1935 Duesenberg J Limited Edition

"Never mind what it costs - BUILD it!"

Those were the words the Duesenberg brothers, Fred and August, had been waiting for.

Erret Loban Cord had just given them carte blanche to produce the best motorcar in the world, regardless of cost.

Fred Duesenberg, who, together with his brother August, was creator, designer and builder of the legendary Duesenberg J, was eight years old in 1885 when his family emigrated from Germany to the United States, settling in Rockford, Iowa.

Fred left school at the age of 17.

As engineer, designer and manufacturer he was entirely self-taught. He possessed some kind of genius. He could tell by looking at a mechanical part if it would work or not. He could tell by listening to the sound of an engine running on a test stand whether it was OK or needed rebuilding.

Fred Duesenberg began his mechanical career by working on farm machinery - reapers, binders, steam-tractors.

It wasn't long before his innate creativity led him to start working on projects of his own.

He began by making bicycles. Bicycles led logically to motorbikes.

By 1904 Fred was able, with his brother August, to open his own garage in Iowa. Here they built their first racing car, and were, by their mid-twenties, already highly successful.

In 1913 they set up a company in their own name: The Duesenberg Motor Company, in St Paul, Minnesota.

During World War 1 they produced military engines of all kinds. Having fulfilled their patriotic duty, they turned their energies once more to their true goal: to produce motorcars. Not just any motorcar - they wanted to produce the best motorcar in the world.

There was only one problem - money.

Like many genuinely creative people, Fred did not have a good head for business. He gave an engine design to his friend Harry Stutz. He didn't take out a patent on his hydraulic four-wheel brake system, which should have made him a millionaire many times over.

To raise funds to build their perfect car, the Duesenbergs sold their factory and moved to Indianapolis.

Their success with racing cars continued, and in due course they introduced their first passenger car, the Model A, which was to remain in production until 1926.

The model A, a kind of preparation for what was to follow, was extremely expensive for its day, and, by 1926, the company was in financial difficulties.

The company was saved by one of the virtuosi of American business - Erret Lobban Cord.

Cord's was not the greatest mechanical mind, but he was in sympathy with the Duesenbergs' desire to produce THE best automobile.

The result was, indeed, the finest motorcar of its day, lovingly assembled by a team of craftsmen working for a company which never saw a cent of profit during its entire corporate existence.

Most Duesenbergs, as was the custom in those days, were delivered as a bare chassis, and the great coachbuilders of the world were commissioned to build custom bodies onto them.

The Model SJ, which appeared in 1932, had a maximum speed of 130 mph, and could reach 100 mph within 17 seconds of a standing start.

The bare chassis, in 1932, cost $8500.

Who bought them? People who could afford anything they wanted, money no object.

Owning a Duesenberg was essential for any movie star who wanted to prove he had reached the top. Two specials were produced with a shorter chassis than normal, one for Clark Gable, the other for Gary Cooper.

The Duesenberg SJ is a testament to the genius and vision of three men - Fred and August Duesenberg and E.L. Cord.

And, yes, what a doozy!