The Twenty Grand | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Duesenberg Rollston |
Production | 1933 |
Assembly | Indianapolis, Indiana New York City (coach building) |
Designer | Gordon Buehrig |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Ultra-luxury car |
Body style | 4-door ultra-luxury sedan |
The Twenty Grand is the name given to the one-off custom 1933 Rollston Arlington Torpedo-bodied Duesenberg SJ ultra-luxury sedan. The design's initial price tag of an astronomical US$20,000 ($452,134 in 2022 dollars [1] ) during the height of the Great Depression infamously gave it its nickname of Twenty Grand. [2] It is widely considered to be the most beautiful Duesenberg ever built and the pioneer of the ultra-luxury car, making it one of the most valuable cars in the world at over $40 million dollars. [3] [4]
The Twenty Grand is the flagship vehicle of the Nethercutt Collection and the family's car collection, where it was fully restored by J.B. Nethercutt and painted in its iconic silver. It won Best of Show at the 1980 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. [5]
Jay Leno described the 320-horsepower Twenty Grand as the 20th century equivalent of the Bugatti Veyron in regards to the unprecedented engine power output and prominence of each of the vehicles for their time. [3]
Luxury brands Duesenberg and Rollston contracted automobile designer Gordon Buehrig for a ultra-luxury one-off design to be the leading automotive "Dream Car" display representing the progress of the United States automotive industry at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair.
Once completed in Indianapolis, the finished automobile's set price was an astronomical $20,000 during the middle of the Great Depression where cars typically cost around $600–800 ($18,085 in 2022 dollars [1] ) and houses $2,000 ($45,213 in 2022 dollars [1] ), leading onlookers to infamously nickname the vehicle The Twenty Grand. [6] [7] Ultimately because of its unprecedented price tag, it was proven too expensive for the American wealthy and foreign dignitaries at the World's Fair. [2]
Due to the further deterioration of the economy from the Great Depression, the Twenty Grand was untouched for a year until it was sold to Shreve Archer in the following 1934 leg of the same fair for $20,000, making it the second most expensive Duesenberg ever sold new. [8] Later the Twenty Grand would go on to have several other owners where it was altered with a modernized interior, fenders, and was painted black and green. [5]
In 1979, cosmetics entrepreneur J.B. Nethercutt purchased the Twenty Grand for $130,000 ($524,172 in 2022 dollars [1] ), making it one of the then-most expensive vehicle purchases up to that time. He gave it a complete original restoration at the Nethercutt Collection, changing the exterior color from black to a metallic silver and reverting the interior to its original 1930s opulence. Once the restoration was completed, Nethercutt entered it into the pinnacle Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1980, where it ultimately won Best of Show. In the late 1980s the Twenty Grand was selected to be exhibited in Essen, Germany as one of “The Ten Most Beautiful Cars in the World.” [7] It won Best of Show at the 2011 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance and at the 2022 Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance. [9] [10]
In 2012 a 1:1 fan-made replica vehicle was constructed as tribute to The Twenty Grand that included a supercharged Ford V8 engine. The replica was auctioned off in Scottsdale, Arizona for over $100,000. [11] [12]
In 2023 it was featured on the Jay Leno's Garage episode "The Most Famous Duesenberg of All Time." In the show the Twenty Grand was driven on the Hollywood Burbank Airport taxiway with a police escort instead of the regular Burbank city streets usually featured in the show. [13] Jay Leno described the Twenty Grand as the 20th century equivalent of the Bugatti Veyron in regards to the unprecedented incredible aspects of each of the vehicles for their eras. [13] [3]
Engine Type: Supercharged DOHC
Cylinders: 8
Horsepower: 320
Manufacturer: Duesenberg, (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Coachbuilder: Rollston, (New York City)
Price When New: $20,000
Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. was an American racing and luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is known for popularizing the straight-eight engine and four-wheel hydraulic brakes. A Duesenberg car was the first American car to win a Grand Prix race, winning the 1921 French Grand Prix. Duesenbergs won the Indianapolis 500 in 1922, 1924, 1925 and 1927. Transportation executive Errett Lobban Cord acquired the Duesenberg corporation in 1926. The company was sold and dissolved in 1937.
