Duesenberg Tops AA Auburn Fall

Auctions America, an RM Sotheby’s company, continued a Labor Day tradition this past weekend, August 31–September 3, with its flagship Auburn Fall sale at the historic Auburn Auction Park. The four-day auction produced total sales of $19.2 million, with a strong 79 percent sell-through of all lots offered, more than 700 vehicles and 250 lots of memorabilia.

Leading the pack was a 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ “Sweep Panel” Phaeton, J-510, retaining its original body by LaGrande (above, photo courtesy of Auctions America). Though the Model SJ did not meet its reserve on Saturday, it was quickly sold the following day for a well-deserved $2,300,000, to become the most valuable automobile ever sold by Auctions America.

The second of two mighty Duesenbergs on offer, a 1929 Model J Convertible Coupe, J-417, the only example originally fitted with coachwork by Fleetwood, also inspired spirited bidding, selling for a final price of $990,000 on Saturday afternoon. Additional highlights from Saturday’s segment include a Bloomington Gold-winning 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, which went for a healthy $269,500, a 1937 Packard Twelve Coupe Roadster, offered from single ownership since the 1980s, that achieved $261,250, and an exceptionally restored 1958 Buick Limited Convertible that brought in $239,250.

“We’re proud of our success in restoring the Auburn Auction Park and bringing the annual Auburn Spring and Fall events to new heights,” said Donnie Gould — who leads the Auctions America team and has been coming to Auburn since childhood — following the event. “The Auburn Auction Park is rooted in collector car history. We have already invested significant resources in the Park and look forward to furthering this investment in an effort to elevate the client experience and seamlessly serve the entire spectrum of the collector car market.”

Auctions America Auburn Fall 2017 Top Five Sales