Coachwork by Rollston

Engine - 420 cubic-inch dual overhead-cam inline eight
Transmission - Three speed manual
Horsepower - 265
Production - 481

“The only car that can pass a Duesenberg is another Duesenberg”

Often considered the finest and most luxurious American automobile ever produced, the Duesenberg Model J chassis would stand as a pinnacle of engineering for well over a decade after its initial production. In total, 481 Duesenberg Model J and J variants were produced, and all received coachwork by custom builders of the era.

The Rollston Company of New York City was one of the finest coachbuilders of the 1920s and 1930s, often providing bodies for firms such as Packard, Minerva, Lincoln, and most notably, Duesenberg. Rollston was one of few coachbuilders who could craft a two-passenger convertible coupe body on a long wheelbase chassis and execute such with pleasing proportions. This 1935 Duesenberg J bodied by Rollston incorporates many of their trademark designs, including a severely raked windshield, quadruple stacked door hinges, ‘disappearing’ convertible top mechanism, and Rollston-style door handles. This body is a singular Rollston design produced for the long wheelbase Duesenberg chassis.

J-550 (Duesenbergs are typically referred to by their engine number) was originally purchased by Isabel Townsend Pell from the New York City Duesenberg factory branch, and immediately following, she had them move this Rollston body from her 1933 Duesenberg LWB chassis to J-550. Ms. Pell was a descendant of the heiress to International Nickel, and a prominent socialite in New York who worked in the fashion industry. She was often noted for her unconventional personality and her taste in extravagant automobiles. Pell took J-550 with her to France in 1939, where it was subsequently seized by the German military. Duesenberg historian, the late Fred Roe, remembered seeing J-550 in the ‘New York Garage’ in Cannes, France; “The Germans had taken the wire wheels and tires”. Isabel Townsend Pell is most remembered for her efforts in leading troops to safety during the French Resistance under the alias “Fredericka."

Later owned by a Frenchman who took J-550 to Havana, Cuba in 1947, the convertible coupe would sit on the docks until 1950 due to the owner's passing shortly after it arrived at port. J-550 was returned to the United Stated in 1952 by Paul V. White for a purchase price of $1500. Eventually the car would fall into the ownership of Allen Thurn, a well known early Duesenberg collector, who would entrust Mervin “Beaver” Colver with a full restoration, completed in 1965. Colver’s restorations garnered a strong reputation over the years due to their high quality. This is still the restoration J-550 wears today.