Duesenberg · HICONIUM

Indianapolis, USA · est. 1913

American luxury, defined by engineering and the coachbuilder's hand.

Duesenberg joined racing-derived mechanical sophistication to chassis sold for individual coachwork. The Model J hierarchy turns on original engine and chassis identity.

Models: 1
Top value: €20M
Period: 1913–

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Curated entry points

The essential Duesenbergs

Three cars that explain the manufacturer: its origins, its engineering peak and the shape of its modern ambition.

1928–1937

Model J

America’s pre-war apex — 481 built, every body coachbuilt to order.

Collectibility: 92 / 100
Indicative value: €2M

Complete catalogue

Every Duesenberg on file

1 models · 1 families

Pre-War Royalty

The Model J family — naturally aspirated, supercharged SJ and the two SSJ roadsters, each body a bespoke coachbuilt commission. A blue-chip market with real trading depth.

1928–1937 · 4 variants

Model J

America’s pre-war apex — 481 built, every body coachbuilt to order.

€2M92 sales · median $1.65M

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The house

American luxury, defined by engineering and the coachbuilder's hand.

Fred and August Duesenberg built racing engines that won Indianapolis and, in 1921, made theirs the first American car to win a grand prix. E.L. Cord bought the company and ordered them to build the grandest car in the world.

The Model J of 1928 was exactly that: a 265-horsepower straight-eight when a Cadillac made 90, wearing coachwork from Murphy, LeBaron and Derham for Hollywood royalty and actual royalty alike. The phrase “it’s a Duesy” entered the language.

About 481 were built through the Depression. The supercharged SJ and the two short-chassis SSJ roadsters — Gable’s and Cooper’s — crown the market; an SSJ brought $22 million in 2018, still the record for an American car at auction.

Founded: 1913; Fred and August Duesenberg formed Duesenberg Motors in Saint Paul; the separate Indianapolis passenger-car company followed in 1920.

Model J output: 481 cars; The accepted total covers the naturally aspirated and supercharged Model J series, with bodies commissioned from independent coachbuilders.

Engine architecture: DOHC, 32 valves; The 420 cu in straight-eight used four valves per cylinder and was rated at 265 hp in naturally aspirated form.

Documented sale: US$22.0m; Gooding sold Gary Cooper's 1935 SSJ at Pebble Beach in 2018, setting auction records for an American car and a pre-war car.

Selected milestones

A bloodline, not a list.

1913
The Duesenberg name enters business
Fred and August Duesenberg establish Duesenberg Motors in Saint Paul to build racing and industrial engines.
1921
The French Grand Prix
Jimmy Murphy wins at Le Mans in a Duesenberg, giving the young passenger-car operation international proof of its racing engineering.
1926
Cord takes control
E. L. Cord acquires the struggling passenger-car company and commissions a larger car aimed at the established European luxury houses.
1928
The Model J is unveiled
The Model J introduces a 420 cu in twin-cam straight-eight in a chassis intended for individually commissioned bodies.
1932
Supercharging reaches the catalogue
The centrifugal-supercharged SJ raises the factory rating from 265 hp to 320 hp and creates the performance tier above the standard Model J.
1937
Production ends
The collapse of Cord's business group closes Duesenberg; a small number of remaining chassis are bodied or completed later.
2018
The SSJ resets the American-car market
Gary Cooper's short-wheelbase supercharged car sells for US$22 million at Gooding's Pebble Beach auction.

What defines Duesenberg

Performance before scale

Duesenberg carried racing-derived engines, brakes and high-speed capability into cars built in very small numbers.

Chassis and body remain distinct

A Model J's standing depends on the identities of its chassis, engine and coachwork rather than the badge alone.

Provenance is part of the specification

Period bodywork, documented components, later modifications and ownership history materially change how an individual car is valued.

The mark

An eagle, and little else on record.

Fred and August Duesenberg were engine builders first and brand builders barely: the mark they left is a spread-winged eagle with the name across its feathers and the tail drawn into an 8 — the straight-eight that won Indianapolis and, in 1921, made theirs the first American car to win a grand prix.

No designer is documented and no redesign was ever commissioned. The company closed in 1937 and the eagle went with it: a one-badge marque.

1920s–1937

The Straight 8 eagle — name across the wings, the engine in the tail.