Leonardo DiCaprio at Odyssey of Pioneers launch

Leonardo DiCaprio at Odyssey of Pioneers launch

Leonardo DiCaprio and Toby Maguire are in Australia to begin work on a new film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. 

Production doesn’t start until September 5, but the two stars were seen motoring around Sydney’s Centennial Park, driving a $3 million 1929 Duesenberg J.

The car is one of two Duesenbergs on loan from an unnamed U.S. museum for the filming of the movie.

Ironically, the F. Scott Fizgerald novel is set in 1922, seven years before the Duesenberg was built, which means the production will likely be taking some "artistic license" with the novel.

1929 Duesenberg J Sport Phaeton

1929 Duesenberg J Sport Phaeton

The Duesenberg J was the Bugatti Veyron of its day, costing as much as $19,000 at a time when the average physician earned $3,000 per year and the most expensive Ford Model A sold for around $1,200.

The Duesenberg’s inline eight-cylinder engine made over 265 horsepower, which was good enough to give the impressively-sized roadster a top speed of nearly 120 mph.

Duesenberg ceased production in 1937, although at least two more cars were built following the company's demise. During and after World War II, there was so little interest in the brand that used Duesenbergs could be purchased for as little as a few hundred dollars, which makes us wonder what the $3 million car of the future will be. Maybe it's time to start looking for that clean, low mileage Pontiac Aztek.