthy pilot pilot from the First World War, Reginald Sinclaire. Like other Duesenberg owners, he accounts for around 20,000 dollars for his new car; about 8,500 dollars for the chassis with engine and 12,000 for the body, in this case a LaGrande with a V-shaped windshield made by Rollston. In comparison, a Ford costs $ 500 at that time. For the price of the chassis alone, seventeen Fords can therefore be purchased.

The Duesenberg SJ equipped with a mechanical centrifugal compressor is introduced in 1932. Thanks to the compressor, the engine now delivers 320 hp and the car can reach a top speed of 210 km / h. However, the compressor takes up a lot of space, which is why the exhaust pipes are placed outside the bonnet. It gives the car such a powerful appearance that this embellishment for the Duesenberg J, without compressor, is offered as an option for $ 1,000.

In 1937 all production of Duesenberg was shut down after the parent company had gone down financially. The last car that built the brand was a Model SJ Cabriolet. Today, the Model S