1937 Duesenberg Model SJ Cabriolet
Photo:Shooterz LLC
4900cc, 320 bhp, four valves per cylinder, twin overhead camshaft, supercharged inline-8, three-speed transmission
Sold for $2,805,000.
Duesenbergs are not ordinary cars, and this is no ordinary Duesenberg either. It is one of 36 factory-supercharged Model Js (hence the SJ nomenclature), never been restored, it’s the longest one ever built and is loaded with history. Oh, it’s also the last Duesey too. This car was ordered by a German abstract artist, Rudolf Bauer during his tour of the US in 1937. But with the Nazis taking a pretty strong stance against the kind of art which the Fuhrer disliked, Bauer came back to the States. The car he ordered, instead of being sent to Germany for coachwork by Erdmann and Rossi, remained in the US. The artist laid down precise instructions on how his ultimate set of wheels would look, and the coachwork by Rollson is as unique as it gets. Now Rollson was known as Rollston earlier, but when the firm when bust, ex-employees came together to restart the venture. When Bauer died, the car went into the hands of a collector, who had the foresight to preserve it in a pristine condition for 45 years. The story of this remarkable car is also the stories of the fascinating people behind it.
1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible
Photo: Dennis Adler
6944cc, 425 hp, V8, four-speed transmission
Sold for $2,420,000
In those heady muscle cars, nobody was as bold as Chrysler. Their 426 Hemi was a rock machine and it was offered as a regular production option too! Of the Plymouth Barracudas, the ultimate was the ‘Cuda, in Street Hemi guise. And Chrysler was pretty unabashed talking about it as well: ‘...our angriest, slipperiest-looking body shell wrapped around ol’ King Kong hisself.’ It required King Kong’s wallet to buy it too. Thankfully, the ‘Cuda’s unit body construction allowed it to swallow that Hemi without harm, what with 425 horses and over 50 kgm of torque rocking the boat. This ultimate expression of American muscle car power seems to have set a new record – no wonder it earns that respect.
1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Cabriolet
Photo: Acme Studios
5401cc, 180 bhp, supercharged inline-8, four-speed transmission
Sold for $1,028,500
With the supercharger singing, this legendary Mercedes-Benz could produce a whopping 180 bhp – in normally aspirated guise, 115 bhp was the norm! The idea and the engineering of the fabled supercharged Mercedes inline-6 was the brainchild of Dr Porsche, but the development of the straight-eights was by Hans Nibel, a worthy successor to the legendary Doctor. The 540K replaced the 500K, which meant not just more power, but an increase in wheelbase too – up by 12". These machines were known for their superb coachbuilding too by the master craftsmen at Sindelfingen. But this particular Benz is pretty unique going by even their standards, considering its specially commissioned styling is almost French in its appearance.
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