A 1932 Duesenberg has taken home the Best of Show award at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance held on Sunday, the first time the prestigious award has been handed to an American car since 2013, when a 1934 Packard Twelve took top honors.
This year's concours, which concluded Monterey Car Week, saw plenty of tough competition, including a pair of Talbot-Lagos and another Duesenberg, but in the end it was a unique Duesenberg Model J Figoni Sports Torpedo that impressed the judges the most.
Belonging to Lee and Penny Anderson of Naples, Florida, the Duesenberg was praised due to what Concours Chairman Sandra Button described as a combination of “American might and European style.”
Under the hood is Duesenberg's familiar 420-cubic-inch straight-8, while the elegant body, marked by a long hood, swept wheel arches, and boat-tail rear, is the work of French coachbuilder Figoni et Falaschi.
There's also an interesting history behind the car. Its first owner was a Peruvian sugar heir and Bugatti fan by the name of Antonio Chopitea. However, the car saw some race action before it was delivered to Chopitea, including an appearance in a Paris-Nice rally.
It would first reach the U.S. in the 1960s, though the body was separated from the chassis at some point. The car's current owners spent years searching for the original components to rebuild the car to its original condition, with the restoration work along taking a full three years.
The other finanlists this year included a 1930 Duesenberg J Graber Cabriolet, 1937 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Figoni & Falaschi Teardrop Coupe, and 1951 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Stabilimenti Farina Cabriolet.
