Duesenberg SJ

1935 Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor I

he Mormon Meteor I is the one true racing car in this

book. Fittingly it is a Duesenberg, from the remarkable

American company that made quite a name for itself in

the early 20th century with both elegant street cars and

successful competition cars. In fact, this car was first called

the Duesenberg Special, and was constructed specifically

for Ab Jenkins. Jenkins had set various speed records at his home

state’s Bonneville Salt Flats, many of them endurance records

set while circling an enormous oval laid out on the Utah salt.

Jenkins looked to Duesenberg to produce this massive, fast

roadster that could travel at high speeds for hours, or even days.

It was built on a 142-inch Model J chassis. J. Herbert Newport

designed the car’s narrow aluminum body, with its raked grille

and windshield and dramatic fairings, for its occupants as well

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