1930 Duesenberg, Model J Murphy convertible sells for approximately $4 million
The name Duesenberg may have been a fleeting moment in the automotive industry's vast timeline, but it left such a lasting footprint that today, its cars typically fetch millions of dollars.
So it is not entirely surprising that a 1930 Duesenberg Model J with coachwork by Murphy sold for about $4 million at an RM Sotheby's auction in Miami earlier this month. The final bid price was $3,855,000.
This particular Duesenberg, chassis number 2369, was ordered in 1929 by Esther Fisk Hammond, granddaughter of a representative of the then department store chain Jordan Marsh. The Duesenberg was delivered as an unfinished chassis, and Hammond gave it a body by Walter M. Murphy, a coachbuilder based in Pasadena, California, near Hammond's residence.
The body was one of Murphy's signature convertible coupes with a roof known as a differential top. Only about 25 Duesenbergs were built in this body style, and according to the list, only two examples remain with the original rear-mounted spare, one of which is this car.
However, this car does not have the original engine. Hammond sold the car in 1934, and after it was bought and sold several times, radio host Charles Allen had the engine changed at some point in the 1950s. Like all Duesenbergs, this car was powered by an inline 8-cylinder engine, which produced about 265 hp in the Model J version.
The car also lost its original rear-mounted spare for a time. Fortunately, well-known Duesenberg restorer Randy Emma of Orange, California, found the original dual rear-mount spare hub at a swap meet and kept it carefully for nearly 30 years. That happened in 2017 when Paul Petrovich of Sacramento, CA brought the car in for a full restoration by Ema. This was the last restoration Ema worked on before retiring.
Other highlights of the recent RM Sotheby's auction included a 1990 Ferrari F40 that sold for about $3.4 million, a 1930 Cadillac V-16 that sold for just over $1 million, a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K that sold for $2.2 million Special Roadster, among others.
