What a beautiful American car!
Back in the day, if you wanted one of the most technologically-advanced, stylish, and luxurious cars on the market, you were likely considering a Duesenberg. We’ll never know what would’ve become of the brand had it not fallen victim to the Great Depression, but the end result is genuine Duesys are few and far between, so they go for top dollar today. Of course, Jay Leno’s Garage has a few, but this time Leno is showing off the most expensive Duesenberg ever made, a 1934 Duesenberg Walker Coupe.
If you’ve never seen a Duesenberg Walker Coupe before, there’s a reason. This is a 1 of 1 ordered by the head of Lilly Pharmaceutical back in the day, which was located just down the street from Duesenberg’s headquarters in Indiana.
Because money was no object, a thing which would’ve enraged the general population during the Great Depression, this car was made to be incredibly grandiose. It cost about $25,000, blowing away the $20,000 Duesy that blew people away at the World’s Fair.
One thing you have to keep in mind is this Duesy weighs about 6,000 lbs. Back in the 1930s most cars were featherweights by todays’ standards, but this one is on the hefty side even when measured against modern vehicles. What’s even more amazing is it drives quite well when compared to cars today, so it was a marvelous driver for its time.
Another point about this car is that it’s the only aerodynamic car Duesenberg ever developed. That might sound ridiculous in the age of automakers using not only wind tunnels but also digital aerodynamic simulations when designing cars, but back in the 30s aerodynamics were mostly studied for airplanes. Everything from the headlights to the bumpers were created to cut through the air efficiently, which no doubt was necessary for the heavy car to get up to speed and not guzzle gas more than it already does.
Check out the video for yourself.
