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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 $20,000 was the second most expensive Duesenberg ever constructed and it is widely considered to be the most beautiful Duesenberg ever built. It is currently one of the most valuable cars in the world, worth over $40 million today.[1][2]

The Twenty Grand
Twenty Grand (left) at the Nethercutt Collection
Overview
Manufacturer	Duesenberg (one-off)
Designer	Gordon Buehrig
Body and chassis
Class	Ultra-luxury car
Body style	4-door ultra-luxury sedan

The Twenty Grand is the flagship vehicle of the Nethercutt Collection. It won Best of Show at the 1980 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and is undefeated in Concours d'Elegance competition.[3]

History

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,[4] infamously giving it the nickname of The Twenty Grand.[5] Ultimately because of its unprecedented price tag, it was proven too expensive for the American wealthy and foreign dignitaries.[2] Due to the further deterioration of the economy from the Great Depression, the Twenty Grand was untouched several years until it was sold to Shreve Archer, but would go on to have several other owners where it was modernized.[3]

In the late 1970s, cosmetics entrepreneur J.B. Nethercutt purchased the Twenty Grand and gave it a full original restoration at the Nethercutt Collection, changing the exterior color from black to a metallic silver and reverting the interior to its original 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.”[5] It won Best of Show at the 2011 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.[6]

Replica

In 2012 a replica 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.[1][7]

Specifications

Engine Type: Supercharged DOHC

Cylinders: 8

Horsepower: 320

Manufacturer: Duesenberg, (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Coachbuilder: Rollston, (New York City)

Price When New: $20,000

See also

• Bugatti Type 51 Dubos

References

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