To
Be
OFFERED
AT
AUCTION
at
RM
Sothebys'
Amelia
Island
event,
22
May
2021.
Among
the
most
beautiful
and
important
designs
on
the
Duesenberg
chassisDelivered
new
with
bare
aluminum
coachwork
and
a
one-off
tailRecent
meticulous
concours
restoration
by
RM
Auto
Restoration2020
Amelia
Island
Concours
d'Elegance
Best
in
Class
winnerACD
Club
Certified
Category
One
(D-119)
The
most
famous
design
of
Pasadena,
California,
coachbuilder
Walter
M.
Murphy
on
the
Duesenberg
Model
J
chassis,
the
"Disappearing
Top"
Convertible
Coupe
saw
production
of
about
25
examples,
all
with
a
distinctive
convertible
top
that
hid
neatly
within
the
smooth
rear
deck
when
lowered.Yet
there
is
a
much
rarer
machine,
the
"Disappearing
Top"
Torpedo
Convertible
Coupe,
which
is
considered
by
many
to
be
the
utter
pinnacle
of
Murphy's
work
on
Duesenberg
chassis.
It
combined
the
standard
convertible
coupe's
lines
with
the
flowing,
gracefully
tapered
deck
of
a
"boattail"
speedster,
often
finished
in
bare
aluminum
that
extended
forward
through
the
beltline
and
down
the
center
of
the
car's
cowl
-
providing
an
extra
touch
of
sparkle
in
the
California
sun.Few
Duesenbergs
so
beautifully
combined
the
marque's
performance
ethos
with
the
glamour
of
a
status
symbol.CHASSIS
NUMBER
2199Six
examples
of
the
"Disappearing
Top"
Torpedo
Convertible
Coupe
were
produced,
five
on
the
short
wheelbase
and
a
single
long-wheelbase
example.
Body
no.
876,
used
on
the
car
offered
here,
may
have
been
the
first,
as
this
and
body
no.
898,
used
on
J-198
/
2221,
were
both
"800-number"
bodies,
indicating
they
were
built
on-spec
for
Duesenberg
rather
than
for
individual
clients.
These
two
cars
featured
an
early
prototype
version
of
the
Murphy
Disappearing
Top,
which
hid
under
a
low
leather
tonneau
rather
than
a
full
metal
clamshell
lid.
Further,
body
no.
876
features
a
single-passenger
rumble
seat
within
a
unique
tail
design,
which,
rather
than
forming
a
clean
point
as
on
other
examples,
flares
out
again
at
the
bottom,
extends
out
to
the
sides,
and
then
curves
to
meet
the
rear
fenders
-
an
important
identifying
point
in
the
surviving
Murphy
photos
of
the
car.This
was
one
of
two
Torpedo
Convertible
Coupes
delivered
without
the
usual
chrome
"rub
strips"
on
the
rear
fenders,
and,
most
distinctively
of
all,
with
bare
aluminum
coachwork.
The
sides
of
the
body
and
much
of
the
hood
were
brush-finished,
while
the
top
of
the
rear
deck,
flowing
through
the
caps
of
the
doors
and
into
the
"sweep"
of
the
hood,
was
polished
to
a
mirror
finish.
The
stunning
result
resembled
the
dazzling
Rolls-Royces
built
for
certain
Maharajas.
Only
the
fenders
and
valances
were
painted
a
rich
dark
blue.According
to
the
records
of
the
late
Duesenberg
historian
Ray
Wolff,
chassis
number
2199
was
sold
new
to
David
Gray
of
Santa
Barbara,
California.
Mr.
Gray's
father,
John,
had
in
1903
made
the
wise
decision
to
invest
$10,500
in
the
fledgling
automobile
company
founded
by
Henry
Ford.
In
1919,
David
Gray
sold
the
family
stock
back
to
Mr.
Ford
for
$26
million
and
lived
quite
happily
for
the
remainder
of
his
life.The
Gray
Duesenberg
was
sold
on
in
1933
to
William
McDuffie
of
Los
Angeles.
Later
in
the
1930s,
like
so
many
Duesenbergs,
it
was
modernized
with
the
addition
of
skirted
JN-style
fenders
and
the
smaller
17-inch
wheels.
In
this
form,
it
was
apparently
noticed
by
Hollywood,
as
it
made
an
appearance
on
the
silver
screen
in
a
memorable
scene
of
the
film
She
Had
to
Eat.
