‘King’ of Hollywood’s Duesenberg wins Best of Show at Pebble Beach 

Duesenberg built this SSJ for Clark Gable in 1935 as a publicity stunt to try and save the ailing company. But while it failed in that respect, the very same car — 91 years on — is now a star in its own right after being named Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Restored to its original condition by owner Harry Yeaggy, and carrying the registration plate ‘Gable’, the SSJ Special Speedster was awarded the top prize from a field of 218 entrants.

It’s one of just two of the high-performance cars that Duesenberg made in an effort to boost flagging sales of its luxurious but expensive Model J range.

Both SSJs, which featured a unique short wheelbase and 400bhp eight-cylinder supercharged engines, were delivered to silver screen royalty: one to so-called ‘King of Hollywood’ Gable and the other to Gary Cooper.

An apocryphal tale has the two actors racing each other in the Hollywood hills during the six months that Duesenberg loaned them the cars.

The stars were then offered the opportunity to buy the SSJs, which were considerably more powerful than the 265bhp Model J, but offered at a substantial discount to its $15,000 sticker price.

Cooper took the firm up on the offer but Gable declined to pay the $5000 factory cost price and handed his back.

The car would represent the pinnacle of Duesenberg’s production because two years later the company was dissolved. In 2018, the car made for Cooper sold for $22m, which was then an auction record for an American car.

The other was acquired three years ago by Yeaggy, from Cincinnati, Ohio who said that he had been pursuing the car for 40 years.

The banker has 45 cars in his collection including a Duesenberg SJ which was also awarded Best of Show in 2007.

“I won once before, 19 years ago, but I appreciate it a lot better now,” said Yeaggy. “I appreciate the hard work it took and the time it took to get here. People don’t realise how hard it is, how special it is, to win this award. It’s amazing.”

Yeaggy commissioned the restoration of the car to its original specification, which involved finding a trace of the original paint so that it could be accurately matched.

“Duesenberg often tops the list of desires for people with a passion for American classics, and the iconic SSJ is the marque’s ultimate expression,” said Concours chairman Sandra Button. “This Special Speedster, one of just two made, offers both style and performance—and has a fantastic Hollywood backstory.”