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car, designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and Bugatti and manufactured in Molsheim, France, by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. It was named after the racing driver Pierre Veyron.
Gordon Miller Buehrig (B-yur-rig) was an American automobile designer.
The Bugatti Type 57 and later variants was a grand tourer car built from 1934 through 1940. It was an entirely new design created by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. A total of 710 Type 57s were produced.
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is a French luxury sports car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1998 as a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and is based in Molsheim, Alsace, France. The original Bugatti automobile brand was established by Ettore Bugatti (1881–1947) in 1909 at Molsheim and built sports, racing and luxury cars.
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an annual automotive event held on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. It is widely considered the most prestigious car show in the world and it is the pinnacle Concours d'Elegance competition worldwide.
Avions Voisin was a French luxury automobile brand established by Gabriel Voisin in 1919 which traded until 1939.
The Dana Point Concours d'Elegance is an automotive charitable event held each year on the Monarch Beach Golf Links at the Monarch Beach Resort Resort in Dana Point, California. It is operated primarily as a Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Concours, with additional classes showcasing interesting and relevant automobiles and motorcycles. The 2010 event was held Sunday, June 27, 2010 moving from its traditional date in September.
The Kirkland Concours d'Elegance at America's Car Museum is an automotive charitable event which has raised approximately 1.5 million US dollars during its first nine years for uncompensated health care for children at Seattle Children's Hospital and Evergreen Hospital Medical Center. The event was established in 2003 and was held the first nine years of its existence at Carillon Point in Kirkland, Washington. In September 2012 the event moved to the LeMay America's Car Museum (ACM) in nearby Tacoma, and was held until 2013.
The Mormon Meteor I and III were two land speed record cars built in the 1930s by Ab Jenkins.
The Duesenberg Model J is a luxury automobile made by Duesenberg. Intended to compete with the most luxurious and powerful cars in the world, it was introduced in 1928, the year before the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. The Model J, available with a supercharger after 1932, was sold until Duesenberg Motors Company went bankrupt in 1937.
Gooding & Company is a classic car auction company headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Incorporated in 2003, the company holds multiple all-time records for the most expensive cars sold in auction. The company also provides private treaty sales, estate planning, and appraisals. Since 2004, Gooding & Company has been the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The global auction house also hosts its London Auction as the official auction partner of the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace since 2021. Additional auctions are held each year in Amelia Island, Florida. At the present, the auction house holds the world record prices at auction for 12 automotive marques, including Duesenberg, Porsche, Ferrari, Bugatti, McLaren, and RUF.
TheNethercutt Collection is a multi-storied museum and car collection complex located in Sylmar, California. It was founded by J.B. Nethercutt in 1971 and its centerpiece is the prestigious automobile collection of the Nethercutt-Richards family that contains over 250 cars, nearly all of which J.B. originally collected and owned. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest car museums in the world.§
Jack Boison Nethercutt was an American entrepreneur and car collector. He was the founder and namesake of the Nethercutt Collection, which has led him to be considered as a pioneer of car collecting and the greatest car restorer of all time.
Jack Boison Nethercutt II is an American businessman, restaurateur, and former racing driver with Ferrari and Lotus. He is the chairman of Merle Norman Cosmetics and president of the Nethercutt Collection.
The Nethercutt-Richards family is a prominent American family in the fields of business and cars. The family originated from the Midwestern U.S. in the 19th century and made their fortune primarily from the cosmetics industry in the early 20th century.
The Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance is an automotive Concours d'Elegance event and car show held annually at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Bugatti Type 51 Dubos Coupe is a one-off automobile originally built by Bugatti in 1931 as an open-top Bugatti Type 51 race car that was driven by legendary racer Louis Chiron, and then modified by Louis Dubos to be a luxury road coupe. It is one of the most valuable cars in the world, estimated at around $20 million dollars as of 2023.