Gary Cooper
1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster · chassis 2594 · engine J-563
A verified photograph of this individual car is still needed.
Photo details
Joyride serves the current 401 × 584 Commons JPEG byte-for-byte. No crop, resize, retouching or generation; a responsive frame may crop displayed edges. The identification portrait is separate from the unresolved Duesenberg photograph.
Hollywood’s short-wheelbase Duesenberg kept its original bones
- Connection
- Former owner · not current ownership
- When
- Presented to Cooper in December 1935 · sold at auction August 24, 2018
- Identity
- Chassis 2594 · engine J-563 · LaGrande open coachwork · one of two short-wheelbase SSJ Speedsters
Gooding & Company identifies this individual 1935 Duesenberg by chassis 2594 and engine J-563, and says Charles Cord presented it to Gary Cooper in December 1935. That establishes former ownership of one exact car—not a general claim about every Duesenberg associated with Cooper and not evidence that he owns it today.
The auction record calls it one of only two SSJs, built on a special 125-inch wheelbase with open coachwork designed by J. Herbert Newport Jr. and built under the LaGrande name. Its supercharged, twin-carburetor 420-cubic-inch straight eight was rated at 400 bhp. Joyride keeps that individual identity separate from the other SSJ associated with Clark Gable and from the broader multi-year Model J family.
Gooding described 2594 as unrestored and retaining its original chassis, engine and bodywork. After Cooper, it passed through several California owners, then entered the Cunningham collection and, through Miles Collier’s 1986 acquisition of that collection, spent decades at the Revs Institute. Gooding reports a completed $22 million sale in August 2018, but the public lot record does not name the buyer or establish current custody. Its Mathieu Heurtault auction photographs identify the exact car, yet no reusable license was found, so Joyride links them as evidence and shows an honest photo gap.
Where the car went next
- December 1935Presented to Cooper
Gooding records Charles Cord presenting chassis 2594, engine J-563, to Gary Cooper.
- 1949A new collecting chapter
The published provenance places the SSJ with D. Cameron Peck before Briggs Cunningham acquired it for his collection.
- December 31, 1986Collier collection
Miles Collier acquired the Cunningham collection and later displayed the SSJ at the Revs Institute.
- August 24, 2018$22 million sale
Gooding reports the completed Pebble Beach sale; the buyer and present custody are not identified in the public record.
Sources for this story
Gooding’s official lot supplies chassis 2594, engine J-563, Cooper delivery, one-of-two SSJ identity, 125-inch wheelbase, LaGrande coachwork, original-component and unrestored claims, and the $22 million completed sale. The Gooding-derived history supplies the intermediate Cunningham and Collier custody trail. No current owner, post-sale custodian, untouched consumables, complete Model J-family coverage, exact Joyride catalog match or compatible game representation is claimed.
- 1935 Duesenberg SSJGooding & Company · Pebble Beach Auctions 2018 · reviewed 2026-10-07 · external source
Lot 35; $22 million completed sale; chassis 2594; engine J-563; one-of-two identity; Cooper delivery; 125-inch wheelbase; LaGrande coachwork; 400 bhp specification; and unrestored original chassis, engine and bodywork.
- Ex-Gary Cooper Duesenberg OfferedSports Car Digest · 2018-07 · Gooding & Company source material · external source
Gooding-supplied custody history after Cooper through D. Cameron Peck, Briggs Cunningham and Miles Collier; Revs Institute display; and Mathieu Heurtault photo credit.
Reviewed
Exact-car photo leads and rights status
- Photo identity evidence
Gooding’s official lot identifies the photographed individual car as chassis 2594 with engine J-563 and Cooper provenance; no reusable license is supplied, so Joyride does not host the images.
- Photo identity evidence
The Gooding-supplied feature credits the exact-car photograph to Mathieu Heurtault, resolving photographer identity but not reuse permission.
These linked sources help identify the individual car, but reuse is not cleared. Joyride does not host or extract them; the chassis caveat in the story still applies.