New Peculiarly Built Equally A Throne Auto For The Evangelist Manly Soul Bring Upwards Divine It's The Largest, As Well As Heaviest, Duesenberg E'er Built. Seven Grand Pounds.

In the mid-1930s, at the worst of the Great Depression a Duesenberg chassis was $8500 (almost $150,000 inward today’s dollar). The divulge of buyers was chop-chop dried up, every bit the cars weren't modern disposable junk, they lasted for ever, in addition to the wish to supercede a auto every yr hadn't yet been invented past times Harley Earl's blueprint studio.

In Pasadena, the Walter M. Murphy company, builder of to a greater extent than Model J coachwork than whatever other, liquidated inward 1932. Its equipment in addition to around of its most skilled craftsmen coalesced into a novel company, Bohman in addition to Schwartz.

One of the company's commencement commissions was a modern Town Cabriolet trunk on a 1935 Model J chassis for candy heiress Ethel Mars. Designer J. Herbert Newport went amongst a raked, vee-shaped radiator shell, in addition to created streamlined sidemount spare covers that became the car's signature blueprint feature.

In 1936, the companionship received an guild from “John the Baptist” for what was to live the largest in addition to heaviest Model J Limousine Landaulet the penultimate of the marque.

Wealthy Californians Florence Hunt in addition to her 2 sons, John in addition to Warner, who adopted novel names, Florence taking Mary Bird Tree; John becoming John the Revelator; in addition to Warner, confusingly enough, John the Baptist were caught upward inward Father Divine’s charismatic preaching, in addition to thus they donated this Duesenberg to his Peace Mission.

The guild included many unique specifications similar star quarter windows, a crescent moon-shaped bring upward window, star-studded white headliner, a hydraulically operated folding landaulet in addition to an elevating bring upward seat. It was for the Rev. M.J. Divine, "Father Divine."

Father Divine was a charismatic preacher who founded the Universal Peace Mission Movement inward the 1910's. The Universal Peace Missions provided lodging, nutrient in addition to a steady diet of Father Divine's messages inward render for followers' turning over all worldly possessions in addition to turn a profit to the Mission.

While his followers labored inward back upward of the "Mission" Father Divine lived a luxurious life spell never owning a thing, taking only "loans" of houses in addition to cars from grateful "Angels", followers who had turned over all their possessions to the Mission.

His Missions hosted sumptuous banquets for followers in addition to visitors; inward accordance amongst the Mission's precepts anyone was welcome, drawing thousands during the Depression's nighttime days.

Father Divine received the Limousine Landaulet Throne Car from Mary Bird Tree every bit a Peace Mission donation (i.e., he didn’t ain it per se, though the auto was exclusively for his use) opposite to his chief message to his followers of renouncing worldly possessions.

The throne car’s wheelbase was 178.5 in., 8.5 in. longer than a Bugatti Royale’s.

It went into storage inward 1948, amongst 100,743 miles on its odometer in addition to stayed at that topographic point because Mother Divine wanted it handy for Father Divine’s return.

The sharks, flippers, in addition to collectors were crazy to become ahold of the unique Duesenberg, in addition to it was flipped over in addition to over in ane lawsuit to a greater extent than inward simply 2 years of getting out of Mother Divine's possession, winding upward inward the Imperial Palace Collection inward 1983, where it took a fundamental house every bit ane of the signature attractions inward the IP's legendary collection of Duesenbergs until it was acquired inward 1999 past times the Dean V. Kruse Foundation, withal inward the badly deteriorated status inward which it had been rescued from Father Divine's railroad vehicle house.

No ane pose a dime into it's attention or upkeep spell they raised it's value in addition to their depository fiscal establishment accounts, flipping it.

Famous collector John O'Quinn had it restored inward 2006, in addition to presented it at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours