The former Gary Cooper 1935 Duesenberg SSJ with coachwork by Herbert Newport Junior from the Miles Collier Collections will be up for sale at the Gooding & Company 2018 Pebble Beach auctions
The estimate on the car is expected to be in excess of $10,000,000.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
At the Wheel of the SSJ by David Gooding
Each time I drive a Duesenberg, I am impressed by the car’s wonderfully over-the-top exuberance – its extraordinary scale, immense power, and brash, showy character. The Model J is a distinctly American creation, and yet it’s unlike any other car built in Detroit or Indiana during the classic era.
Then there is the SSJ, which is something else altogether. With its 400 hp, twin-carb, supercharged engine and lightweight roadster body, this is no ordinary Duesenberg. Visually, it is the archetypal prewar sports car – with an impossibly long hood, radically raked windscreen, rear-mounted spare, and four gleaming pipes bursting from the engine bay. The SSJ is a seriously fast car, one that will leave most European thoroughbreds in its dust.
Unlike many of its contemporaries, the SSJ is quite friendly to drive. It shifts easily, has powerful brakes, and has really impressive handling – balanced and predictable, with light steering. Open the exhaust cutout and it makes a thundering, straight-eight roar, accompanied by glorious noises on overrun.
The SSJ is the original factory-built hot rod and, without hesitation, the most exciting, enjoyable American classic I have ever driven. If only Duesenberg had started building cars like this in 1928 instead of 1935….
Great video here from the Gooding & Company channel on YouTube
The listing and an excellent history of the car can be found here
Here’s Gary with a 1931 Duesenberg
Beautiful cars those ‘bergs.