The Duesenberg featured on the “Jay Leno’s Garage” episode is a one-of-a-kind four-door car that was created for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The car was known as the “Twenty Grand” Duesenberg, as it was priced at an astonishing $20,000, which was a significant amount at the time, considering that the average American car cost less than $1,000 and the average house was less than $2,000.
Although it was not the most expensive Duesenberg ever built, it was still too expensive to find a buyer the first time it was showcased. The car was eventually sold to a wealthy buyer after being repainted black and brought back to Chicago in 1934. The car is currently part of California’s Nethercutt Collection and is displayed alongside other classic cars from automakers like Bugatti and Hispano-Suiza.
The Twenty Grand Duesenberg is powered by a straight-8 engine that was based on Indianapolis 500 racing engines. This car’s engine has a displacement of 421 cubic inches and a supercharger that generates 320 hp, which was an astonishing figure in the 1930s. Although Duesenbergs were considered driver’s cars in their time, this particular car was designed to be chauffeur-driven, and its unique coach-built body includes a partition and a complete set of gauges for rear-seat passengers so they can monitor what the driver is doing.
The car was restored in 1979 and has been shown frequently since then, although it is not driven very often anymore due to its value. In the video, the car is driven around an airport apron for a short time, giving viewers a rare opportunity to see this unique Duesenberg in motion.