The
car
continued
to
enjoy
the
care
of
a
handful
of
Southern
California
caretakers
through
the
late
1940s,
including
the
Beverly
Hills
attorney
and
longtime
Motor
Trend
columnist
Robert
J.
Gottlieb.In
1951,
it
was
purchased
by
William
Coverdale,
an
early
and
longtime
Auburn
Cord
Duesenberg
Club
member
from
Waynesville,
Ohio.
A
member
of
an
old
railroad
family,
Mr.
Coverdale
was
an
avid
Duesenberg
enthusiast
who
regularly
hosted
the
faithful
at
his
farm.
This
was
notably
his
favorite
Model
J.
By
the
time
of
his
acquisition,
it
was
missing
the
original
engine,
J-178,
which
had
reportedly
been
used
by
the
Los
Angeles
dealer
Bob
Roberts
for
parts.
Coverdale
was
able
to
acquire
another
original
Duesenberg
engine,
J-414,
which
he
installed,
and
which
remains
under
the
hood
to
this
day.With
the
"boattail"
returned
to
presentable
running
order,
in
addition
to
a
light
cosmetic
refurbishment,
Mr.
Coverdale
often
enjoyed
driving
it.
It
appeared
at
an
early
ACD
Club
meeting
in
Avon,
Pennsylvania,
in
the
mid-1950s,
and
would
occasionally
reappear
at
Auburn
over
the
years.
It
remained
a
prized
possession
of
its
owner
until
1985,
when
he
was
finally
convinced
to
part
with
it
after
34
years.
After
being
brokered
through
the
hands
of
Bob
Adams
and
Tom
Barrett,
and
briefly
owned
by
the
late
Rick
Carroll,
the
Duesenberg
was
acquired
by
the
Blackhawk
Collection.
Following
a
restoration,
the
car
was
then
presented
to
the
Auburn
Cord
Duesenberg
Club
and
was
certified
Category
One,
recognizing
that
it
retains
all
correct
Duesenberg
components,
including
the
original
chassis
frame,
firewall
and
bodywork.In
2015
the
car
was
acquired
by
the
proud
current
owner,
who
submitted
it
to
RM
Auto
Restoration
for
a
complete,
concours-quality
restoration.
Research
allowed
the
remarkable
original
bare
brushed
aluminum
finish
to
be
carefully
restored,
while
surviving
Murphy
factory
and
period
photographs
allowed
the
original
trim,
altered
by
prior
owners,
to
be
faithfully
reproduced.
RM
was
able
to
save
the
vast
majority
of
the
original
aluminum
sheet
metal,
preserving
it
at
great
cost
wherever
possible
-
a
laborious
but
highly
worthwhile
process
that
is
evident
in
the
finished
product.
The
dark
blue
interior
and
fenders
are
as-original.The
result
drew
much
attention
and
favorable
comment
upon
its
debut
at
the
2019
Pebble
Beach
Concours
d'Elegance,
where,
amidst
extraordinarily
tough
competition,
it
was
judged
Second
in
Class.
It
went
on
to
appear
at
the
2020
Amelia
Island
Concours
d'Elegance,
where
it
achieved
Best
in
Class.
These
remain
the
only
two
appearances
of
the
car
wearing
its
present
restoration,
and
thus
a
world
of
both
club
and
concours
showings
remains
available
to
the
successful
bidder.
Through
the
years,
the
car
has
been
featured
on
the
cover
of
the
Auburn
Cord
Duesenberg
Club
Newsletter
(Number
7,
2002,
misidentified
as
J-476)
and
in
most
of
the
well-known
Duesenberg
tomes,
including
Josh
B.
Malks's
Illustrated
Duesenberg
Buyer's
Guide
(p.
49),
J.L.
Elbert's
Duesenberg:
The
Mightiest
American
Motor
Car
(p.
49,
plate
39),
and
Fred
Roe's
Duesenberg:
The
Pursuit
of
Perfection
(p.
236,
center,
misidentified
as
J-476).
It
is
accompanied
by
copies
of
photographs
taken
in
Tom
Barrett's
possession.With
its
unique
details
and
fascinating
history,
this
extraordinary
Duesenberg
is
every
bit
the
striking
and
showstopping
machine
that
it
was
when
delivered
to
David
Gray
in
1929.
One
of
only
four
surviving
"Disappearing
Top"
Torpedo
Convertible
Coupes
remaining
intact
on
their
original
chassis,
and
the
only
car
still
in
its
original
bare
alumi