Duesenberg II, an elegant luxury automobile handcrafted by the trademarked Duesenberg Motors Inc..
Failure to Revive the Duesenberg Name
Over the years many attempts have been made to recapture the magic of the Duesenberg name, yet the near-mythical style and engineering brilliance of the E. L. Cord days remained exclusive. Most of these attempts were half-baked concepts without the necessary funding to even reach production.
Success in 1977 with Duesenberg II
In 1977 one company did manage to recapture the exclusive Duesenberg Character. Founded by Richard Braund, a restoration specialist in Elroy Wisconsin, the tradmarked Duesenberg II was born.
Richard Braund, Restoration Specialist
Mr. Braund had vast experience in the classic car business and a great appreciation for the big pre-war classics. This sparked his idea for a proper revival of the Duesenberg name. While other attempts to revive the name resulted in gaudy neo-classics or poorly built fiberglass replica jokes. Duesenberg II's were exacting copies of the originals that rode on a bespoke chassis with Ford-derived suspension and running gear.
Amazing Accuracy
What really set the Duesenberg II vehicles apart from the ‘replicas’ was their exceptional build quality and amazing accuracy. Each body style was precisely measured using an original example as a template. Each car utilized a high-quality Lincoln engine and specially built frame. The grills, bumpers and other details were expensive castings, the bodies were hand-finished and assembled by a team of craftsmen working at the Elroy plant.
An Instant Classic
With the grand looks of the original and serviceable Ford running gear, these magnificent automobiles became genuine classics sought after by wealthy collectors and celebrities. Over five thousand manhours of hand-built craftsmanship went into each car.
Long Waits and Buy-Outs
There was an upwards of a two to three year wait if you wanted to own a Duesenberg II. It was not uncommon for buyers to sell their contracts for a hefty profit to those who didn’t want to wait. A record price of $500,000 (or $1.4 million in todays value) was paid in 1981. Today most Duesenberg II’s are in museums or private collections. It is very rare one ever comes up for sale.
Still a Duesenberg II Dealer
For more than 42 years Volo Auto Museum has been a dealer of Duesenberg IIs. Volo Auto Museum aquired numerous parts including steering columns, steering wheels and other various items used on later generation Duesenberg IIs to improve the apperance of authenticity. These parts can be used to upgrade your first generation Duesenberg II. Volo Museum also holds the factory records and can provide you with the factory records to your Duesenberg II.
