RM Sotheby’s will kick of the summer auction season with the offering of a rare 1929 Duesenberg Model J “Disappearing Top” Convertible Coupe by Murphy on July 30 at its 22nd annual Motor City Sale in Plymouth Township.
“The chance to present a Duesenberg Model J ‘Disappearing Top’ at auction is a rare event, making J-119 a particularly exciting highlight for our Motor City sale,” says Gord Duff, car specialist for RM Sotheby’s.
The Duesenberg Model J engine No. J-119 will be auctioned at the Inn at St. John’s, located at 44045 Five Mile Rd., after a cosmetic freshening and comprehensive servicing by Duesenberg expert Brian Joseph. The sale is part of a weekend series of events highlighted by the Concours d’Elegance at St. John’s on July 31.
Duff says the Duesenberg Model J is expected to draw a bid of between $1.2 million to $1.7 million with the proceeds from the sale to benefit Hillsdale College.
Eric Bardeen of Florida, the vehicle’s owner for the last quarter century, offered the J-119 to assist with Hillsdale College’s fundraising efforts.
“Not only is J-119 special as one of only 25 examples built in this body style — one of the pinnacle body designs on the famed Model J — but the fact that it has been in enthusiast ownership for decades and frequently driven also differentiates it from its peers,” Duff says. “All in all, it’s an excellent driver’s Duesenberg set to benefit a very worthy cause.”
The Model J is one of many popular models being offered at the Motor City sale. Other featured vehicles at the Motor City Sale will include a 1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet from the estate of beloved Kalamazoo Businessman Wendell Gates II, a Kalamazoo businessman who purchased the car as a junior high school student. A pair of Packard Twelve Coupe Roadsters will also be offered including a known 1933 model that could be the last model made that year.
For more information, visit rmsothebys.com.
