Read Ranch & Coast Virtually Anywhere
Issue link: http://ranchandcoast.uberflip.com/i/1493521
HE LA JOLLA CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE has become a renowned statement of style, and this year's celebration of great classic automobiles will be no exception. e honored marque in 2023 has been awarded to Duesenberg, which automotive historians have deemed synonymous with scientific pioneering, grace, and opulence. One of the handpicked Duesenberg cars on display this year with a fascinating history to tell is a 1933 model best known as the "Twenty Grand." e Evolution of Duesenberg Elegance Although the car company started by Fred and August Duesenberg didn't survive America's Great Depression of the 1930s, the magnificent machines are still heralded for their engineering elegance. More than 90 years ago, Duesenberg's straight-eight engines sported dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder along with hydraulic brake systems, designs well ahead of their time. e prodigious power and confident braking propelled Duesenberg race cars to win three Indianapolis 500 titles and become the first American car to win a world Grand Prix race. detour transportation Celebrating Duesenberg in Style PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE NETHERCUTT COLLECTION La Jolla Concours d'Elegance honors this year's featured marque BY BRIAN DOUGLAS Duesenberg matched its engineering prowess with grand style to offer a compelling ultra-luxury alternative to European rivals that included Rolls-Royce and Bugatti. And while small production automakers relied on coachbuilders to fabricate bodies to attach to their completed chassis, Duesenberg hired Gordon Buehrig as chief designer for its new Model J series that debuted in 1928. e youthful Buehrig was responsible for half of the prestigious Model J styling and set the Duesenberg template for other world coachmakers who produced magnificent bodies for the series. Twenty Grand In 1933, $20,000 was the equivalent of nearly a half-million dollars today, and that was in what historians mark as one of the worst years of our nation's Great Depression. And yet, that was the price attached to Duesenberg's Arlington Torpedo Sedan, a supercharged 300-horsepower SJ model unveiled at the Century of Progress, best known as e Chicago World's Fair. Buehrig delivered a close-coupled, low-profile style with a built-in torpedo-style trunk, and renowned New York coachbuilder Rolliston fabricated the body with unmatched ranchandcoast.com 70 MARCH 2023 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE The flagship vehicle of The Nethercutt Collection, the Twenty Grand, is a one-off custom 1933 Rollston Arlington Torpedo- bodied Duesenberg SJ ultra-luxury sedan T