2007 Best of Show Winner
June 27, 2021
1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster shown by Harry Yeaggy
In the mid-1930s, Duesenberg, long a winner on the track, decided to make a concerted push for speed. So this Duesenberg Special, later known as “The Mormon Meteor,” was conjured into being.
It is powered by a supercharged SJ engine with special camshafts and huge duplex Stromberg UU-3 carburetors. Its body is a massive yet streamlined creation, with steeply angled radiator up front and tapered tail at back.
A single headlight up front illuminated its way through the darkness of night, as Ab Jenkins established a new world speed record with it, averaging 135.47 mph for 24 hours on Bonneville Salt Flats on August 31, 1934. And more records followed.
The car was first shown at Pebble Beach under the ownership of Knox Kershaw. It sold for a record $4.45 million at the 2004 Pebble Beach Auction conducted by Gooding & Company. And the car’s new owner, Harry Yeaggy, returned it to its early race configuration.
“In my opinion, this is the most significant American car ever built,” said Yeaggy.
The car’s win at Pebble Beach underscored the judges understanding of its historic importance in addition to their appreciation of its style.