Modern day Duesenberg gets delayed

A production version of the Duesenberg Torpedo Coupe pictured in this concept drawing was promised to be on the market by August of this year but, as the guys at Hemmings have spotted, the release date has now been pushed back to mid 2008. The modern day version of the American luxury classic is the creation of Duesenberg Custom Coach and Californian designer Jeff Teague and is said to feature an innovative new powertrain dubbed the Cylindrical Engine Model or CEM for short.

The new engine is described as a 12-cylinder rotating engine that can deliver up to 300hp and fuel consumption of up to 70mpg. To speed development, designers are also planning to build the car around a donor Mercedes-Benz CL500 chassis.

The project reminds us of another ambitious custom vehicle, the $2 million Dimora Natalia, which, like the new Duesenberg, features an innovative new engine and is just as likely to never see the light of day. However, there is still hope for a modern Duesenberg in the form of hot rod legend Chip Foose and his own plan to build a Duesenberg-inspired mega coupe, which you can read about by clicking here.