This remarkable Duesenberg, chassis 2405 with engine J-397, holds a unique place in the marque’s history as one of the final automobiles completed after the company’s closure, representing the closing chapter of the legendary Model J lineage.

The car was commissioned by Rudolph Bauer, a prominent German artist associated with abstract art and the avant-garde movement. Bauer initially intended to have the coachwork created by the prestigious Berlin-based firm Erdmann & Rossi, known for their sophisticated and modern European designs.

However, the course of the car’s creation was profoundly shaped by the political turmoil of the late 1930s. Bauer was imprisoned in Germany, and following his release, he was compelled to emigrate to the United States. Settling in New York, he resumed plans for his custom Duesenberg, now under entirely different circumstances.

With Erdmann & Rossi no longer an option, the bodywork was entrusted to Rollson, one of America’s foremost coachbuilders and a direct successor to the famed Rollston Company. Unlike many clients, Bauer was not content to leave the design entirely in the hands of the coachbuilder, he approached the project as an artist, providing his own drawings and design concepts. 

Rollson’s designers worked closely from these sketches, translating Bauer’s vision into a fully realized automobile.

The car was ultimately completed in late April 1940, making it one of the very last Duesenberg automobiles to be finished, long after the official end of production. This alone sets it apart as a historically significant example.

Adding another layer of complexity to its story, the car is noted as having originated on a short-wheelbase chassis, but was later re-bodied or transferred onto a very long-wheelbase chassis, further emphasizing its bespoke and evolving nature.

As one of the last great expressions of the Model J, it stands not only as a testament to the marque’s enduring legacy, but also as a highly individual work shaped by the vision of its extraordinary owner.