The Duesenberg Model JN Roadster

The image above shows the right front side of a 1935 Duesenberg Model JN. When new, the car cost $16,000. The car was built in Indianapolis, Indiana and the body work was done by Rollston & Company of New York.

The stock market crash of 1929 and the depression of the 30's hit the luxury car market hard. Few people could afford an automobile of the quality and price of a Duesenberg. Still, there were people who could still afford such luxury and they were located in Hollywood.

There were only four Model JN Duesenberg's built and the first one went to Clark Gable. The Duesenberg you see above is the only factory-equipped supercharged Duesenberg JN model ever produced. This car only has 16,500 miles on it, and is one of a handful of original, unrestored Duesenbergs in existence. This particular Duesenberg is on display at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.

When I took this shot, I wanted to capture the lines and details of the automobile. The curve of the fender matches nicely with the curve of the exhaust pipes. The image was originally color, but the car was white, and I felt that a conversion to black & white yielded a more interesting image. This image is available for purchase.

This image shows the rear fender area of another 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Roadster. This particular Duesenberg is the famous "Clark Gable" Duesenberg. This car was purchased for Gable by his wife, the actress Carole Lombard. This Duesenberg was highly customized, like all Duesenbergs, and had many features designed by Clark Gable himself. In particular he added the fender skirts (seen above) as well as a double spare tire holder and a cut down windshield. Gable owned this car until his wife's death in 1942. At that time he gave instructions that the car should never be seen in California while he was still alive.

This car was on exhibit at the 2008 Concours d'Elegance held at Meadowbrook Hall in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The details on this car are amazing. The car was restored in 2007 and the car is in excellent shape. I took several shots, focusing on various details of the car. This particular image includes some additional post processing in Photoshop to give the image a slightly 'pop art' look.

A video of of some of the restoration details, particularly the pinstriping can be found in this YouTube video.

This image is available for purchase as a framed fine art print.

The image above shows three more details shots from the Clark Gable Duesenberg. The image on the left shows some of the pinstripe work on the vehicle. The center image is the hood ornament on the car, also known as a 'Mascot'. The Duesenberg mascot was known as the 'Duesenbird'. The final image on the right is shows a foot pad which I assume was used to access the spare tires or when putting the convertible top up or down.

The image below shows you the entire automobile.