body was ordered by the Duesenberg company, not a customer.
This gave Duesenberg a car to have on hand which could be shown
to prospective customers.
The car is built on Duesenberg’s 142.5-inch, short-wheelbase
chassis. Duesenberg’s Gordan Buehrig designed the body, which
was built by the Derham Custom Body Company.
Like many Duesenbergs this car is quite massive; in typical
Duesy fashion, however, its 420 cid Model J engine is up to its
job. The engine is a four-valve, double overhead-cam straight
eight. As denoted by the car’s SJ designation, it is equipped with a
supercharger to build even more power. Unlike many Duesenbergs,
this engine has a beautiful 8-into-1 exhaust manifold that emerges
from the side of the hood, rather than the characteristic four flex
pipes. The engine could propel this 6,000-pound-plus behemoth to
more than 130 mph—a notable speed for a passenger car of the time.
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