Gary Cooper’s 1935 Duesenberg SSJ sold for $22 million at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction in August 2018. Gooding described it at the time as the most valuable prewar car sold at auction. That record framing is now dated: Gooding Christie’s reported that a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe sold for $42.9 million in 2026, surpassing the SSJ’s American-car auction record.
How much did Gary Cooper’s Duesenberg SSJ sell for?
The car sold for $22 million at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction in August 2018. Gooding said it was the first SSJ to cross an auction block and described the result as the highest auction price for a prewar car at the time. Gooding’s sale announcement records the result.
That price is the realized 2018 auction figure reported by Gooding. It is not a current record: in August 2026, Gooding Christie’s reported an all-in sale figure of $42.9 million for a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, saying it surpassed the SSJ’s American-car auction record. Gooding Christie’s reported the later sale.
What made the SSJ distinctive?
Gooding identified Cooper’s car as chassis J-563, one of just two Duesenberg SSJs built. The other, chassis J-567, went to actor Clark Gable. Both SSJs had a shortened 125-inch wheelbase, according to the auction house.
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Gooding’s 2018 presale description lists a 400-horsepower supercharged twin-cam inline-eight, a distinctive twin-carburetor intake and a lightweight open-roadster “bob-tail” body made by LaGrande, a Central Manufacturing Company operation and Auburn subsidiary. These are the auction house’s specifications for the car. Gooding’s presale release describes its engineering and body.
Was it really the world’s fastest prewar road car?
The evidence cited for the speed claim is an attributed recollection, not a documented comparative record. Miles Collier, the owner before the 2018 sale, told Gooding the car peaked at 140 mph in 1935: “Peaking at 140mph in 1935, it was simply an unbeatable performer, matched by unbeatable style.” Gooding’s release does not establish that this figure came from a formal speed test or that the SSJ held a recognized world record.
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So the careful answer is that the car was described by its former owner as reaching 140 mph, but the available documentation here does not prove it was the fastest road car before World War II.
How did the car pass from Gary Cooper to the auction block?
Gooding’s account says the SSJ was delivered to Gary Cooper, then changed hands among California owners before collector D. Cameron Peck acquired it in 1949. Peck later sold it to Briggs Swift Cunningham. Miles Collier acquired Cunningham’s collection on December 31, 1986; Gooding says Collier displayed the SSJ at Revs Institute for 32 years. The 2018 auction offered it from the Miles Collier Collections.
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This provenance helps explain the car’s significance to collectors: its identity as Cooper’s car was joined by extreme rarity and a documented line of notable owners, rather than resting on its celebrity association alone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does the SSJ compare with Clark Gable’s car?
Gooding identifies the sister SSJ as chassis J-567, built for Clark Gable. The release establishes that both cars shared the shortened 125-inch wheelbase, but the available details do not provide a comparable sale or condition record for J-567. There is therefore no sound basis here for ranking the two by value.
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