Makes › Duesenberg › Model SJ › Model SJ Town Car by Bohman & Schwartz (Ethel Mars / Mae West design, chassis 2582) · Coachbuilt · 1935 One-off
Duesenberg
Model SJ Town Car by Bohman & Schwartz (Ethel Mars / Mae West design, chassis 2582)
One-off streamlined town car on a factory-supercharged chassis, designed by J. Herbert Newport for Mae West and built for Ethel V. Mars
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1 Built
- Years
- 1935
- Engine
- Front-mounted DOHC inline eight with centrifugal supercharger · 6,880 cc / 6.9 LFactory: 420 cu in · converted
- Power
- 239 kW / 324 PSFactory: 320 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- J. Herbert Newport
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
This one-off town car combines a factory-supercharged SJ chassis with a streamlined formal body, a rare pairing since few four-door formal Duesenbergs were supercharged. It was designed by J. Herbert Newport for Mae West and finally built for Ethel V. Mars.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionone-off | 11 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
J. Herbert Newport, Duesenberg's chief designer, drew the town car for Mae West in 1934, but she did not proceed. Ethel V. Mars commissioned it instead, reportedly paying $20,000, and Bohman & Schwartz built the body in Chinchilla Grey. After Mars died in 1945 the car passed through several owners, including William Harrah's collection, and was fully restored by Hibernia Auto Restoration after 1986.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Model SJ Town Car by Bohman & Schwartz (Ethel Mars / Mae West design, chassis 2582).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Front-mounted DOHC inline eight with centrifugal supercharger2 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 6,880 cc / 6.9 LFactory: 420 cu in · converted2 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 239 kW / 324 PSFactory: 320 hp · converted2 Independently researchedSource states bhp (brake horsepower, mechanical). |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Three-speed manual2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | beam-type front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs2 |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | four-wheel vacuum-assisted hydraulic drums2 |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 3,899 mmFactory: 153.5 in · converted2 Independently researched |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
The car is chassis 2582 with engine J-553, supercharged from new. Its body has sweeping fender lines, European-style rear wheel spats and shrouded side-mounted spares on a 153.5-in. wheelbase.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
RM Sotheby's Andrews Collection 2015 – 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Town Car by Bohman & Schwartz Level B
- 1 one-off
-
2
1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Town Car by Bohman & Schwartz (The Andrews Collection, lot 231) Level C RM Sotheby's · 2015-01-01
- DOHC inline eight with a centrifugal supercharger
- 420 cu. in.
- 320 bhp
- three-speed manual
- beam-type front and live rear axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs
- four-wheel vacuum-assisted hydraulic drum brakes
- Wheelbase: 153.5 in.
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