In the years 1913-1937, the American automobile company Duesenberg built luxurious and expensive cars, it was a competitor for Rolls-Royce, for example. Due to the astronomical price, of course, not many of them were made, so the pieces preserved to this day are extremely valuable. Produced since 1928, the Model J is quite common by the brand’s standards, with a total of 481 produced.
Released by a locked garage for more than half a century, it’s not just any Model J. It’s a 1931 roadster with Murphy bodywork and a roof that folds under the hood. It’s called the Disapperaring Top Convertible Coupe and only 25 of them were made.
According to a video shared on the YouTube channel Nobody’s Show, the price at that time could be around 10-12 thousand dollars. Today’s equivalent of such a price is around half a million dollars, i.e. more than 11 million crowns. The very small number of units produced is therefore not surprising, especially when they were sold during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
A collection of found veterans goes to auction. They found them in the barn
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In 1967, the owner at the time, the father of the current owner, parked it in the garage, locked the door, and since then the car just gathered dust. Until recently, when the owner called Doug Pray from the Oklahoma company Auburn Cord Duesenberg, which deals with vintage cars of these brands.
At first, Pray did not believe that it was a genuine Duesenberg, but when he arrived at an unspecified location, he was convinced of the authenticity. He found the car complete and in surprisingly good condition – it could be towed and had functional steering. Even the tires could be inflated and held air long enough to load the car into the carrier.
The car will understandably get a lot of care, initially so that it drives in its current visual state. Later, however, it can be expected to be renovated to a first-class show condition, because as it is, it is already worth millions of dollars.
The second video made for this car shows some of its special details. In addition to the ornament on the radiator cap, the grille ribs, which are controlled by the thermostat, are also worth mentioning. When the engine is cold, they are closed, when it needs to be cooled, they open to allow access to the radiator.
Under the aluminum hood – the entire body is made of this material except for the mudguards and running boards, which are steel – is a 6.9-liter inline eight-cylinder engine that produces 265 horsepower and the car reaches a speed of up to 142 km/h.
Not everything on it is completely original, for example the interior was modified in the 1950s and the fenders also have additional welded sides. The rear lights are also non-original, originally there was only one on the car, and the rear bumper is also missing. It had to be removed to fit the car in the garage.
Treasures in the form of historic cars can still be found, says the collector
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