Gary Cooper’s 1935 Duesenberg SSJ sold for $22 million at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction in August 2018. Gooding called it the most valuable prewar car sold at auction at the time. 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. The SSJ’s often-repeated 140-mph figure is also narrower than a proven speed record: it is a claim by former owner Miles Collier, quoted in Gooding’s 2018 presale release.
How much did Gary Cooper’s Duesenberg SSJ sell for?
The SSJ 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, at the time, the most valuable prewar car sold at auction. Those are historical descriptions of the 2018 result, not a current claim that the car holds the top auction record.
In August 2026, Gooding Christie’s reported an all-in sale figure of $42.9 million for a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe and said the result surpassed the SSJ’s American-car auction record. This comparison concerns auction records as described by the auction house; it does not make the SSJ’s 2018 sale any less significant.
Was the Duesenberg SSJ the fastest prewar road car?
The evidence cited for the SSJ’s speed is an attributed statement, not a documented comparative record. Miles Collier, the car’s owner before the 2018 sale, told Gooding that it was “Peaking at 140mph in 1935, it was simply an unbeatable performer, matched by unbeatable style.” Gooding included that quote in its 2018 presale release.
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The reviewed material does not establish that the 140-mph figure came from a formal speed test, or that it was recognized as a world or category record. It is accurate to say Collier claimed the car peaked at 140 mph in 1935; the title “world’s fastest pre-WW2 road car” goes beyond what that source establishes.
What made Cooper’s SSJ distinctive?
Gooding identifies the car as a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ, chassis J-563, and says only two SSJs were built. The second, J-567, went to actor Clark Gable. Gooding says both SSJs had a shortened 125-inch wheelbase. Its presale release describes J-563’s engineering and body as follows:
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- Engine: a 400-hp supercharged, twin-cam inline-eight, according to Gooding.
- Intake: an unusual twin-carburetor arrangement, as described by the auction house.
- Body: a lightweight open-roadster “bob-tail” body produced by LaGrande, identified by Gooding as Central Manufacturing Company, an Auburn subsidiary.
The combination of a shortened chassis, a powerful straight-eight and an open roadster body helps explain why the car became a standout among American classics. These specifications are the auction house’s account, rather than independently verified measurements presented here.
How did the SSJ pass from Gary Cooper to the 2018 sale?
Gooding’s provenance account says the car went to Gary Cooper and then passed through California owners before pioneering 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 history connects the car not only to Cooper and Gable, who received the two SSJs, but also to prominent collectors and a long period of public display. The ownership sequence and display history here follow Gooding’s published account.
What the record claims mean today
Three distinct claims are often compressed into a single headline: the 140-mph speed statement, the SSJ’s 2018 auction result, and its place in the record books. They should be kept separate.
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| Claim | What the cited source establishes |
|---|---|
| “Peaked at 140 mph in 1935” | Miles Collier’s statement, quoted by Gooding in 2018; the reviewed material does not establish a formal test or recognized speed record. |
| Sold for $22 million | Gooding reported the SSJ’s realized price at its August 2018 Pebble Beach auction. |
| Most valuable prewar car sold at auction | Gooding used this description for the 2018 result; it is a historical, time-qualified claim. |
| American-car auction record | Gooding Christie’s reported in August 2026 that the $42.9 million all-in sale of a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe surpassed the SSJ’s 2018 American-car record. |
Gooding’s 2018 presale release also included founder and president David Gooding’s prediction that the SSJ was “poised to set an auction record for a pre-war American car.” That was a preview, not the sale result itself: the car later brought $22 million. The subsequent 2026 sale changed the record status for American cars as described by Gooding Christie’s.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does Cooper’s SSJ compare with Clark Gable’s?
The documented comparison is limited but clear: Cooper’s car was chassis J-563, while Gable’s was J-567, and Gooding says the two SSJs shared the shortened 125-inch wheelbase. The cited account does not give enough comparable sale or condition information to rank the cars by value or establish a meaningful price comparison.
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Sources: Gooding & Company’s 2018 presale release; Gooding & Company’s 2018 sale announcement; Gooding Christie’s 2026 sale announcement.
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