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Jay happily shows off the No. 1 jewel in his automotive crown, his Duesy.



People are always asking me which of my cars are my favorites. I usually give 'em a flip answer like, "Which of your children are your favorites?" But seriously, like everybody in the old-car hobby, I do have cars I like better than any others. My list will probably differ from other people's but that's what makes this fun. Here we go. First on my list is the Duesenberg SJ. To me, it's probably the greatest - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER, and it's certainly one of the greatest cars of all time. It's one of the few cars that I think people will still be restoring hundreds of years from now, because nothing in it is biodegradable. The steel, the block, everything is of such weight, depth and thickness that it's constantly rebuildable. You could pull a Duesenberg chassis out of a swamp it had been in since 1925, just kinda clean it up a bit, and it would be as strong as it was when it left the factory. That's in contrast to new cars like, for example, BMWs, where 80 percent of the car is recyclable. Obviously, you have to have that these days. I don't know what the restorer in the year 2050 is going to do with cars of today, but he'll still be able to restore a Duesenberg. It's also one of the greatest classic cars, to me, because you can drive it like a modern car even though it's 65 years old or more. You can comfortably go 70 to 80 mph on the freeway. At a time when the speed limit was 45, a Duesenberg could go 120. It's sooooo strong. You're not constantly having to say, "Oh, sorry, go around me," to all the beep-beeps from behind you, as so often happens with some old cars. I also like the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic coupe. It's a nice car, actually a great car, to drive, but you feel like it's pretty much made of baling wire. It's not a physically strong car. You can put 10 people in a Duesenberg. It stops. It goes around corners. There's no cowl shake. It's a big, heavy car. But the Bugatti, well, it's a little bit spindly. Bugattis are technically interesting, though. My Type 57 has a supercharged twin-cam straight Eight like a Duesenberg, but it's a smaller 3.3-liter engine. The Duesy is 7.0-liters. And the styling is terrific. Some people actually think it's a new car, but it's an original 1937 Type 57SC engine and chassis, fitted with a new body. And it's probably the most visually stunning car that I own.

So is Maple Plain corporation owned by Daimler Chrysler?

Good grief....I would have thought DCX have got enough to worry about with Maybach......so now they will build a Maybach competitor - does this not seem crazy to you guys?


Which would be more prestigious, Maybach or Duesenberg?......in the past Duesenberg were the finest cars in the world.

I don't know what to say here. If someone builds a car like that it will likely be a hit with the super rich moreso than the Maybach and even Rolls Royce.

M

I can possibly see it being successful with a few enthusiast American collectors - but if it looks anything like those concept drawings, it wouldn't make the "right" impression in some circles - it's too ostentatious in a "Roger Rabbit" kind of way

This vs. Exelero...

It looks nice when looking from side but the front isn't really smth special!!

So DiamlerChrysler owns the rights to the Duesenberg name? I did not know that.

The rear of the car in that drawing looks like the front of the Gallardo.

It does make sense to me. Instead of launching an ultra luxurious under MM they launch one under a different brand.

Has anyone seen Jay Leno's car collection before?

^^
I have seen some of his car on TV and others on forums. Other than that I don't know the total number of cars he owns.

Hmmm... hope things are done properly. Duesenberg was once the ultimate auto maker. Imagine building a 410 HP car in the 1930s. Only a Silver Arrow could have more, but that was GP only racer. On a road nothing could touch a Duesey.