Ordered by Mr. A. Smith Cochran, owner of the Plaza Hotel in New York, in 1927, this Hooper body was stylised, at the request of Mr Cochran, by the New York coach builder Schutte upon its arrival in America. They are believed to have fitted the carriage lamps, collapsible foot rest and interior with its ornate handles, polished wood panels, mirrored recesses, vases and vanity unit which remains intact and complete with all items. Later sold to the film company 20th Century Fox, it appeared in several films including 'Singin' In the Rain' with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds before a spell in the museum 'Cars of The Stars' owned by Mr Jim Brucker. When the museum closed, an enthusiast by the name of Fred Brown bought it and restored it to its former glory including the two-tone cream and black colour scheme. It was bought from Mr Brown by Geoffrey Patterson of Clarendons who kept it for some years. However, a Mr Ken McCole managed to prise it from him and it soon became his pride and joy. Registration no: 8717 KM Chassis no: 82 UF. Rolls-Royce had firmly established itself as producer of "The Best Car in the World" with the 40/50hp Silver Ghost, an impressive automobile that had set the standard for smoothness, quietness and refinement combined with performance, flexibility and reliability. When the time came to replace the Ghost with a new model for 1925, it was thus imperative that it should incorporate all the qualities of its predecessor. Bearing this in mind, Rolls-Royce opted not for a V12, V8 or straight eight engine configuration, all of which were tested and rejected, but rather for an overhead valve, longer stroke six cylinder motor with, as on the sidevalve Ghost, seven main bearings and the cylinders arranged in two blocks of three This time below a single detachable cylinder head; the result was an equally smooth power unit of 7,668cc, compared to the outgoing Ghost's 7,428cc, while power was up from 70bhp to l00bhp, again using Rolls-Royce's effective twinjet carburettor and sufficient to ensure that the New Phantom's performance, via the four-speed gearbox, remained on a par with luxury models from major rivals such as Hispano-Suiza and Packard. The ladder frame chassis of the New Phantom, available in either 12ft or 12ft 6in long wheelbase form, closely followed that of the Silver Ghost, and as such was immensely strong, while suspension was by semi-elliptic front/cantilever rear springs with Hartford friction dampers all round. As on later Ghosts there were also four wheel brakes but this time power assisted via Rolls-Royce's own transmission-operated mechanical servo unit, made under licence from Hispano-Suiza but better developed and also operating, unlike on the French machines, when in reverse gear; it was a system that proved most effective, quite capable of slowing the almost three ton Phantom from its 80 mph top speed. Notably, too, major service intervals at 50,000 miles were double those recommended for the Silver Ghost. There were notable differences between the Derby built Phantoms and those produced at Springfield in the USA in order to avoid stringent American import duties: the latter, initially called the 40/65, employed six rather than 12 volt electrics, twin synchronised coils rather than dual ignition coil and magneto (mounted on the engine's nearside rather than offside), the carburettor mounted on the offside rather than the nearside, a three-speed gearbox with central change against a four-speed unit with side change and a centralised lubrication system. Derby built Phantoms ended production in 1929 with over 2,200 having been built, while Springfield cars continued until 1931 with 1,240 sold.

The road cars were not an immediate success. The Duesenberg brothers were great designers and engineeers, but their business and marketing talents were limited. Poor sales results pushed Duesenberg on the verge of bankruptcy. E.L. Cord stepped in and bought the company in 1926. Cord decided to abandon the nimble Model A and requested Fred Duesenberg to design a large, luxurious and powerful chassis to be bodied by various coach-builders.Dubbed Model J, the new Duesenberg was equipped with a wide variety of technical novelties. In its design the chassis was very simple with a ladder frame and solid axles front and rear. Six cross-members made sure the chassis was twist-free and could accomodate all body-types regardless of the body's rigidity. An ingenious lubrication system was installed, which automatically started lubricating various parts of the chassis after sixty to eighty miles. Two lights on the dashboard indicated the lubrication progress and two others lit up at 750 and 1500 miles indicating the need for an oil change and battery check respectively.It's the engine that really made the Model J stand out from its competition. With 32 valves, double overhead camshafts and a detachable head the eight cylinder engine was the most advanced engine ever designed in the United States. Displacing just under 6.9 litres, the engine produced an earthmoving 265 bhp, more than could be tested on any contemporary dynometer. Although the engine was designed by Fred Duesenberg, it was constructed by specialised engine-builder Lycoming, which was also recently acquired by E.L. Cord.Despite the enthusiastic public response at the New York launch, sales were disappointing. The estimated production figure of 500 cars per year was never matched and eventually only 481 Model Js were constructed. Being extremely expensive, the Model J was popular with the rich and famous. Among the owners were many greats from the showbizz industry like Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, James Cagney and Greta Garbo. Various kings and queens were Model J owners as well. Part of the Duesenberg legend is based on the many famous owners.Today the Model J is considered to be one of the most legendary cars ever constructed. The combination of state-of-the-art racing inspired engineering, the era's finest coach-building and the cars' many famous owners have all contributed to that legend. One of the most told stories about the Model J underlined the engine's incredible power; the Model J could smoothly accelerate from 10 mph to 89 mph in second gear. The SSJ's top-speed is estimated to be close to 160 mph, faster than any other pre-War road car.Founded by Harold Ames, LaGrande was not a regular coach-builder, but rather a name for factory designed bodies constructed by three local Indiana coach-builders. Although the LaGrande bodies are today considered 'factory bodies,' none of them were ever constructed by Duesenberg. The 29 bodies were constructed by Union City Body Company, A. H. Walker Body Company and Central Manufacturing Company.Featured are two similar LaGrande 'bodied' Duesenbergs. After its short-wheelbase chassis, unique to these two examples, they are known as the SSJs. Each car was once in the possession of a famous actor. The two-tone silver car (s/n 2594 J-563) was first owned by Gary Cooper. Duesenberg leant the second car (s/n 2595 J-567) to Clark Gable. Although he was already a Duesenberg owner, he never actually owned this example. The two cars remain as the most famous and fastest Duesenberg road cars ever constructed