Since its introduction nearly a century ago, automotive critics, writers and historians have exhausted superlatives when describing the Model J Duesenberg. “The World’s Finest Motor Car,” “The Mightiest American Motor Car,” and “Chariots of the Gods” are but a few of the accolades bestowed on the Model J. Automotive historian and author Beverly Rae Kimes provided this succinct summation: “Mighty is the adjective universally used for the Model J. No American automobile produced since has approached its splendid intimidation.”

An unmatched combination of technical perfection, artistic design, and exclusivity provided original owners with an automobile with more than twice the horsepower of its contemporaries, fitted with the most stunning coachwork available and priced at $8,500 for the chassis alone. Open roadsters and phaetons appealed to those desirous of exploring Duesenberg’s performance qualities, but for others, good taste and reserved elegance were best expressed through stately designs, such as the example offered here, J-114, a Derham Town Car.

At the heart of this car is the revered Duesenberg engine, a masterpiece honed to perfection by Fred Duesenberg through years of racing experience. Employing double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and hemispherical heads, the 420 cid, straight-eight engine produced 265 hp, a figure not matched among American marques until the mid-1950s. Equally impressive though cited less frequently, it delivered 374 lbs./ft. of torque, propelling the Duesenberg to 88 mph in second gear and capable of reaching a top speed of 116 mph.

The coachwork for J-114 was provided by the Derham Body Company of Rosemont, Pennsylvania. Derham’s designers created a truly spectacular automobile with their version of the popular town car body style. The finished car masterfully balances rakish, sporting proportions while imparting an undeniable formal elegance. Bold, exquisitely executed coachwork details including the sharp, sculpted line terminating at the centerline of the cowl, evolve into raised body moldings, creating the perfect opportunity for the introduction of a contrasting paint color, as well as adding visual length. Just two of Derham’s Town Car body style 2606 were produced for the 142.5" Model J chassis, and this car, chassis 2137, carries body no. 2102.

The completed car was sold new to owners exceedingly familiar with Duesenberg excellence: Harry and Virginia Robinson of Beverly Hills, California. Harry nurtured his father’s Boston Dry Goods Store in downtown Los Angeles into one of the premier Southern California retailers, the J.W. Robinson Company. He married Virginia Dryden in 1903 and in 1911, the couple purchased a six-acre parcel of land at the top of a knoll above Sunset Boulevard to serve as the site of the First Estate of Beverly Hills. The Elden Way home was designed by Virginia’s father Nathaniel Dryden in Italianate style and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In its day, the Robinson estate served as the gathering place for socially prominent Angelenos and Hollywood royalty. Among Virginia’s guests were Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Loretta Young, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., George Cukor, and Fred Astaire. Virginia’s famous social functions and philanthropic efforts earned her the well-deserved title of The First Lady of Beverly Hills.

The Robinson estate featured four enclosed garages, an important consideration given the couple’s appreciation for fine automobiles. Upon introduction of the Model J, the Robinson garages quickly filled with no less than three noteworthy examples: J-108, Harry’s Murphy Convertible Coupe; J-171, a Derham Sedan; and J-114, Virginia’s Derham Town Car. In correspondence with Duesenberg author J.L. Elbert, she wrote, “I am happy to talk of our Duesenbergs…My husband’s white car, a green sport sedan...and my most beautiful 1929 town car I still use daily.” An extremely rare film, maintained by the legendary Virginia Robinson Gardens, now transferred to video, depicts J-114 in a short clip, likely in the mid-1930s, in which the Robinson’s chauffeur exits the driver’s seat to assist a well-dressed woman exiting from the rear. The precious footage reveals the gleaming Model J performing its formal duties with style and grace, as a nearly new car.

Like many other Duesenberg owners in the 1930s, Mrs. Robinson took her cherished Model J to the Los Angeles Duesenberg dealer for a styling refresh, a service offered by the factory to update the look of the car. A louvered Duesenberg grille and 17" wire wheels, which are included in the sale, were added.

Remaining in Beverly Hills today are the Robinson’s beautiful home and gardens which are open to the public. There you can see the garage that held the cars, including a separate service garage complete with its own work pit.

J-114 remained in Los Angeles, passing through ownership by L. Lofsky and Richard Wohre before it was acquired by Lloyd G. McCrum of Hopedale, Massachusetts in 1962. It received a sympathetic restoration by Ted Billings in 1968 with the process supervised by Jim Hoe. Still owned by the McCrum family, J-114 was prominently displayed at the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Maine from 1993 to 2002. Richard Roy of Branchville, New Jersey, acquired the car in 2002, continuing its splendid display at Owls Head, before selling it to the current owner in September 2008, where it joined a world-class private collection.

Cosmetic and mechanical work completed within the last year by restorers Salt City Specialties of Riverton, Utah, includes the application of silver lacquer paint to the hood and front doors, making for a striking contrast with the black applied to the rear of the body and roof sections. The interior colors of black leather in the chauffeur’s compartment, and likely original light mauve broadcloth in the passenger compartment, are retained and the concealed chauffeur microphone and wind-up division window coupled with Derham’s blind-quarter design ensure privacy for rear seat passengers. The braking system was recently overhauled and the engine compartment presents magnificently. The very attractive, low-cut, articulated windscreen contributes to its majestic yet sporting appearance, and its close-coupled formal design recalls the magnificent Bugatti Type 41 Royale Coupe Napoleon. In his definitive work Duesenberg, The Pursuit of Perfection, noted authority Fred Roe states that the Derham Town Car design was one of the most elegant and extravagant formal designs of all time.

No marque can match the grandeur of a Duesenberg and among Model Js, few can match the elegance of this exquisite Derham Town Car with its authentic “Golden Age of Hollywood” provenance. It retains its original engine, chassis, and body and is the only existing short-wheelbase example with this coachwork. Out of the public eye for many years, J-114 would be welcome at any concours, where it would be a strong candidate for coveted elegance awards. Originally owned by prominent Duesenberg royalty, its next owner has the opportunity to build on its legacy of historical significance.